The Evening Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1917-1920, 1918-10-31
DON'T KILL FLYER
WITH SAD LETTERS
AirNlediCaI Service Asks All
Who Write 10 AITmen
70 Be Cheerful.
TELLS OF RESULTS
Keep Up Morale BY Send
inc Pleasant News, Is
Appeal Made.

E7 U-itei Press
WASHINGTON. Oct 3I-Be careful
~. Letters you write TO an airman.
This Is the emphatic advice sent
M. his week to families and friends
= ,rr f.srs BY the [. : air medical
-s-vfre While a. first glance il may
---a.- somewhat strange that the
.s-vfre should attempt TO dictate as
- What should and what should not
- written 70 9 f!er. moments
fought will reveal the fact that let
,a-s are q vital point in helping 10
yin the war and maintaining army
morale + i bad enough for any
soldier 10 receive the "kill-iOy" type
NJ letter from h0me-rhe one telling
s59u, grandpa and all Of the babies
-zf-g sick. the landlord pressing for
me rent. and how sweetheart i re
rafy5-g marked attention from a slack
s- Who mas not been drafted.
Ru- T. Is much worse for fier 20
receive bad news from home for Jh-
-.ssan thai his highly specialized
,-s;utng and work in the air keeps
him in a state OF high tension and
os-sn ne i more susceptible TO IN
71sasan, news from home than the
nan on the ground.
BY all means avoid writing that
niece Of advice. be careful and don't
axe any chances while in the air.
which 80 many people write" adm0n-
istes L.eu-euaut-COlOrel Isaac II.
ZONES. Of the L. ;. air medical ser
VICE. II q tier ever Is 10 become an
air fighter he must take chances and
take them often too. He understands
that and IS perfectly willing. But when
h receives q letter from one OF the
folks. telling how she dreamed the
night before that he had crashed 10 the
ground in z nose dive. It is quite LA
be 10 have a bad psychological ef-
Zee. upon the boy. He may get 10
thinking too much about il. and this
combined with hOuesickness may
sDon his mental condition, or even
make him ship shy rendering him
unit for flying for a day or more
A Love Field. Dallas. Tex, there
was 3 young cadet whose wife used 70
write letters that failed 20 cheer. and
always begged him 10 be careful. He
worried about his wife and smoked
l!Ears TO excess. even before and aft
- breakfast. probably because smokes
c5-s1led him somewhat. He did not
sleep enough. and this combined with
the nicotine no doubt duIled his
brain 70 such an extent that ct a
crucial moment he was not sufficient
y alert and was killed when his ship
got into tail-spin-
Sometimes cadets worry over the
letters from sweethearrs and Others
so that instead Of getting eight hours
sleep a. night they obtain only three
or four. especially in Texas in sum
uer when the nights are very hot
Then when they are in the All in the
morning these men become drOwsy
and fall half asleep 50 that a crash Is
quite likely 10 happen. whereas if they
we're sufficiently rested 10 remain
alert 50 that the drOniug Of the motor
Al d-he vibrant singing Of the wires
would lo- incline them 10 drows!ness
hey would be perfectly safe. The
fight surgeons and physical directors
are doing wonderful work 10 counter
act air frances and other troubles Of
the fier. and the people at hOme must
Cooperate with them.
Send them cheerful news, even II
is necessary 70 avoid telling them
The whole truth. Do your part 10
keep Up the morale OF our air ser
vice