Dear Senator Edward M. Kennedy(D-MA)Chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor,and Pensions. Again, it is time for you,your committee and your esteemed colleagues to reactivate the nation’s
best National Service, the Civilian Conservation Corps. Americans love to serve
their country in National Service. The public is now concerned about rising
unemployment, juvenile and corrosive white collar crime, war cries, and the
loss of trust in our government. Our greatest fear is for the future, our
children. Unless some measures are taken, many will grow up without proper
guidance and job preparation.
Nearly 70 years ago, President Franklin D. Roosevelt had legislated his
brainchild for a real National Service. In just 37 days after his inauguration,
it was enacted by Congress and signed by executive order, and the first CCC
boys where making history. FDR knew the value of a dollar and got the most
action for the buck! It was extremely cost effective and yielded a greater
return in its investment from its training and fielding of the largest
non-combatant workforce that restored our nations human, cultural, and natural
resources. From 1933-1942, the Departments of Labor, War, Interior, and
Agriculture acted in unusual cooperation as "technical agencies." Labor
Department Secretary Miss Frances Perkins provided recruits with no police
records. The US Army under General Douglas MacArthur, provided physical
examinations and held two week boot camps to evaluate conformity to Army
discipline and work stress. If they passed muster, enrollees were sworn in and
sent to their assignments to far off states and US Territories far from
populated areas. They saw for themselves, the majesty and beauty of America.
The projects were funded and administered by the "technical agencies" for
municipal, county, state and national conservation and national defense
projects. The CCC restored and created forest lands, recreational areas,
wildlife refuges, seashores, battlefields and park lands; private holdings and
farms; built training facilities and bases for the military; and would break
camp and move out on a moments notice to provided relief for emergency natural
disasters from floods to forest fires.

In fact, the CCC restored 3,980 historical structures, and developed over
800 state parks. There were over 4,500 CCC camps and in every state including
Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Through the efforts of the
CCC soil erosion was ultimately arrested on over 20 million acres. They stocked
over one billion fish and spent 4,827,426 man days surveying and mapping
millions of acres and hundreds on lakes. They built 46,854 bridges and 4,622
fish rearing ponds. The CCC installed approximately 5,000 miles of water
supply. They improved 3,462 beaches, transplanted 45 million trees and shrubs
for landscaping and planted over 3 billion trees where forests were logged and
burnt off. They spent 2,094.71 3 man days razing undesirable structures and
built 63,256 buildings plus 8,045 wells and pump houses. The CCC spent
6,000,258 man days in the operation of tree nurseries, they built
7,622 impounding and large diversion dams. They erected 405,037 signs, markers
and monuments. They collected 1 3,632,415 pounds of hardwood tree seeds and
875,970 bushels of cones. They developed 6,966 miles of wildlife steams and
built 28,087 miles of foot and horse trails,and 8,304 foot and horse bridges.
They built 32,1 49 wildlife shelters, 1,865 drinking fountains and 204 lodges
and museums. They also built 3,11 6 lookout towers. The CCC built 27,191 miles
of fences and 38,550 vehicle bridges. The CCC spent 202,739 man days fighting
coal fires which had been burning since earliest history.

Enrollees learned the concept of the lowest bidder. They were single men
who served up to two years, and received remuneration of $30 a month.
Allotments of $25 were sent home or kept until discharged for those without a
family to support. It was the first government agency that enacted "that no
discrimination shall be made on account of race, creed, or color," and included
conscientious objectors. After working in the field or in KP, they fell under
the direct supervision and discipline of a cadre of officers and enlisted of
the United States Army. The US Army administered a worry free environment with
sporting equipment and play areas, reading rooms, commissary, meals, living
quarters, transportation to and from work, work uniforms, medical, and dental
services. Absolutely no military drills were performed. They had outstanding
safety standards on the job, horseplay was not tolerated, and if injured
enrollees only received workman's compensation. In addition to receiving
on-the-job-training and vocational training, educators, after the dinner meal
taught everything from basic literacy to college courses. This enabled
enrollees to earn high school diplomas to college degrees. Older experience
workers where hired as mentors to live with the enrollees. They imparted job
and life skills in the environment far from home. Military Chaplains gave them
focus and direction. They learned citizenship first hand and had the days off
with pay to register and to vote. (So wonder they always voted for Roosevelt.)
From all this, they gained dignity in citizenship, self-respect, respect for
others and pride in the stewardship of the earth.

The Civilian Conservation Corps template would be updated as a
functionally structured and permanent Federal agency. Its mission would provide
a pool of manpower and funds for agencies charged by Congress with the
development, protection, and use of the nations human, natural and cultural
resources for future generations. Federally funded public sector programs that
waste funds in the overlap of the CCC agency mission or similar agencies would
be absorbed. This agency would not be subject to running interference with any
other Federal agency in fulfilling her mission. And there would be absolutely
no attachments to any corporate or special interest groups.

A real incentive for enrolling would be good pay and the original GI Bill
of 1944 for education. This GI Bill would be given for national service
rendered as a pay back of the trust and investment by and for the people of the
United States. Educational institutions would receive both mature students and
ready payment. The Defense Department would benefit from their cadre gaining
actual field command experience. To ensure a solid base for manpower, those who
want to join the military would serve a mandatory evaluation period of 6
months. This would save us the cost of "washing " recruits out as unfit for
duty and the military would gain partially trained and evaluated recruits. For
Veterans Affairs, the CCC would provide job assignments for newly discharged
Veterans to acclimatize back into society and the labor pool. To insure Federal
funding an additional donation box for the CCC could be placed next to the
presidential election campaign box on income tax forms. Finally, all time
served would count towards retirement in any government sector job and provide
them with better job and career opportunities to both public and private
sectors.

The Civilian Conservation Corps left us a tangible legacy and genuine
integrity. Many enrollees had more pride in their CCC service than any time of
their lives including their military service. Citizens and elected officials
still have family members that gave full measure to this national service. The
CCC successfully demonstrated that no conflict came between the preservation of
the environment and the creation of jobs. It would be truthful indicator of how
much our elected leaders do care for employment and the environment at election time. Reactivation is a non-partisan win-win proposition!