The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-07-26


 navy able to defeat any combina-
 ton of powers that might attack
 us. But Congress and much of
 the public were bored and the
 United States still had an army
 only a fraction the size of that of
 European powers when Nazi
 planes rOared over Poland in Sep
 tember of 1889 to start World
 War III.
 Even then Congress was stirred but q little out of its complacency It took the lightning tragedy of the fall of France to bring an awakening, and America decided On the greatest armament program in its history.
 D Politicians who had steadfastly voted against appropriations for a larger army and navy then had the effrontery to ask, ''Why aren't we armed Why aren't we ready?" | Some of these were among the group that failed to heed President Roosevelt's plea for army and navy ! expansion during the years while Germany was arming. More voted only grudgingly for the Presidents fleet expansion program. w
 z Speakers at the convention
 sessions have not failed to recall E the LegiOn's long fight for 8 ' strong national defense. Rot for : gotten are the days of the EOS < and 3O's when advocacy of z powerful army and navy made
 one . ''warmonger", the same
 term that Senator Wheeler now {. 50 freely uses in referring to
 anyone whose views don't agree : with his.
 In the parade this afternoon will be one unit, the 20sth Coast Ar- tillery (AA) of the great army that Uncle Sam is now building. It might be well to remember that if America had been as fully prepared as the Legion recommended, there would be no need for the nasty training of an army in which the nation is now engaged. ( These men, large number of them from our own city, come to stle convention from Camp Ed wards, Mass, where they have been if1 training since January. Hun dreds of thousands more like them .are now in training in scores of camps and posts about the coun- try. They are part of Americas s answer to the challenge of the to- stalitarian powers.
 The threat to America today is \ far greater than it was when the I Legi0nnaires paradlng today marched off to camp as youths
 in 1917 and 1918 and who saw sathe blood of their buddies spilled ,sOn the soil of France.
 It is the height of absurdity to Ssay that Hitler, if he conquers Britain, will be content to rest. His every move has indicated
 dream of world conquest beyond q the widest hopes of even an
 Alexander or q Napoleon. Inva- sion might not come at once, but economic warfare would begin s,tae moment that England-felI. Unless we were willing to become ~@ virtual vassal state the German Reich, we would face an attempt by Hitler to beat us down by fierce.
 !. The Eegion's warnings went un- needed through the years until mid .ae40 and now we are in an "all out" drive to produce the weapons that we will need to defend our- selves, We grow stronger by the day. X It took the nation a long time to realize it's danger but now that it has been realized, 1t is the time to put aside partisanship and to work Together for the preservation of America and the American Way of life. The Legionnaires marching today stand as symbols of the sac- xifices that were made in IT and al6; sacrifices that we make in neace time today for a strong Am- erica may enable us to avoid war even more bloody than that in which they fought.
 "
 Because farmer near Colesburg, South Africa, destroyed their nests on his windmill, crows staged a @blitz" and finished 8 nest, then laid two eggs, between the mans weekly visits.