G-WAo | RELEASE #6

U. S. ARMY ENLISTMENT BROADCAST MAY 20, 1941 - KOIN 10:30-10:45

ANNCR: KOIN presents...........  . . "Soldiers of the Air."

MUSIC THEME "SECOND CONNECTICUT REGIMENT" (475) UP AND FADE TO BACKGROUND.

ANNCR: This evening KOIN is pleased to cooperate with the United States

Army Recruiting Service in presenting the sixth of the series of regular weekly broadcasts, bringing to you the informal, informative and interesting story of the "Soldiers of the Air."

MUSIC THEME UP AND OUT

ANNCR: Ladies and gentlemen, you will recall that our soldier friend, L& rry

Foster, had been appointed to go to the Technological School at Chanute Field in Illinois, one of the air corps field bases in the United States, where qualified air soldiers are sent to further their education in aeronautics. So another six months in Larry's career has gone by and he has returned to the Portland and Columbia Air Base to resume his duties. Tonight Larry is here in the studio to tell us about his experiences since he has been gone, and of course his buddy, Bill "Butch" Harris is also with us. Judging by the broad grin on Bill's face he is happy about his Buddy's return. How about it, Bill?

BILL: Right, I'm sure glad to see the Dodo back again. He was pretty good

about keeping in touch with me. I got letters regularly.

LARRY; I almost fell asleep writing some of them, but I knew Bill was interested so I managed to scribble something.

ANNCR: Glad to get back, Larry?

LARRY: Sure is nice to be back but -

BILL: But what?

LARRY: That Chanute Tech. School is a great place* I’d like another six

months there. A fellow comes out of that place richer and wiser.

ANNCRj I can understand th© wiser part of it, but how richer?

LARRY: Don’t you think the education I’m getting is worth something?

ANNCR: Worth everything to you.

LARRY: That's what I moan by richer.

BILL: That reminds me of a letter I got from a guy I know. His idea of

the army wasn’t much. Before I read some of this letter to you, let me tell you about this guy, Andy, He always had big ideas but they never seemed to get him anywhere. The best job he eVer had was ticket taker in a movie house.

LARRY: Lot a good men working at that kind of a job,

BILL: Sure, I know it, "Dog Face", I'm just telling you about this guy.

ANNCR; Give Bill a chance, Larry. This sounds as though it might be interesting.

BILL: Interesting: Wait till you hear this guy’s letter. Anyhow Andy got

to reading about the army and was surprised to learn that if you’ve got certain qualifications you might get in. He tried it, got by and signed up, I’ll just read you parts of this script, it’s a yard long.

LARRY: All about the army?

BILL: Believe me., all about the army.

ANNCR: Must of made a hit with him,

BILL: Judge for yourself. Here's some of what he wrote: "Dear Bill. .. .I’m

a soldier now. . .everytime I write to some one I’ve got to explain why I’ve joined up. . .You’d think I8d signed up with the Foreign Legion and I'm lost forever."

LARRY: I know something cf how he feels.,

BILL: Will you please let me finish.

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LARRY: Sure ! Go ahead, but I just couldn’t help getting that "lost forever" bunk in.

ANNCR: Go ahead, Bill I’m all ears.

BILL: Where was I? Oh, Yeh I He goes on; "I'm doing things I've always wanted to do. . .I'm learning to keep regular hours, form regular habits. Most important of all I am acquiring a technical education in electricity and radio that would cost a fortune in civilian life. Am I glad I joined? There is only one thing I regret and that is that I didn’t join up five years ago."

LARRY: Oh, I’ve heard all kinds of guys say that.

BILL: Listen "Yard Bird," I know I'm not the hero of this broadcast, but give me a break will you?

ANNCR: Larry, all comments reserved until later.

LARRY: OK.

BILL: Where was I reading in this letter? Oh, yeh, he says: "I'm the happiest guy in the world. . .I've found a place for myself. . .There are no bums or slackers here in this outfit. If you want to loaf they get rid of you quick. . .all I do is go to school, have everything I need, and get paid for it besides". And he winds up like this "Haven't had a drop to drink and I don't care if I never see the stuff." (Excerpts from a letter by Private First Class, Jaffe Alexander, Recruiting Magazine News, March 1940, No. 3, p. 4)

ANNCR: That's an inspiring letter Bill.

LARRY: It certainly is. Notice how he writes about his education costing a fortune in civilian life?

ANNCR: Yes.

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LARRY: The bunch of us figured out what it costs the government from five * to seven thousand dollars to put a soldier through the air course.

ANNCR: That’S nonoy in anybody*s pocket.

LOT: Now you know what I mean when I say I’m richer as well as wiser.

ANNCR: You said you would have liked to spend another six months at Chanute Field. Would you have taken up another subject?

LaRRY: Yes. I’d have gone into the study of ignition.

BILL: That's the way with these Dodos. If you don't pin 'on down they turn out to be a jack of all trades.

