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Show NO DISCHARGE YET 'Don't Let Them Down USO Pleads in Fund Drive WNU Features. NEW YORK. Behind the rally cry of "Keep It Up Don't Let Them Down," USO is launching a nationwide campaign' this fall Xor funds to carry through its services until the end of 1947. Intent on fulfilling ful-filling its responsibilities to the young Americans who won the war and those who are winning the peace, USO has set a goal of 19 million dollars in the current drive. Although the battle-clouds have cleared, thousands of American servicemen still will be overseas throughout 1947. In addition to occupation occu-pation forces, military and naval personnel will be stationed in such far-off places as the Philippines, Philip-pines, Panama, Alaska, Hawaii, Newfoundland and the Antilles. Thousands in Hospitals. On the home front, Uncle Sam's military and naval uniforms still dot the American scene while thousands of veterans, maimed by war, still are confined in hospitals. Foreseeing the continued need for USO services, both the army and navy requested the organization organ-ization to continue its program for 1947. President Truman has " given his unqualified endorsement endorse-ment to the drive, urging that the appeal "should have prompt, generous and universal support." Major undertakings diiring'-the forthcoming year will be maintenance mainte-nance of USO clubs near camps and hospitals in the United States, station sta-tion lounges and travelers' aid services, serv-ices, USO clubs overseas and USO camp shows in hospitals. Veterans to Assist. Reporting that the American people have indicated their support of USO in its final campaign by volunteering to assist in the fund-raising fund-raising work, the headquarters campaign committee added that in many communities men who have taken the campaign leadership are veterans of the war "who know USO, are grateful and are determined deter-mined that it shall finish its job." Although USO activities and objectives have changed with the altering needs of the armed forces, the basic ideal remains re-mains the same that of providing pro-viding Insofar as possible the values of home to men called upon to renounce home for the sake of country. During early stages of the war when vast ntimbers were in training train-ing USO clubs flourished throughout through-out the country. As troops went overseas, USO extended its work through camp shows which toured the Atlantic and Pacific war areas. Lean to Teen-Agers. Further flexibility was required of USO after the war with drafting and enlistment of 18-year-olds. Emphasis Em-phasis in the USO program shifted from more mature activities to those popular with teen-agers. When veterans' hospitals began filling up with war casualties," USO altered its program to include recreational rec-reational and other services for those confined to hospital wards. With the changing scene, many USO clubs have been eliminated in cities which no longer have servicemen serv-icemen stationed nearby. Native sons of those cities, however, still are in uniform and they are among those whom USO is serving in remote re-mote locales. There's still a big morale job to do for the one and a half million men who will be in service throughout through-out 1947, USO directors insist, and the organization proposes to fulfill its obligations until the end of 1947, when it too will seek its "honorable "honor-able discharge." |
