Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-03-12

Nothing 10 do but Odnder
around. u
THERE are few beings more
disconsolate than a couple
of soldiers ION pass in a little
town outside reservation or on
some line of march. The aver
age enlisted man is timid about
talking to civilians and the
average civilian isn't quite sure
about the average soldier.
1t was so raw that it sounds
like a gag, but l once heard the
father of a tourist family peer
ing into an officers mess at
dinner time with his flock. as
people go to see animals fed at
a zoo. and saying quite loudly
and distinctly:
"An' Marie, II you go fooling
around one of these here herO's
camps, you'll pick a louse-bug
out of your head as big as a
wheat"
OF COURSE that was in old
" regular army days many
years ago. Conditions are lot
better now and yet as recently
as Pershing's punitive expedi-
ton into Mexico, when every
body understood that il was
open season on American soldiers
incoming around outside our
camp outposts. the natural dis
position of soldiers TO prowl was
responsible for a good many
deaths until very vigorous
boxing and intra-mural athletic
program was inaugurated
1t is good 20 see that an able
joint army and navy board has
been appointed. not merely to
see that men are kept decently
occupied and amused while off
duty. but also TO clean up the
outskirts of all camps and can
tonments.
That kind of thing can 60 too
far. and there is some complaint
among old soldiers of too much
mollycoddlng of draftees today.
but even if welfare work does
60 too far it is an error in the
right direction.
KIPLING'S Tommy Atkins
IA is the best expression of the
soldiers wpoint on this
matter:
eve aren't no thin red 'eroes, nor
ice aren't no bldck0HGrds too,
"BUt single men in bdiricks most
remarkable like you;
And If sometimes our conduct
isn't all your fancy paints,
why single men IN bdrricks
don't grol0 into plaster saints"
These draft contingents are
pretty apt to be cream-skimmed
off the top of young American
manhood. Such was the case in
the last war II is of the utmost
importance that they be sent
home betteFed and not stiliied by
their service.
With modern and more intclli-
gent administration and inf
nitely better m @ h o d of
sanitation and hygiene this is
al Cortatx, 70 ~, tv-tn Moot
of the great Affections of new
armies have been conquered by
the doctors - typhoid. typhus
and the social scourges.
1t is important that there be
no loosening of essential dis
cipline A soldier must be ready
to die if that is the order. That
takes an almost superhuman
amount of respect for authority
Men don't care too much how
tough an officer is if they are
assured of two other qualities.
One is his absolute fairness. The
other is that he considers 1t to
be his principal duty to look out
for their welfare and that he
works and thinks or dreams "a
hours a day about that job.
THAT doesn't mean that an
Il officer can command the
respect of his men if he is
lantern jawed martinez whose
chief glee seems to be in out
raging their feelings, but these
other things are more important.
About the same number of
great military leaders have had
the knack of being as comfort
able as an old shoe with en-
listed men. as those who simply
lacked the art of comradeship
but were at heart just and pains
taking for the welfare of the
men entrusted TO their command
and both types, in the long
run, became equally beloved.
II doesn't take a soldier long
even a young recruit-to get
the exact number of any of his
officers. Just ordinary decency
and consideration are the prin-
cipal qualifications.
This year or more of military
training, whether IL ends in
actual war service or not. is
going TO be about the most valu-
able experience these young men
could have-whether as soldiers
or officers.
They should return better in
body. mind and seif-reliance. It
makes an old soldier ache with
envy to see them march away
and to have to realize that for
h;,,, "A is "nayer AGAIN