LARRY; And a master of none. Bill loves to quote the old sayings.

BILL: No ham in that. That's why the army encourages a man to specialize in one particular thing and stay with it.

ANNCR: Did you have any work on ignition while you were at Chanute Field, Larry?

LARRY: Enough to make me see how important it is to aeronautics.

BILL: You’re going to do a lot of tho ignition work right here at home.

LARRY: I know it. But at tho Tech. School your instructed by the finest specialists in the world.

ANNCR: No wonder you would have liked to stay on.

BILL: Sure, sure, I know, but as First Air Mechanic you'll have plenty do, so you can get rating as Crew Chief in six months more.

ANNCR: That's making a lot of progress in so short a time isn't it Larry?

LARRY: Go after it the way I have and you wouldn't wonder at it. Especially the last six months.

ANNCR: Tough routine?

LARRY: It's work and more work. Quoting the letter Bill just read to us; "If you want to loaf they get rid of you quick". That's the truest thing you ever hoard.

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BILL:

LARRY:

ANNCR:

LARRY :

ANNCR:

LARRY:

ANNCR:

LARRY;

BILL:

I don't doubt you worked. But judging by your letters you had some fun.

(Laughs) Had to break loose once in awhile. I almost got into a jam one night.

Tell us about it.

You’re supposed to be in your barracks, when the officer of the day makes his "bed check" at 11 p.m. If you're not there it's just too bad. Well, one night I was out on a date, and time didn’t mean a thing, until I happened to look at the clock and it was ten minutes past eleven and me a mile from the barracks. So I started double quick for the barracks. As luck would have it, I met. another "Yard Bird" and he was kind of worried too. But ho had a car. Finally we got there and as soon as the guard was far enough away, we jumped the fence and sneaked into the barracks. When I got to my room, one of the boys motioned me to be quiet, and pointed to the bed. He had wrapped up my rubber boots in the shoots. The officer of the day mistook the boots for me.

Did this happen on a week day?

No. Such incidents usually happen on Sundays. On week days the lights go out at 9 p.m., and you're supposed to be in bed. And you are too, if you want to get anywhere.

So the wise boy sticks right to rules.

That’s the idea. At Chanuto it works like this. Up at 5;30 - Reveille at 5:45 - Breakfast at 6;00 a-a-a-and what a breakfast. 6:45, into the class room and work until 11:30. Then lunch, a-a-a-and what a lunch. Back to class at 12:40 and study until 4:30 - Retreat at 5:45 - Supper a-a-a-and --

All right, all right we know, you don’t have to bleat about it. You sound like a hungry billy goat. 5-5-5

LARRY: It makes me hungry when I think of that ohow, Then after supper it was more study from 7:00 until 9:00,

ANNCR: You must have been ready for bed after a day like that,

LARRY; Early to bed and early to rise you know,

BILL: Is it any vender that Uncle Sam’s Air Soldiers are the lust word,

I was looking over a bunch of rookies the other day, Man, what a difference between the snappy soldier and the raw recruit of six months ago,

ANNCR: I think Larry is a splendid example of that. He’s come back to us quite another personality,

LARRY: I know I’ve come back a better American. No man really knows what

his American heritage means until he sees Uncle Sam in action, and the army is the place to see it,

BILL: Why, Dodo, — you are eloquent I

LARRY: When you’re in the army you’re right in the heart of our Democracy, It’s a pure business proposition. It’s not only educational, but it’s men learning how to defend their homes for today and the days to come. The way I see it, I’m learning the technique of the American way.

ANNCR: That’s what the Air Corps has done for you?

LARRY; And it's doing it for the 1,800 men that are turned out every six months at Chanute Field,

BILL: And my nickle’s worth says, that's building the America of tomorrow,

ANNCR; Boys we're verging on the prophetic aren't we?

LARRY; It's about time we did, I’vo come in contact with a lot of Dodos this last year, and there was only one, out of the hundreds I've met, that had a kick coming, and he didn't know -where to put it. Ho was just a natural grouch.

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ANNCR; There’s always one,

LARRY; This grouch didn’t last long. They oozed him right out. And here’s the pay off, When he was out in the cold world again it didn’t take him long to find out what a good thing he had had in the array. Now he’s trying hard to get back in again,

ANNCR: Suppose they’ll take him back?

BILL: He’ll have to do a lot of talking to convince them he means business,

LARRY: It’s wonderful too, the great bunch of fellows you get to know from all over the country,

BILL: Yeh, bringing us closer together, making us realize we’re a kind of

a big family after all,

LARRY; You know what I think the slogan ought to be with all the technical schools and air fields?

ANNCR; What?

LARRY; ENROLL IN THE NATIONAL MILITARY SCHOOL.

ANNCR: That’s on idea,

BILL: There arc thousands of boys that go to Military Schools, and their

folks think it’s OK, But mention the army and it’s not so hot,

ANNCR; Bill I think there is an explanation for that,

BILL; Yoh, what is it?

