Evening star., 1941-08-18

McLemore. the country.
I can't speak for the other naval
bases. They may have been FUN
ing and fretting In San Diego. New
port and all the other places, but
it's sweetness and light and fight
down here.
visited with brass hats and brass
sinners, and every one Of them was
as enthusiastic over the Navy as so
many Of the soldiers have talked
to aren't over the Army.
I talked to officers on the bridge.
I talked to bomber and fighter pi-
lots. I talked to the men who keep
the planes in shape. I talked to
sailors Just home from the sea, as
they tumbled on an aircraft carrier
In from weeks Of patrol, and I
talked to raw recruits, some Of whom
had never seen salt water until they
reached Norfolk.
There wasn't a complaint They
didn't kick about the food. they
didn't kick about the pay, they
thought they had more than enough
liberty, and every one Of them let
me know in one way or another
that they belonged to the best Navy
in the world.
Seaman First Glass Cobb from
Charleston, w. Va. couldn't keep a
grin Oh his face or note Of pride
out of his voice as he volunteered
to tell what good gunners the Navy
had.
I'VE borrowed q little Of target
from the British OF Trinidad and
towed her out for practice" he said.
I'VE brought her back full of holes
and the British thought we'd been
firing from 50 yards. When we told
them We had been firing at 5000
yards, while making 80 knots, they
wouldn't believe it. They wanted
to know how we did it. We Just
said we learn little tricks like that
In the American Navy. You boys
have got the reputation, but we can
shoot"
No Harvard senior on the eve Of
graduation could have been more
excited or proud than was Robin
johnson, II, from Moscow, Tenn,
who today finishes his six-week
training period and really becomes
sailor.
With his graduation" he gets TO
take OF the khaki canvas leggings
which every recruit must wear and
earns the right to wear the dress
blue.
1--WE had my blues ever since I
got here" he said, "and I'm plum
wore out trying them on. They won't
let you wear EN- while you're
recruit, but they don't care how
many times you put 'em on and
look at yourself"
Robin said he hadn't minded a
bit the six weeks training-a train
ing that starts at 4:30 in the morn
ing and is calculated to try the soul
and muscles Of any boy.
The drilling didn't bother me"
he explained. IT used to blow
horn in the Moscow High School
band and the drilling here is Just
the same, only you tote a rife in
stead Of q cornet."
These are Just two typical con-
versations that I had with boys here
at the Norfolk base. All the rest
Of the men, picked at random along
the streets of Norfolk and at the
base, talked in the same tenor.
1t was extremely heartening to
talk to men in the service who felt
this way. Not one Of them ex-
pressed a desire for war, but one
got the feeling that II worst came
to worst 1t would be a mighty handy
thing to have them in there de-
tending this country Of ours.
They talked and acted As differ
emily from many OF the soldiers I
have talked to and had letters from
as night is from day. Perhaps this
Is because there are nothing but
volunteers In the Navy. The men
are In the Navy because they want
to be In 1t. There are no draftees.
don't know why there is such
difference In morale.
But I do know that the Army
could use q whacking slice of the
indomitable spirit OF our Navy.