Evening star., 1942-08-14
Bv THOMAS r, HENRY,

Wherever American soldiers are
sent In this war they will carry
with them some of the atmosphere
of home.
They will be able to play ping
pong in Iceland, listen to their
favorite radio programs in the
jungles Of Guiana.
At every embarkation port hence
forth will be issued three standard
lied recreation kits-an athletic
end assorted game kit A, radio
phonograp kit 3, and a small games
kit F. The first, necessarily some
what bulky contains equipment
for all the major sports from base
ball and football to chess and check
ers. The second has radio-phono-
graph with 48 records and $50 paper
covered books. The F kit contains
variety of small games suitable
for Use aboard transports.
These kits are the result of con-
siderable research regarding sturd-
iness and compactneSs, as we'll as
into the leisure time interest Of
soldiers. Take, for example, the
combination phonograph-radio The
Army specialists have adopted a
radically new type of phonograph
record. Programs which prove pop
ular with the troops can be recorded
and sent to them. But the largest
practical record to date-about II
inches in diameter-is quite fragile
and plays only six minutes. Some
of the best American programs last
half an hour.
Small Piano Designed.
To meet this difficulty the Army
has adopted a l2-inch non-break-
able. non-inf1amable record made
OF a plastic material. This record
Is specially grooved so that it plays
for a half hour-15 minutes for each
side. Ordinarily record makes
about 78 revolutions minute. This
new type makes 331s turns minute,
Up to now recordings have been
made of most Of the popular broad
casts and records of these broad
casts have been distributed around
the world.
Other kits have been designed to
be carried into theaters of opera
tions oy special service units, These
kits contain athletic equipment, pub
lie address and radio equipment,
books. musical instruments, theatri-
cal equipment, motion picture equip
ment and equipment for publishing
. mimeographed newspaper. Note
worthy is a specially designed small
piano which, it is claimed, has every
thing q standard sized instrument
can offer. 1t is intended especially
to cheer up soldiers in areas of oper-
ations-.a few miles behind actual
battle lines.
A curious fact of this war special
service officers explain, is that the
American Army is not singing
Army-at least not to the extent it
was in the last war This is due, they
believe. to a far-reaching change in
the habits of the American people
in the last two decades. Young folks
used to pass evenings around the
family piano. Now the radio and the
luke box have done away with the
need for this sort of entertainment.
Habit Of Singing Gone.
As a result, a whole generation has
grown UP which does not sing spon-
taneously., Such q means OF ex-
pressing en16tions Is a big asset for
any Army and means are being
sought to restore it. The pigmy
piano is a means to this end.
Both overseas and at home the
leisure time Of the soldier is being
taken care of in fashion un-
dreamed of in the last war, due
largely to the work of the Special
Service Division of the Service of
Supply. Wherever possible the
rough edges of military life outside
Of training routine are being
snoothed away.