ANNCR; The Army of yesterday and today are vastly different. The educational

advantages wore nothing like they are today, I agree with Larry,

The Army today is a GREAT NATIONAL MILITARY COLLEGE.

BILL; Right, But you know I’m kind of old fashioned. That little word

Army means a lot to me,

LARRY; Now hore’s something, I’ve been in this game for a year, I’ve been drilling with a gun, learning how to handle a gun, but this idea of war has been the farthest thing from my mind. No fooling.

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(CONT.)

LARRY: I’ve been so busy studying history, mathematics, mechanics, I just

haven’t had time to think of anything like that, and sometimes I think that maybe — well — maybe it’s just this kind of thing that will put an ond to this crazy war idea.

BILL: You’re thinking straight. That's just what we are doing. Building

a machine that's making the international bad boys sit up and take notice.

ANNCR: You've got something there Bill. And thank's a million for being with us again tonight, Ladies and gentlemen we have another guest with us tonight whom you vail enjoy meeting. We asked him to come up to our meeting and adda few words of his own on this subject of the army accepting recruits for the Air Corps and Foreign Service. Ladies and gentlemen may we present^_____________________________________.

OFFICER: Thank you Mr._____________Larry seems to be doing fine with his

education in the Air Corps and I would like to say a few words about a branch of service that is little hoard of, but is one of the most important branches of service that is little heard of, but is one of the most important branches of the Army. That service is the Ordnance Department, The Ordnance department, whose enlisted personnel are few in number as compared to the strength of tho entire Army, is not often in the limelight; possibly its very existence as a separate service is not known to some generally well-informed citizens. Yet it plays a major role in the drama of national defense, for upon this branch depends the success or failure of entire campaigns in war. Men may be poorly clad and still fight, they may be hungry and still fight—sometimes all the more tenaciously, but if their weapons and ammunition are inferior to those of the enemy, they cannot fight successfully. 8-8-8

(CONT.)

OFFICER: The Ordnance Department is charged with the supply and maintenance of both weapons and ammunition. This department also has the responsibility for the development of new and improved types of weapons and accessories, either in the Army’s own arsenals or through the medium of commercial manufacturing plants. With this theoretical phase of the science of the ordnance, however, the enlisted man is not directly concerned. His talents find an outlet in the many skilled trades involved in maintenance and supply work. He does, however, in connection w ith his regular work, have an opportunity to study at close range the latest scientific discoveries and developments in his field. If he is fully awake to his advantages, he can thus increase materially not only his skill as a workman but also his knowledge.

After the recruit has become familiar with routine Army life and given instruction in the basic training of a soldier, he is assigned to an Ordnance organization, a depot, an ammunition or maintenance company, or to an. Ordnance detachment or a post or station where his services are most needed. It may be said, however, that the opportunities for travel, both in the United States and in our overseas possessions apply to the soldier of the Ordnance Department as fully as to soldiers of other arms and services.

In carrying out its mission, the Ordnance Department requires the services of the following skilled workers: Armorers, automotive mechanics, artillery mechanics, instrument repairmen, carpenters, electricians, machinists, munition workers, welders, toolmakers and many other specialized jobs. Like other branches of the Army the Ordnance Department maintains schools for the training of its men

in special work.

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(CONT.)

- OFMCER: The Ordnance Field Service School at Raritan Arsenal, New Jersey is one of the best of its kind in the world. At Raritan the students are given a nine months course in the specialty which they have chosen. Upon graduation the student is returned to his station and is in line for promotion and an increase in pay. I might add that tho trained Ordnance man is needed in the Aviation as well as other branches of the service. Besides the vacancies for Ordnance men in the States, we can now offer young men the chance to go to either Philippine or Hawaiian Islands in the Ordnance Company Aviation Bombardment. For the young man that would like some other branch of service such as Infantry, Coast Artillery Medical Department, Chemical warfare in our overseas possessions vacancies now exist in those branches of service. For further information I would suggest that you make your application tomorrow at any of the follow-

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ing recruiting stations in Oregon and Idaho. 323 Main Post Office Building, Portland or in the Post Office in, Eugene, Salem, Medford, Ontario, Klamath Falls, Pendleton and Tillamook. In Idaho apply at the Post Office Boise. Thank you and good evening.

ANNCR: Thank you very much sir. You have just heard

who was kind enough to come to our studio and add a few words to our program. You are all invited to come up to the studio again next Tuesday night if you can and we’ll have another informal chat about what’s doing in the army to become a "Soldier of the Air." MUSIC THEME 'Aft) UP A}TD_FnDE TO BACKGROUND.

ANNCR; Those programs are. produced in cooperation with the Portland Regular Army Recruiting Station, and the Oregon Writers’ Project. Tune in next Tuesday evening at this same time when the "Soldiers of the Air" will again be broadcast from the studios of KOIN, the Journal, Portland.

MUSIC THEME TO FULL

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