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Show I : , I Men on BattleFronts Battle BattleI BattleFronts I : Fronts Dream of ofI ofReturning ofReturning Returning HomeSoon Home HomeSoon Soon it will be Christmas Chnstmas and andAmerIcan andAmerican andAmerican AmerIcan boys all over the theworld theworld theworld world will want to come home homeMeanwhile homeMeanwhile I IIMeanwhlle IMeanwhlle- IMeanwhlle IMeanwhlleI Meanwhile- Meanwhile MeanwhileAn An American - boy is slowlycutting slowly slowlycutting slowlycutting I cutting his way through a tangl tangled tangied ed tanglled jungle Each step forward tangll IS ISthree isthree isthree three feet down the mud sucks sucksand sucksand sucksand and pulls his boots as he advances advan advances advances ces tortured step after step He Hebrushes Hebrushes Hebrushes brushes insects msects from his eyes to topeer topeer topeer peer into mto the dense jungle mass masses masses masses es ahead and at either side alert alertfor alertfor alertCor for Japanese snipers He HL reaches reachesa a fallen tree stops to rest closeshis closes closeshIs closesnis hIs eyes a few seconds Into hismind his hismmd hismind mmd mind comes a picture of crowded crowdedsidewalks crowdedsidewalks crowdedsidewalks sidewalks It s five o 0 clockChristmas clock clockChrIstmas clockChristmas | ChrIstmas shoppers and workerslurry workers workershurry workershurry clockI I hurry through the streets he hehears hehears hetiears hears the tinkling tmklmg bell of a Sal SalvatlOn Salvction Salvation vatlOn vction Santa Claus for a mo moment moment moment ment he smells the crisp cold coldair coldair coldair air and feels the glow from the thebright thebright thebright bright store window A bullet bulletwtunes bulletwhines bulletwhines wtunes whines past himSomewhere himSomewhere him himSomewhere Somewhere in m Germany a boy boyfrom boyfrom boyfrom from Vermont is fighting from fromhouse fromhouse fromhouse house to house in the rubble- rubble rubblestrewn rubblestrewn rubble-strewn rubble strewn - - strewn streets As he advancescautiously advances advancescautiously advancescautiously cautiously waiting for the next nextshot nextshot nextshot shot from ahead or behind heducks he heI heducks I ducks into mto a doorway For asecond a asecond : second he relaxes The snow on onI onthe onthe onthe I the rubble suddenly becomes a aI apicture apicture I picture of snowcovered Vermont Vermonthills Vermontlills : hills quiet qUlet peaceful serene He HeI Hesees Hesees I sees his town snow feathered featheredelms featheredelms , elms candles shining in windows windowsawaiting windowsawaiting : awaltmg awaiting the Christmas carolers carolersI carolerswho carolerswho I who are singing at the far end endof endof of the streetOn street streetOn : On a hillside in northern northem Italy Italya ItalyI I a kid from Uintah considers considershimself considershimself considershimself himself lucky He won t haveto have haveto haveto to dig a foxhole tonight tomght Hecras Hecrawfs He : crawls cras into a small cave out of ofthe ofthe ofthe the bitter wind As he fallsasleep falls fallsasleep fallsasleep asleep exhausted he hears the thewind thewind thewind wind howling around the rocks rocksIt rocksIt rocksIt It sounds like the wind roaring roaringoff roaringoff roaringoff off snow-covered snow covered - - - Baldy and he hedreams hedreams hedreams dreams he's hes ' back home The TheChristmas TheChristmas TheChristmas Christmas tree 11gb lights ts are on and andMom andMom andMom Mom and nd Pop are sitting around aroundlistening aroundlistening aroundListening listening to Sts Sis play Silent SilentNight SilentNight SilentNight SilentNightIn Night NightIn In the Pacific hundreds of ofmiles ofmiles ofmiles miles from anywhere a boyfrom boyfrom boy boyfrom from Kansas peers into in to thenight the thenight thenight night Since the Jap attack that thatmorning thatmorning thaimorning morning his sub is disabled it itbarely itbarely itbarely barely moves in m the water noone no noone noone one dares think h how hdW iw long it willkeep will willkeep willkeep keep afloat anoat No one knows knowswhether knowswhether knowswhether whether the next planes