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U. S. ARMY ENLISTMENT BROADCAST

MAY 6, 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 fourth of a series of regular weekly broadcasts bringing to you the informal, informative and interesting story of "Soldiers of the Air",

MUSIC: THEME UP AND FADE.

ANNCR: Ladies and gentlemen our old friends are with us again this evening.

No doubt by this time you know who they are, but just as a reminder I'll mention their names, because they are good names, men whose names are linked with the progress of national defense. So here they are Larry Foster who has gone through the preliminary six weeks of training before he has been allowed to "turn to duty" as a real soldier, and his pal and guardian, Bill "Butch" Harris. Boys, how's that for a send off?

LARRY: A few more like that and I'll begin to think I really am somebody. BILL: So long as you think it and don't act it that'll be fine.

ANNCR: Bill is still on your tail, isn’t he Larry?

LARRY: And howl Sometimes when he gets through layin' down the law, I feel like a — a bad boy.

ANNCR: How about that Bill? Do you think Larry is a bad boy?

BILL: No sir. He's a great lad, and I'm proud of him. But then he happened

to pick a buddy that's almost old enough to be his father. And he's getting fatherly advice.

ANNCR: Well, Larry, six weeks have gone by. Time flies doesn't it?

LARRY: It sure does, and I’ve passed the exam. And now I can "turn to duty".

I feel more like a soldier of the air rarin' to try my wings.

2-2-2

BILL:

LARRY:

BILL:

LARRY:

BILL:

ANNCR:

LARRY:

BILL:

ANNCR:

LARRY:

That's a tough job with Larry,—holding him down. Just like a lot of these kids that get through the first six weeks. They get an idea they are just about set. I got to keep reminding this lad that he hasn't even scratched the surface.

Sure I'm dumb that way, but I have an idea.

Oh, yeh'. What is it?

I'm taking up night work in mechanics and engineering so I can specialize for the air corps. I've decided to be a good mechanic as well as a flyer. And when I sit at the control every little hum of that engine is going to be mood music,—music that will tell me just how that propeller is working.

Good boy'. I'll tell you something that maybe sounds funny, but when that time comes maybe I'll be in the cockpit as chief mechanic and I shouldn't wonder if the officer pilot should be you.

I guess that's why Bill is getting all his licks in right now, Eh,

Larry? Maybe someday you'll be giving orders.

Maybe.

And I'll be proud to be sitting behind my old bunkie and see him do his stuff.

That will be a wonderful day for both of you. But Larry, I'm curious.

I want to know all about that turn to duty exam.

Well you must understand, Mr. , that all these

weeks I haven't been just drilling. I've been attending school where we were taught military sanitation and first aid. You know the war department issues a "Basic Field Manual," with full instructions which we study very seriously and besides we get further pointers through actual experience. For instance, we study the nature of Communicable Diseases, Respiratory Discuses, Intestinal Diseases and how to control

them.

3-3-3

LARRY: We are instructed on March Hygiene and Selection of Camp Sites and (CONT.)

Insect-Borne Diseases. One of the main things that we were examined on was personal hygiene. Bill gave us quite a lecture on that sometime ago — remember?

ANNCR: I'll say I do.

LARRY: I've learned this much. If I study, I pass. Bill drummed that into

. me. When the officer stepped up to examine us, we went through the drill routine. He sure had his eye on us, and were we on our toes so we wouldn't slip up on anything'. Maybe we didn't snap into it, when Bill yelled, "Right Face '. Left Face, Preeeeesent AAAArms '." Oh yes, and here is something else I forgot and it's mighty important to — Markesmanship I

BILL: Let me say right here, Mr. , if Larry is as good in

everything he tries for as he is in hitting the bull's-eye, he isn't going to have much trouble.

LARRY; Then the officer questioned us about personal hygiene. Some of the questions he put to us sounded silly.

BILL: Silly, huh?

LARRY: The first question was, "How much laundry do you have done each week?" BILL: Silly, Eh? That's one of the sweetest catch questions you could be

asked.

LARRY: You're telling me. The guy next to me has to go through the preliminaries again before he can "turn to duty" because he got hooked on that one.

BILL: Sure, the officer had the answer to that guy’s whole idea of personal

hygiene, when he said "not much". Guess he thought he was doing Uncle Sam a favor by being economical on laundry.

LARRY: Then the officer asked, "How often do you change your underwear?

Your socks?"

4-4-4

LARRY: Gosh, I was so surprised I couldn't remember if I had socks on or not. . (CONT.)

He gives me a hard look and says, "How many times a day do you wash your teeth?" Golly, I thought I must have pink tooth brush. He kept boring right through me and I kept gawking right back, like a garter snake and a hypnotized sparrow. "How often do you wash your hair?

Do you shave every day? How many baths do you take a week?" I felt just the way I used to when Mom asked if I’d washed behind my ears.

