Show army s greatest hazard V T it s Ou question estion of morale W armed services do everything possible to I 1 P protect mental health of servicemen U parents advised to cooperate by news analyst and commentator service union trust building washington D C the greatest hazard your boy must meet when he joins the army not the weapon ol of the enemy we know only a very tiny percentage ol of those who don the uniform succumb to that its the mental hazard take it from a man who met it and who since has read the alarming ng figures which show the wars tiny any wars mental casualties and to meet that mental hazard you need just one thing mental health let me quote a few words on the subject ot of morale from one ot of the books which the army and the navy and the wise ones in other professions profession say is a wonderful protection for the mental health ot of the boy who joins the army that book Is paper bound it costs 35 cents it is called our armed forces ro aces I 1 it t has a lot of pictures in it and a I 1 lot 0 t of sound sense it is pr printed 1 by the presses ot of the infantry journal 1115 street wa washington s hington D C it Is not sold tor for profit and here is what it says on the subject of morale As I 1 say on the air im quoting 1 morale Is an important quality of citizenship in the crises of peace when the internal security of at the nation is thre threatened a bened it is even more jm important in war w when hen the very existence of the nation hangs in the balance it is therefore an objective ti e ot f army and navy leadership to bu build 1 ld a high degree of morale in the 6 soldier and sailor about habits the state of mind we call morale has its Is roots in long estable established shed habits ts ol of thinking and acting A student sea seated ted alone in his bis room bent se piously tiou ly over his books may be tackling his studies with a high degree ot of morale he believes what he is doing 0 ing Is worth while he is determined to overcome whatever difficulties the subject matter offers he works with a self urge he gives up the picture show and the ball game fame it if doing so is necessary for success he has confidence in his ability to acquire the knowledge and skill he Is seeking in the undertaking of 0 hundreds of similar duties in the ordinary routine of living is created the intangible virtue called morale the young man who enters the or armed ed services may therefore bring with him the basis tor for the morale upon which his success as a soldier and the ultimate victory ol of our nation so greatly depend while morale has its roots in the character ol of the individual and his past experience it may be gre greatly atly strengthened by association and close operation cooperation co with others who are engaged in the same enterprise morale is contagious it is a quality easily transmitted from one person to another the serviceman receives his bis uniform it is the symbol ol of his dedication with it he becomes part of the great tradition behind him into history is a long line of those who have been so dedicated the men who walked barefoot in the snow at valley forge the green mountain boys with man ethan allen alien thundering at the gates ot of ticonderoga calm men in the gun gan turrets at manila bay marines at guadalcanal Guadal canal chateau ry tripoli helmeted fliers filers ot of a torpedo torpedo squadron at midway Y through the procession ol of heroes still bright as it recedes into distant time has been handed down the great tradition environment now when johnny doughboy joins up he changes his habits ot of life as much as ag christopher columbus would have to change his it if he be came back and took a job managing a big mod modem ern corporation or riding herd on a bunch of longhorns long horns or bossing a section gang it would be tough for chris to adapt himself to his environment it if he manage it he would probably go haywire and blow his top the dino dinosaur saut and some ot of his fellow who c adjust themselves to their environment retired permanently t to positions in museums man some men that is adjusted they took the ice age the floods and the famine in their stride and here they ere are oh ing and ahing ah ab ing at the dead mastodons who verent as smart at al fitting to in all morale Is fitting in getting on when you who have sat down to your meals three times a day as regularly as the clock miss the chow wagon you who have had a kind and solicitous mother or teacher looking after your private troubles are suddenly laced faced with sharing the troubles of your squad or company or squadron now how are you going to a adjust yourself to this sudden change ange in the first place you have to understand der stand why everything seems topsy why you a freeborn 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 ale sleep ep drink walk run crawl when somebody else says so the first thing you have to realize Is the purpose ahead the next thing is why other people whom you never see insist on achieving that purpose the way they do regardless ol oi your convenience or your date at the post office your own orders your government controls the armed forces that means that the men your folks elected just the way it was planned by the makers ot of america are really the ones who are telling you what to do which means it if you follow through that you yourself and your folks are telling you I 1 chose that phrase because it heads chapter two in this book our armed forces im 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 of what to expect I 1 wont go any further and really I 1 ought to have been talking all this time tim e to parents too for they of all people ought to know what the boy Is up against what it is all about one ot of the great tragedies of being a soldier is the way the folks back home dont understand it at all they think their job is to feel sorry for you they dont understand what an extra wipe stripe really means they cant get you when you talk about home and the things you want to hear bear about and they write and tell you how noble you are you dont feel noble coble you want to know tt if the barn has been painted or it if your girl has been around lately you would though like them to have some faint idea about this not alto gether unpleasant job of being a soldier why it would be a good thing if your folks would read this book broadcasters diary As I 1 came to work this morning a little late and right in the midst of 0 I 1 the crowds of war workers surging down to their offices I 1 was suddenly struck with the fact that this change in washington which I 1 have become used to is typical of other c hanges changes that are going to take place s all 11 over america I 1 was walking down street that sounds prosaic but it used to be a street of beautiful mansions many of them historic it sweeps out of the maryland countryside down a hill and up another crest from which you can look down through a vista of ancient trees to the blur a at t the end which Is the white house hous e w with ith the statue of general jackson on n his bis rearing horse silhouetted against it this morning as I 1 say the workers er w were ere swarming out of the houses they are boarding houses now to work I 1 glanced up as I 1 passed one sedate old home the wistaria wistara a still decorously draped over the doorway up whose curving drive once the carriage and later the limousine swept to meet milady descending I 1 peeped indecorously through the beautiful leaded windows of the dining room it was filled with little tables the cloths claths stained with precious but too hurriedly imbibed morning coffee cof itee I 1 thought a moment how will delaware avenue and locust street streel and high street look after the war those neatly cropped lawns even an lion iron deer or two if they gone into the scrap collection campaign sic transit gloria but perhaps the past glory will be le placed by same something more glorious we can hope BRIEFS B R I 1 E F S by baukhage in washington there Is a share the taxicab system the driver takes as many people as he can going in the same direction it used to be called the pickup pick up system the name changed but not the practice its still a great date maker the victory gardeners who have buffered irom infiltration call the jack rabbits jap rabbits WA A black market potato truck was photographed by a news photographer in front ot of a fire house in washington spud beggers fea fear r nothing in the district ot of columbia its il 11 legal to take a drink of liquor standing up some people who take it sitting down cant s tand stand up afterward anyhow I 1 |