Evening star., 1941-09-22

from home.
This soldier was an entirely differ
ent type from the Southwestern
mountain boys Of the 45th Division,
holding another sector of the front
about 25 miles to the west. Where
they were ready of speech and cared
nothing for tomorrow, the Connect
cut boy was inclined at first to be
reserved and he had made definite
plans for the future-plans which
were knocked awry when the Ma
tional Guard was called into Federal
service.
He, Too, Is Good Soldier.
But as we talked, and as he
warmed up to the discussion, it soon
became evident that he, too, was a
good soldier, fully as much so as the
mountain lads whose living condi-
tions at home probably were inferior
to those they found in the Army.
Back in Connecticut, the young
Guardsman with whom I talked had
been an automobile mechanic, but
he had prepared himself for some
thing better.
Il always did like to work on en-
gines," he said. II get kick out of
1t, somehow. Many's the time I've
bought up an old wreck, put 1t In
good shape and sold it for lot more
than 1t cost me. was getting ahead
that way and had saved up enough
money to take course in airplane
mechanics. Just before we were
called into service took an exami-
nation for job in an airplane fac
tory, and passed it, too. I would
have gone to work on my new job
right away If it hadn't been for the
Army. But now it will have to wait"
I asked him how the men In his
outfit felt about the legislation to
extend their time of service, and he
replied with some heat: Don't let
anybody feed you that stuff about
the men being enthusiastic over
another 18 months in the Army.
don't know anybody that's enthusias-
tic about it and I don't care what
Gen. Marshall, or whoever it was,
said it but" he added after a mo-
ment's reflection, they do seem to
be coming around all right. It's
kind of funny in a way, but I believe
IS per cent of my outfit would sign
up again when their new term is
over If it looked like there was any
real danger of war"
One Man Tried Suicide.
He paused for a moment and then
went on: II really don't understand
some of these fellows. You'd think
they'd have sense enough to realize
that they're in the Army, that
they've got to stay, and that they'd
make the best of it. Most of the
fellows are o. K, but we've got a
few in our outfit who seem willing
to do anything to get out. I even
saw one man try to commit suicide
twice. I don't know what his outfit
was, but he'd gone over the hill and
he'd been drinking little when the
M P. caught him. He broke away
and jumped in front of a truck and
a little later he broke away again
and jumped in front of car. 1t was
just luck that he wasn't killed.
You'd think the Army would be
better off without a guy like that.
In his own outfit, he said, the at
titude of the men had shown gradual
improvement. But there were some
extreme cases in the early months
of service. 1--WE had two men," he
said, who actually tried to hurt
themselves bad enough to get q
medical discharge. And several just
went over the hill, hoping for dis
honorable discharge. But all they
got was K. p"
But for him, there would be none
of this. "You see," he explained,
my father served in the last war.
He was in France, too, and he got a
pretty bad dose of gas. But he got
his honorable discharge, and it
means something to him. Now
wouldn't I be a fine one, with a
dishonorable discharge. I know one
thing-I'd be ashamed to go home.
With men of this type the Army
has no cause for concern. If given
his choice he probably wouldn't be
in the Army, but, being in, he'll do
the best he can, and he won't be
found wanting If the test comes.
Another passing incident in a day
at the front is worthy of note. I
was standing on a theoretically
blown-up bridge north of Horneck
on a hot afternoon when word came
that a detachment Of tanks had
broken through on the left flank
and were threatening the town. In