ANNCR: Well, had you washed behind your ears, young fellow?

LARRY: Maybe I didn't then, but I toed the mark this time. But it did make

me feel silly being cross examined like a dirty kid.

ANNCR: Well, Larry, If a fellow doesn’t know how to keep clean, the army will teach him how, that's evident. When hundreds of men are housed together cleanliness is a vital factor.

BILL: Vital '. Why, if I had time to tell you what I have seen men suffer

because they were just plain neglectful, you'd think it was vital.

LARRY: Then came any number of first aid questions. "What would you do if

a man sprained his ankle? How would you pick him up? In case of an artery being cut what would you do to keep him from bleeding to death? In case of a fractured limb how would you improvise a litter?" One question right after another, right down the line.

BILL: But isn't it a mighty fine feeling, when you're all through and the

examing officer says OK?

LARRY: It sure is. Now when I go down the street I know I could help a

pedestrian if he got hurt. My uniform would guarantee that.

ANNCR: But Larry, how about guard duty, KP, and all that, - the hard part

of army life?

LARRY: I've had a lot of guard duty. You know its a funny thing about that.

A fellow has a lot of funny thoughts while he is making the rounds, wondering what he would do if he saw some one that looked suspicious.

5-5-5

BILL: You would do just as you're trained to do. Challenge him. Challenge him three times. If he didn't answer you'd let him have it no matter who he was. Young recruits usually are nervous when they first go on guard duty. That's what is commonly known as buck fever. I was reading the report of a Sergeant Jones, back in '62, when they were fighting Indians, in Southern Oregon. He says the young recruits often got so excited and confused they mistook soldiers approaching camp for enemies. He tells of a Corporal of the guard, who was shot and killed by a new recruit, who mistook him for an Indian. The Sergeant winds up his report by stating, "This is the third corporal of the guard whom I have known to be shot by green sentrys." A gun, Larry, really is a dangerous weapon.

LARRY: I'm beginning to realize that.

ANNCR: How about the Guard House.

LARRY: I haven't had much experience with that yet. The old and new guard of the day changes places right after formal guard mount each day in front of the Guard House. The old guard and the prisoners form in front of the guard house on the left and the new guard marches down into a position on the right. The commanders of the two guards exchange salutes and the "old" officer of the guard turns,over the list of prisoners to the "new" officer of the guard ivho checks them off to see that none are missing. That is about all there is to it. A fellow doesn't get in the guard house if he behaves himself and is a good soldier. It is the fellow who hasn't got the proper attitude or spirit and who attempts to buck his buddies that usually gets into trouble. Officers try not to court martial their men these days, - they discipline them in other ways if they possibly can.

6-6-6

BILL: Yeh, you're about right. If you want to get along, soldiering is easy. And if you don't want to get along. . . .well you can do that too.

ANNCR: How about KP?

LARRY: Now there's something to talk about.

ANNCR: Don't tell me you like kitchen duty'. VJhy that's one thing all the fellows kick about.

LARRY: Yeh, I know. But listen, I had never been in the kitchen. I never thought about doing duty there. So one day I got orders to report to the Chef.

ANNCR: CHEF? Getting kind of ritzy aren't you Larry?

LARRY: I’m not getting ritzy. I mean just what I say, CHEF. These men in the array kitchens are the best that can be had. When it comes to "chow” I want to tell you there is something, and if I should begin to tell you what I had for supper—dinner to you—it'd make your mouth water. Vie get the best food that money can buy, and cooked the way mother does it. .

BILL: Right you are; Buddy.

LARRY: Well, this KP duty —. Right away I could see myself.

BILL: Yeh, I know. You could see yourself doing the old stunt I used to do. Sitting outside of the cook tent, with what looked to me like all the potatoes in the Philippine Islands dumped in front of me, on each pile a couple of bozos like rayself. Me with a big butcher knife, because we never did have enough peeling knives to go around. There we would sit for hours peeling until we got so sore, we would slither right through 'em until those spuds looked like golf balls.

LARRY: That's just what I thought I had to do. But when I got to the kitchen, what a surprise'. Mr. did you ever see a kitchen in a big restaurant?

ANNCR: Lots of then.

7-7-7 LARRY: That's what I was looking at. All the pots and pans looked like mirrors Here was a great big two-horso-p.ower mixer: the last word in stoves: electric dishwashers. A complete electric kitchen. As I was standing there with my mouth open, I heard a voice say, "All right, soldier, over here." The chef pointed to a bushel bag of spuds, and I said, "Shall I take ’em out?" "Sure" says he, "You see that machine over there? Dump those spuds in that bowl and pull the lever." I did what he told me and what do you think? Here was an electric gadget, peeling and washing the spuds and dumping them out on a tray. All I hud to do was to hand the tray to the chef. Cun you see me sitting there feeding the bowl with spuds and watching ’em roll out on a tray? I never expect a cinch job like that again.

