14. The Quartermaster Corps polished its contracting skills through the CCC
Initially, members of the CCC were housed in Army tents, fed through field kitchens, and used temporary latrines and showers. The success of the program encouraged FDR to extend it through the winter of 1933-34. More permanent structures were needed, and the President suggested the Army build them. CCC members at the time received a stipend of $30 per month. An Army private received $17. The image of Army privates laboring to build quarters for men making nearly twice what they were paid disturbed military leaders. It would threaten morale. In a nod to organized labor, which had opposed the CCC from the beginning, FDR approved the use of local contractors to construct the permanent camps. Contractors were to submit bids for labor and materials, and Army personnel would evaluate the bids and select the contractors, overseeing the work as it went on.
The decision allowed relatively junior Army officers to gain experience in the entire Army contracting process, from developing requests for bids to completing the contract. They did not know it at the time, but the experience gained by the young officers would prove of immense benefit when the Army rapidly expanded in the late 1930s and especially after 1941. Army camp commanders also assumed responsibility for training and educational programs for the men in their charge, another area which would provide benefits to the Army as it prepared men to go to war. Many Army officers voluntarily served as instructors, gaining experience in training presentations. The CCC provided benefits for the men who joined it, the Army which helped run it, and the American people who still enjoy nearly all of what it built.