Evening star., 1941-07-06

Soldiers he went on firmly, don't
want to be mollycoddled. They want to take
the hard knocks. That's what they remember
afterwards - not the easy days. It's when
you've been through something that took
all you had to give that you know you're
real soldier-man."
Don't get the idea, though, that the General
- once he worked up from the ranks - be-
came one of those hard boiled officers of the
treat rough" school,
asked an old comrade of his "a man
who is himself a general now - what General
Ulio was like in his younger days.
Well" he said. Jimmy was always the
one who sat down at the piano in the mess
room and led the fun You know, singing the
songs that soldiers like to sing and all that
Though maybe shouldn't tell that now.
Some of those songs aren't exactly what
you'd call dignifed."
That, am sure. would be the least of the
Generals worries. For even now, to those
who know him. he is still Jimmy" as he has
always been up through the ranks. He knows
from experience that it is one thing to be a
real soldier-man and another to be a stuffed
shirt. In fact it might be interesting to some
of the practical jokers whom he has disci-
plined in his day to know that he considers
them, privately, excellent builders of morale
This business of building morale. you see
in the Generals view involves everything
that makes up the life of soldier. He knows
that the somewhat boresome routine of peace
time training is not as stimulating as when
he was Assistant Chief of Staff for Personnel
of the Fourth Corps, A.E.F.. in France in the
summer of 1918. But what he learned about
American soldiers in those days now helps
him give new crop the spirit that wins wars
A Meaning to Life
k1E SAW morale work wonders again, more
recently. when he served as the Army's ad-
visor to the Civilian Conservation Corps
He went out and talked with the depression
era youths, saw and felt their pride in learn
ing such jobs as stonemasonry and road con-
struction. IF the government had just fed
them and clothed them and made life easy,
it might have spoiled them. Instead, they got
something to give meaning to life. That's
morale"
When General Ulio was appointed to his
present post early this year. he was already
serving in one of the most important Jobs
in our rapidly-increasing army: Assistant
Adjutant General in Charge of Personnel
1t was. his fellow officers say, a particular
mark of confidence that he was taken from
such an important post to do the morale job.
when other officers, in less vital spots, could
have been more easily spared.
But that merely brings us back to the
crucial nature of the job. In the First World
War, we went on the theory that as long as
the soldiers were provided with entertain
ment, cigarettes, coffee and doughnuts,
morale would take care of itself The service
organizations did a fine job, but it was en-.
tirely civilian effort A civilian committee,
operating officially for the government, Co
ordinated and directed the work. The mill
tary nature of it got scant attention.
It's different setup today, though. Gen.
eral Ulio and his Morale Branch direct all
morale activities on Army posts and reser-
vations. In naval stations. Captain Forrest
U. Lake, Director of Training, is in charge.
In civilian communities outside the Federal
Security Administration, under Adminstra-
tor Paul V. McNutt, will build and maintain
recreational facilities to be manned and super
vised by the service organizations, to supple
ment whatever the local communities them
selves may be able to do.