DIY History | Transcribe | World War II Diaries and Letters | Carroll Steinbeck letters to parents, January-February, 1944

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Carroll Steinbeck letters to parents, January-February, 1944

Memorandum from Colonel Wrenn

ARMY SERVICE FORCES
Seventh Service Command
Headquarters, AST Unit
University of Wyoming
Laramie, Wyoming

21 February 1944
MEMORANDUM: Each ASTP Trainee.
Subject: Reduction of ASTP.

The following instructions have been received form the War Department, and are quoted for your information:

"You were assigned to the Army Specialized Training Program because it was felt that the courses of instruction scheduled would materially increase your value to the military service. You have been working under high pressure to master as quickly as possible those essentials of college training of greatest importance to your development as a soldier. The time has now come for the majority of you to be assigned to other active duty. To break the enemies defenses and force their unconditional surrender it is necessary to hit them with the full weight of America's manpower. Because of this imperative military necessity most of you will soon be ordered to field service before the completion of your normal course*. The Army Specialized Training Program will be reduced prior* to 1 April 1944 to 35,000 trainees which will include 5,000 pre induction students and advanced medical, dental, and engineering groups; the USMA preparatory course; and certain language groups. Most of you released from the ASTP will be assigned to the Army Ground Forces for duty with divisions and other units. Your intelligence training and high qualities of leadership are expected to raise the combat efficiency of those units. The thousands of ASTP trainees who have already been assigned to field service have set high standards for you to follow. 
BY ORDER OF THE SECRETARY OF WAR."

*In so far as Hq AST Unit, Univ of Wyoming has been advised, there is no indication that the program will be discontinued at this unit before the end of the current term. 
T.W. WRENN; 
Colonel, FA, 
Commandant.

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ARMY SERVICE FORCES Seventh Service Command Headquarters, AST Unit University of Wyoming Laramie, Wyoming 21 February 1944 MEMORANDUM: Each ASTP Trainee. Subject: Reduction of ASTP. The following instructions have been received form the War Department, and are quoted for your information: "You were assigned to the Army Specialized Training Program because it was felt that the courses of instruction scheduled would materially increase your value to the military service. You have been working under high pressure to master as quickly as possible those essentials of college training of greatest importance to your development as a soldier. The time has now come for the majority of you to be assigned to other active duty. To break the enemies defenses and force their unconditional surrender it is necessary to hit them with the full weight of America's manpower. Because of this imperative military necessity most of you will soon be ordered to field service before the completion of your normal course*. The Army Specialized Training Program will be reduced prior* to 1 April 1944 to 35,000 trainees which will include 5,000 pre induction students and advanced medical, dental, and engineering groups; the USMA preparatory course; and certain language groups. Most of you released from the ASTP will be assigned to the Army Ground Forces for duty with divisions and other units. Your intelligence training and high qualities of leadership are expected to raise the combat efficiency of those units. The thousands of ASTP trainees who have already been assigned to field service have set high standards for you to follow. BY ORDER OF THE SECRETARY OF WAR." *In so far as Hq AST Unit, Univ of Wyoming has been advised, there is no indication that the program will be discontinued at this unit before the end of the current term. T.W. WRENN; Colonel, FA, Commandant.