will be berescue berescue berescue rescue planes--or planes or planes - - - or the Jap planesreturning planes planesreturning planesreturning returning The surge su-ge su ge : - of the sea seacontinuous seacontinuous seacontinuous continuous incessant becomes a awheat awheat awheat wheat field the waves of ripe ripegrain ripegrain ripegrain grain rising and falling as the thewind thewind thewind wind ripples over themWhat themWhat them themWhat What are we doing at homeWhat home ? What discomfort have we7 we " ' Arewe Arewe Are Arewe we cold cokP " ' Are we hungry ? Arewe Are Arewe Arewe we homeless ? Or are we declding decidIng decid decld deciding ing to make this a good-old good old - - fash fash- fashIoned fashioned fashioned - ioned luxurious Christinas Christmas ? Didwe Did Didwe Didwe we buy that (50 50 $50 ( $ handbag forsister for forsister forsister sister ? Did we buy that fur coatfor coat coatfor coatfor for mother Did we buy thatnew that thatneW thatnew neW china to dress up that thatIChristmas thatChristmas thatChristmas Christmas table ? ' Did we decide decidenot decidenot decidenot IChristmas ( not to go to work today9 today today9How " ' How many of the simples simplesIthings simplesthings simplestthings things we are asked to do are wedoings we wedoing wedoing Ithings ( ? ' Are saving waste - - doing we pap-er pap er pap- pap paper paper - er " ' ' ' Collections are at an all alltime alltime alltime time low Are we saving waste wastefats wastefats wastefats7 fats " ' Even red points in ex exchange exchange exchange change no longer bring in the thenecessary thenecessary thenecessary necessary amount Are 'we we ' con contributmg contributing contributmg tributmg tributing blood to the Red Cross Crossbank Crossbank7 bank " ' Many appointments made madeare madeare madeare are crosslbank never kept more appointmerits appoint appointments appointmerits crossl ments merits are never made Are webuying we webuying webuying " ' Re- Re Redemtions Redemtions Re-demtions Re demtions buying more War Bonds7 Bonds - - - demtions are higher than ever everbefore everbefore everbefore everbeforeProduction before beforeProduction Production has been falling fa11mg inwar in inwar inwar war plants Absenteeism is highThere high highThere highThere There are still strikes for what whatever whatever whatever Inpeace Insound in ineace ever reason justifiable or not eace time the excuses don't dont don'tsound don'tsound dontsound ' peace nowdon't don'tOur sound sound so good rightnow right now now Our Ourobligations Ourobligations Ourobligations obligations our responsibilities _ _ r- r - rto , . to our boys all over ovet the world worldare workare re are weighty weightyIf worldI I If the Japs Jas returnt retum\to retum to \ \ , to the ! kill killwill , will theKansas the Kansas Kansas Ktmsas kid . have thel thellmunltion the theimunition theimunltion lmunltion imunition to stav staves stave . & them oUI off offirain of : oUI19ain igain 19ain irain ? Will the rescue recue _ planessot plane planes ; , Inlthe not lot sot come because th they're theyre ) " 're re ' still stIlI in inthe Inl iithe the factories ? Wll wm WW ) Hie Ule the barrag barrage barragepreceding barragepreceding barragpreceding < preceding the boy In Colognefall Cologn Cologne Colognefall Colognfall < fall silent , because the batterieslre batteriesire batteries lre ire out at o1s o1sshells : shells ? Will the kid kidf > ) f Italy freeze to death In hisave his hisave hisave ave because he has no blanketo blanketa blanket a o wrap around him ' " ' Will thewy the theoy : > ) oy in Burma die because weildn we welidn weildn lidn ildn t buy enough War Bonds atcome at atome a1 a1lome7 come ) lome7 ome " ' lome7All All of us in our hearts know knowNhether knowvhether hether Nhether we are doing our share sharevhether , , whether Nhether we are fulfilling our ournoral ournoral ouinoral noral obligations to the m11llons millions m11llonsJf millionjf ! Jf _ , f Americans scattered scattCred ! around aroundhe aroundhe he aroundlhe world in a struggle for aroundl survi survilaltheirs survitattheirs survi/a1 survi a1 lal-theirs lal theirs tat-theirs tat / - theirs and ours - - - - - - - - - |