The Washington times., 1938-02-21

LONG BEACH, CAL, Feb. 81
three years since the Commun
tackle the enlisted men of the
time, the officers were forced
The Intervention was not de.
signed to protect the enlisted man
but rather to rescue the Com.
munists.
The gobs were chasing them up
and down the San Francisco water.
front, beating them UP whenever
they could catch them. The Com
munistS had been attempting to
pass out literature to the men as
they came ashore for liberty.
NO TROUBLE SINCE &C.
An officer high in the naval in.
telligence command revealed that
the fleet had not been troubled
since and that there was not the
slightest trace of Communism in
the present day Navy, either from
outside appeal. or 'infiltration as
was once the case with the British
navy.
There are a lot Of chaps in
the Navy with liberal IDEAS" he
said. But then he added grin
ning-but the ideas aren't any
more liberal than those you find
in the government in Washing
ton today, so I guess it's all
right"
To an observer who has just
spent four days with the fleet it
is obvious why Communism would
find barren ground in the navy
Of today. The enlisted man is
too busy and contented with his
conditions. He retains the sailors
inalienable right to grouse, but he
also maintains and practices his
equally inalienable right to punch
on the nose anyone he doesn't
like. Fomentors of trouble within
the Navy are not popular with
the enlisted man of today.
TEAM SPIRIT PREVAILS
Potential agitators find one
practically insurmountable OBJ
stacle in their way-the new team
spirit that seems to exist.
1t isn't a phony, hoopla, now
boyS-we' 'll-all-get- together-and-fight-
for-the- e-old-School, sort of spirit;
but something that goes much
deeper. It might even be tied I'D
with patriotism and love of ones
work and ones ship. A beautiful,
well-kept ship is something to love
and look after. It ties in with
the competition fostered by the
Navy today.
You find 1t in the quiet pride
IN the voice of a commander
aboard the U. s. s. Lexington, the
giant aircraft carrier in talking
about his ship when he says
shes the queen Of the seas,
There's nothing she hasn't won. !"
You understand it when you
listen to the chief engineer on
one Of the swift, heavy cruisers
talking about his men in the fire.
room and the engine room. He
keeps referring to them as my
gang. You find that all
through the Navy-on the bridge,
in the plotting room, on the tall
fire control towers. it's always
'I've got the best gang of en-
listed men on this job anyone
could want. They're wonderful.
] don't know what I'd do without
them"
HIS GANG STICKS
The chief engineer was talking
about HIS gang:
I've come into the engine
room at four and five O'Clock
In the morning sometimes and
found my gang working. No
body told them to. But they
had found a job to be done,
and had simply turned out to
do it. We work in our own way
down here. If there's something
to be done they know I expect
them to stay on the job "a
hours, or 48 hours, if it is neces-
sarE, At other times when
tlsIngs are quiet they know
they can get an extra overnight
liberty If they want. I've got
the best bunch Of men in the
fleet"
The young Junior grade lieu.
tenant in charge of the plotting
room, the fantastic chamber of
incredible instruments hidden
down in the bowels of the ship
where range curves and ballistics
are figured to speed the shell onto
its target expands on his crew
There are twelve Of us in here
during firing. Eleven of them
are enlisted men. They're mar
velous the way they work.
don't have to tell 'em anything
Each man knows his job"
SAILORS ARE OUTSPOKEN
While there has been a general
Tightening up in the fleet owing
to the recent emergency and the
intelligence men are more on
their toes than ever, they feel tina,
any possible problem that Com
muniSm might offer is one that
can be left in the hands Of the
enlisted men to deal with.
And the enlisted men are quite
frank and outspoken as to thei,
methods.
One of them said: ANY guy
who would try to hand any of
that stuff around on board ship
would get his brains knocked
out. No. They don't bother us
on shore. We got other things