OCR Text |
Show V J As GMmAND M- ; ' - THE PENNANT CRUISE (Written by Hughey Keogh (Hek), on his last New Year's day, over 30 years ago. A perfect turn for the two pennant races of 1943.) Ready about, and we're off again, On another leg of this blind- 1 lead race, To finish, no one knows where or when, No cares o'er much in the present case. No backward glance at the might-have-been, No vain regrets, nor haunting i fear That the course we lay is beyond our ken We've squared away for another an-other year. 1 We do not know what is dead ahead (And 'tis best for us that we do not know) Or if we are leading, or being led, Or good or ills In the winds that blow. Perhaps in another way we'd go If we shaped our course with a vision clear. 'Tis a Sporting Chance and we'd have it so We're squared away for another anoth-er year. Physical examinations In connection connec-tion with war service have given the nation two startling facts. Both have landed with heavy thuds on the national na-tional conscience. No. 1, as reported by qualified officials of the war department, is the number of young fellows in the 18 and 19-year-old class who are unfit un-fit for service. Out of 100,000 examined, ex-amined, 25,000 have failed to pass the physical grade. As one high-ranking officer told me, "This country spends millions to take good care of its pigs, chickens and cows, but very little for its kids." The No. 2 shock came in the knowledge knowl-edge that so many star athletes are physically unfit for war service. There has been a general belief that any well-known well-known athlete, in his prime, would GrantlandKice make the finest possible pos-sible soldier or sailor material. Many of them do. But an astonishing astonish-ing number don't. The fit ones make the best war material, but the number num-ber of unfit is numerically large. Greg Rice champion long-distance runner triple or double hernia. her-nia. Craig Wood Open Golf champion badly affected spine, requiring serious se-rious operation. Leo Durocher punctured eardrum. ear-drum. George Kurowski World Series star defective arm. Byron Nelson golf star quick bleeder. Many others with defective eyesight, eye-sight, which is the leading barrier among all war-service defects. The Case of Nelson Several have written in, asking why Byron Nelson, a hale and hearty-looking athlete, who can march all day, should be deferred on the grounds of "easy bleeding," to use the common term. This Is s story that few know. Suspended from a small chain around Nelson's neck there Is a small disk, hidden from sight, with a certain number on It. Byron has been wearing this for some years. This disk represents the blood type that Nelson must have In the wake of any cut. "After just a slight cut," Craig Wood told me, "Nelson will start a flow of blood that Is unbelievable. There wouldn't be time enough to find out just what blood type he needed for a transfusion. What to you or others might bo just a scratch would be to Byron a serious matter." The game of war offers no such de- Byron Nelson Iay- 11 ls 'or this reason that Byron Nelson twice has been classified In the 4-F division. Those who start criticizing any deferred person should know all the answers and all the reasons bo-fore bo-fore they go overboard. The various draft boards are doing do-ing the best they can with a touj;h lituntlon. A Different Matter Certain vital physical defects anions lending athletes Is snuiethinn that can't bo helped. The ease of our kids is a dillVi'cnt matter. rnforlumitety, It was n man named Hitler who llrst thought up the Idea of training anil developing develop-ing kids of 12, n, 11 niul i: on up through 19. This Is something we havo overlooked. over-looked. It Is something wo aro still facing In a listless fashion despite the fact that from 100,000 selectees, 19,000 have to bo thrown out. I |