May 21, 1918.

Dr. W. S. Rankin,
Secretary of State Board of Health,
Raleigh, N.C.

My dear Sir:-

Some days ago I learned that you had filed your application for admission to the Medical Reserve Corps of the Army. Thereupon I wrote to the Surgeon General of the Army a vigorous protest against this application being honored. I represented to the Surgeon General that in my opinion you could be of infinitely more service to the Government, National as well as State, in this emergency by continuing to hold the office of Secretary of the State Board of Health than you could possible be by doing the work of an individual physician in an army hospital. I am in receipt of a letter from the Surgeon General in which he says that he is today writing you to consider fully your obligations to the State before assuming those of military service.

I want to enter a vigorous objection to your leaving the State at this time, and at the risk of being considered rather blunt about the matter I desire to say that in my opinion such action upon your part would not be patriotic. It is a man’s duty to serve where his services will count most for all the people, and I have a pronounced conviction that you are worth then times as much in the position that you now hold as you would be by accepting a commission in the Medical Reserve Corps. I therefore trust that you will withdraw your application at once.

You are at perfect liberty, and indeed I desire you to send a copy of this letter to the Surgeon General.

Very truly yours,

Governor.

B_G