| Show Behind the War News Major Maior Eliot lot Says II By MAJOR GEORGE FIELDING ELIOT The people of the United States are facing the gravest crisis the greatest trial and the heaviest responsibilities of their history From this point onWard onward onward on on- ward America must bear the major burden of this war It is up to us to carry it through to toa a victorious conclusion We have not yet realized this fact There is a tendency to complacent rejoicing when we hear that the Russians are holding holding holding hold hold- ing firm at Stalingrad or that the British have beaten back Rommel's latest attack in Egypt or that a a. handful of our own marines have stormed half hatt a dozen tiny Pacific islands But these things are not enough h they are not nearly enough The task before the united nations is th the defeat of two powerful armed and desperate predatory empires who are bent on nothing nothing nothing noth noth- ing less than the conquest of the world and have so 80 far been almost uniformly victorious in their progress toward that goal The stake is ia enormous it is nothing less than the survival of individual human rights and liberties on this planet and whether those rights or liberties liberties liberties liber liber- ties shall survive or perish will willbe willbe willbe be determined largely by our own efforts and our own Our part in the war has so far been confined chiefly to three activities production transportation transportation transportation trans trans- and preparation for combat By the fortunate accident of I geography and by reason of our command of the sea our tenure of distant outposts commanding the approaches to this continent continent continent conti conti- nent and the activities of our allies we have so far been in inthe inthe inthe the continental United States almost immune from direct atI at at- I tack This is of ot course an immunity immunity immunity im im- im- im which will continue only so long as we continue to command command command com com- mand the sea to hold our defensive defensive defensive de de- de- de outposts and above all to prevent our enemies from overwhelming our allies so co that they can concentrate their efforts ef efforts ef forts against us j We have d done don o n e a certain amount of defensive fighting largely for the protection of our outposts and our lines of com corn with them and with our allies but we have not yet undertaken a major offensive effort For the most part we have been engaged in supplying our allies and with building up upa a war machine of our own while our allies did the greater part of the fighting This was of course a condition condi condi- tion made necessary by the circumstances circumstances circumstances cir cir- under which we entered entered entered en en- the war We were not wholly unprepared but we were not ready for a major overseas effort We have been fortunate in being granted the time to get ready but we must recognize that our preparatory period hover fi ij over and that we are now II as our fighting power increases and we come fresh to the battle the mainstay of the united na Upon our courage fortt fortis tude and will to victory the thi others must come increasingly to depend These others have done their part In 1939 Poland bore ti th the brunt of the war in 1940 and the first half of 1941 it wa was Britain's turn to stand almost almos alone against the foe for thelast th the thelast last half of 1941 and so far ii in 1942 the soviet union has carried carried car car- ried ned the major burden of resistance resistance resist resist- ance ante to the Germans Meanwhile Meanwhile Meanwhile Mean Mean- while it has been China which has been carrying that burd burdas burden as regards Japanese aggression Our allies have done their part and will continue to fight on aswell a as aswell well as their resources permit but they have suffered heavy losses they are tired and the they look to us and us-and and rightly not no only for words not only fo for supplies but for deeds It is a tremendous responsibility responsibility which we thus assume am amit and it is one which will not be discharged discharged discharged dis dis- charged easily or quickly o or cheaply We are the last Jast re reserve reserve reserve re- re serve of freedom If we fail freedom dies We Ve have watched others fight the good fight white e ewe we made ready Now the burden burden bur bur bur- den of that fight is ours Upon our battle worthiness and ou our manly virtue rests the future of the world That worthiness am and that virtue we shall prove upon the bodies of our foes The price of victory shall be heavy but we we Shall pay it I j But we should realize now grimly and clearly that the days of our comfortable detachment from the burdens and terrors of conflict are over that from now on this is our war in very truth and that its issue depends upon our willingness yes upon our eagerness to pay the price of victory It is not enough that we should not recoil from this terrible but splendid responsibly ity what is required of us i ii is that we meet it with hearts of steel and with a shining prid that it has been given to us t to tolay tolay lay so costly a sacrifice upOn the altar of freedom y |