BILL: Now if someone just invents u potato slicer, everything will be all set. Yeh, Lurry was feeling pretty good about KP until I spoiled his whole day. (Laughs)

ANNCR: How was that?

BILL: You tell him, Lurry.

LARRY: You would make me tell that one. After supper I saw Bill looking kind of worried, and I asked him what was troubling him. He said he thought he had lost the key to the parade ground, and sent me to look for it -and I fell for that. (General Laughter)

ANNCR: You'll get used to tricks, Larry. Chances are you'll soon be playing the same ones on some other soldier. This has been another pleasant evening for all of us, and once more I want to thunk you for coming up to the studio to tell us all about your life as "Soldiers of the Air." Ladies and gentlemen we have with us tonight another guest, whom I am sure you will be glad to meet. ';{e have asked him to come up to our meeting and add a few words of his own along the subject of the Army accepting recruits for the Air Corps and Foreign Service branches of the service. Ladies and gentlemen may we present

8-8-8

OFFICER: Thank you, Mr.

You don't know how great a pleasure it is to sit here and just listen to the eagerness and ambition of your friend here, Private Larry Foster. I have here tonight a cartoon which I brought along purposefully to show Private Foster, and my only wish is that we were making this broadcast with television so that the people of the radio audience might also take a look at this picture. Here it is............. . .and

as you seo.................it's a picture of a young recruit staring

hopefully at an officer's uniform on display in a tailor shop. . .and to the proprietor of the store he is saying, "No thunks, I'm just looking/' This weekfs good news, however, is that in a short while this recruit or thy ether may possibly Ind actually be ready to buy the Coveted officer uniform.

Nearly 300 > enlisted me a of the regular army and other components of the army of the United States will be commissioned as second lieutenants by the end of next September according to War Department plans announced by Lt. Col. B. H. Hensley, District Recruiting Officer. They will be selected from those outstanding soldiers whose leadership has been demonstrated in actual service, and will be men who have been recognised as officer material by their unit commanders.

General Marshall has spoken enthusiastically about the new schools for officer candidates which open in July, and although these officer training schools have already been expanded beyond the original plans, it is expected that they will be enlarged still more, judging from recent War Department bulletins. This not only offers a great opportunity for both the older and yo^inger enlisted men of the army to gain promotions' which have been unheard of in our peace-time army of the past, but it also gives the army its first clear opportunity to select the

cream of officer material from so broad a field.

9-9-9

"OFFICER: It has long been a belief of high ranking officers of the army that

(CONT.)

the men who have experience in the ranks coupled with high ability are exceedingly desirable in building the new army. The founding of these new schools is the first step in that direction, and it is hoped that they will produce somewhere in the neighborhood of 30,000 more highly select officers for the army of the United States. To be appointed to one of these officer schools, a soldier must have at least six months of active service under his belt and must have three months to serve at the expiration of the school course. At the present time there is no stated educational requirement, although according to the Chief of Staff, company commanders will be expected to recommend only those men whose education is believed to be sufficient to warrant their being commissioned as officers. Applicants for attending one of these officers schools must be between the ages of 21 and 36.

This is truly a factor for any young man to consider when thinking of an enlistment in the regular army, expecially since there is no specif: educational requirement and since only a minimum of six months actual service in the ranks is required prior to the time of appointment to the school.

It has long been said in the air corps that if you’re an air corps soldier, only the sky is the limit. It now becomes apparent that no matter what the branch of service, in the regular army only the sky is the limit.

The best place to go for further information is any army recruiting station, which brings to mind the fact that here in the Oregon Recruiting District, two old sub-stations have been temporarily closed and one new station opened. Recruiting activities have been temporarily suspended in Marshfield and Astoria, but a new recruiting station under Sergeant Thomas M. Dunphy has been opened in Tillamook.

10-10-10-

OFFICER: Other recruiting stations in the state are located in Salem, Eugene, (CONT.)

Medford, Klamath Falls, Ontario and Pendleton. The Main Office in Port land is located in the Main Postoffice Building at Northwest Broadway and Glisan Streets. All letters requesting additional information will be promptly answered, and if you are able to call in person, I'm sure one of the sergeants will be glad to talk to you.

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

who was kind enough to come to this 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 this Army you're joining to become "Soldiers of the Air."

MUSIC: THEME (475) UP AND FADE TO BG.

ANNCR: You have just heard the fourth in the series of programs, "Soldiers

of the Air" in which we hope to present the various phases of induction and training for this most fascinating of army services, the Air Corps. These programs are produced in cooperation with the Portland Regular Army recruiting station, with the assistance of the Oregon V,Titers' Project. Tune in next Tuesday evening at this time when "Soldiers of the Air" will again be broadcast from the studios of KOIN, the

Journal, Portland.