Show 9 Army's Greatest Hazard If Its Ifs s. s Question of Morale p Armed Services Do Everything Possible to Protect Mental Health of Servicemen Parents Advised to Cooperate 1 N I t 46 f By News Nett'S t Analyst and Commentator Service Union Trust Building Washington ton D. D C. C What's the greatest hazard your boy must meet when he joins the I army anny Not the weapon of the en en- emy We know only a very tiny percentage of those who don the uniform uniform uni uniform uni- uni form succumb to that Its It's the mental hazard Take it from a man who ho met it and who since has read the alarming alarming alarming alarm alarm- ing figures which show the wars war's an any wars war's mental casualties And to meet that mental hazard you need just one thing mental thing mental health Let me quote a few words on the subject of morale from one of the books which the army and the navy and the wise ones in other professions professions professions say is a wonderful protection f for r the mental health of the boy who joins the army That book is paper bound It costs 35 cents It is called Our Armed Forces It has a lot of pictures in it and a lot of sound sense It is printed by the presses of the Infantry Infantry Infantry In In- fantry Journal 1115 street Washington D. D C C. C It is not sold for profit And here is what it says on the subject of morale As I say on the theair theair air Im quoting Morale is an important quality of citizenship In the crises of peace when the internal security of the nation nation nation na na- na- na tion is threatened It is even more important in war war when the very existence existence existence ex ex- of the nation hangs in the balance It Is is therefore an objective objective objective tive of ot army and navy leadership to build a high degree of morale in the soldier and sailor About Habits The state of mind we call morale has its roots in long-established long habits habits habits hab hab- its of ot thinking and acting A student seated alone in his room bent seriously se- se seriously seriously se se- over his books may be tackling tackling tackling tack tack- ling his studies with a high degree of ot morale He believes what he is doing is worth while He is determined determined determined deter deter- mined to overcome whatever difficulties difficulties difficulties the subject matter offers He works with a p self sel urge He gives up the picture show and the ball game if doing so is necessary for fer success He has confidence in his ability to acquire the knowledge and skill he heIs heIs heis Is seeking In the undertaking of hundreds of similar duties in the ordinary routine of at living is created the intangible virtue called morale The young man who enters the armed services may therefore bring with him the basis for the morale upon which his success as a soldier and the ultimate victory of our nation nation nation na na- tion so greatly depend While morale has its roots in the character of the individual and his past experience it may be greatly strengthened by association and close operation co-operation with others who are engaged in the same enterprise Morale is contagious It is a a- a quality quality quality ity easily transmitted from one person peron per- per son con on to another The serviceman re receives receives re- re his uniform It Is the symbol of his dedication With it he be- be be becomes becomes comes part of f the great grent tradition Behind him into history Is a long line of ot those who have bee been so dedi dedi- The men who walked barefoot barefoot barefoot bare bare- foot in the snow at Valley Forge The Green Mountain boys boys' with Ethan Allen thundering at the gates of Ticonderoga Calm men in the gun turrets at Manila Bay Marines at Guadalcanal Chateau Thierry Thier Thier- Thierry ry Tripoli Helmeted fliers of ofa a torpedo squadron at Midway Through the procession of heroes still bright as it recedes into distant distant distant dis dis- dis- dis tant time Ume has been handed down the great tradition Environment Now when Johnny Doughboy joins up he changes his habits of life as much as Christopher Columbus would have ve to change chance his if he came back and took a job managing a big modern modem corporation or riding herd herdon on a bunch of long horns or r bossing a n section gang It would be tough for tor or Chris ChrIs' to adapt himself to his environment If he couldn't manage It it he would probably go co haywire and blow his top The dinosaur and some of his fellow who couldn't adjust themselves to their environment retired permanently to positions in museums Man some men that is adjusted They took the Ice age the floods and the famine famine famine fam fam- ine in their stride and here they are arc oh-Ing oh and ond ing ah-ing at the dead I mastodons who weren't as smart at a fitting in that's in that's all morale Is fitting in In getting on when you jou ou who have sat down to your meals three times a day as regularly as the clock miss the chow wagon you jou ou who have had a kind and solicitous mother or teacher looking after your private troubles are suddenly faced with sharing the troubles of your jour our squad or company or squadron Now how are you ou going to adjust yourself to this sudden change In the first place you ou have to understand un un- understand why everything seems topsy Why you ou a n free born American citizen who did as he pleased when and how it pleased him suddenly have to get up by a bugle keep step salute eat sleep drink walk run crawl when somebody somebody some some- body else says so The first thing tiling you have to realize is the purpose ahead The next thing is why other people whom you never see insist on achieving ng that purpose the way they do regardless of your convenience or your date at atthe atthe atthe the post office once v Your Own Orders Your government controls the armed forces That means that the themen themen themen men your folks elected just the W way lY it was planned by the makers of America Americ l are really the ones who are telling you what to do Which means if it you follow through that you yourself and your folks folkS' are telling tell tell- telling ing you y I chose that phrase because it heads chapter two in this book Our Armed Forces Im I'm talking about You had better read it The next chapter is called Your Army And you had better read that too because it tells you something something something some some- thing of what to expect I wont won't go any further and really I ought to have bave been talking all this time to parents too for they of all people ought to know what the boy is up against What it is all about One of the great tragedies of being a soldier is the way the folks back home dont don't understand it at all ll They think their job is to feel teel sorry for you they dont don't understand what an extra stripe really means they cant can't get you when you talk about home and the things you want to hear about and they write and tell you how noble you are You dont don't feel noble You want to know if it the barn has been painted or if it your girl has been around lately You would though like them to have some faint idea about this not-alto- not gether unpleasant job of being a soldier soldier sol sol- dier That's why it would be a good thing if it your our folks would read this book Broadcasters Broadcaster's Diary As I came to work this morning morning- a little late and right in the midst of the crowds of war workers surging surging surging surg surg- ing down to their offices I was suddenly suddenly suddenly sud sud- denly struck with the fact that this change in Washington which I have become used to is typical of other changes that are going to take place all over America I was walking down street That sounds prosaic but it used to-be to tabea a street of beautiful mansions mansions many of them historic It sweeps out of the Maryland countryside down a ahill ahill ahill hill and up another crest from which you can ean lock look down through a vista of ancient trees to the blur at the end send which is the White House with the statue of General Jackson on his rearing horse silhouetted against it This morning as I say the workers workers work work- ers were swarming out of the houses they they are boarding houses now now to to work I glanced up as I passed one sedate ol old home the wistaria still decorously draped over the doorway up whose curving drive once the carriage carnage and later the limousine swept to meet milady descending I peeped indecorously sly through the beautiful leaded windows of the dining room It was filled with little tables the cloths stained with precious precious pre pre- cious but too hurriedly imbibed morning coffee I thought a moment How will Delaware avenue and Locust street and and High street look after the war Those neatly cropped lawns la even an Iron deer or two if it they haven't gone Into the scrap collection campaign campaign cam earn Sic transit gloria gloria but but perhaps the past glory will be replaced by something some thing more glorious We can hope |