Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-08-21
Forecasts
u. s. Army
Of Is Million
viii Talk, Young
Must Fieht-Runyon
BY DAMON RUNYON

BY DAMON RUNYON
IN MY opinion, we will require
an armed force of upward OF
100000 men before this war is
over, taking in the able-bodied
from Is to as years of age. /
agree that it is a great pity that
the youngsters have to be in
Quoted but we have never won a
war without them.
Old men always do the rag
chewing in war. The kids do
the actual fighting. The kids do
most of the dying. We may lose
the flower of our youth in this
war yet there is no other way
that victory can be achieved
than by using the boys, and we
may as we'll face the inevitable.
Nothing counts now except VIC
tory.
We will need an enormous
army, possibly the largest the
world has ever known, because
we are sending our fighting men
all over the globe. Never before
in history has one nation at
tempted to scatter its native
born soldiers over such vast
area to fight war. Other ma
tions may have tried to cover as
much territory with colonials or
other allies but the American
fighters who are being spread
from pole to pole are mainly our
homegrown.
1t is a fantastic enterprise in
some respect and one with
which many military minds must.
disagree. They hold that it is
trying to do too many little jobs
at the same time and that such
a diffusion of effort is futile.
They think il would be better
10 bunch the business in one
mighty endeavor. However. IL
may be too late now TO change
the strategy and that being true,
we must pursue the line that has
been marked out.
A ND I repeat that ii Will re-
"a quire a large number of
soldiers because, in addition 10
the reinforcement that must be
sent our far-fung armies, we
will have TO maintain a big
armed force within our own
borders against the possibility
of invasion that is none too
remote.
l NAV even DE a little con-
servative in my estimate of 15,-
100000 BY the end of 1912. the
war may be directly affecting
every household in the land. =
1t may be a good thing. 1t
may really rouse our people.
The United States of America
has scarcely felt breath of the
war so far. In other nations.
vast populations have expe-
rienced all the horrors of con-
fiict-bombings and fire and in
vasion and disease and starva-
ton.
Mere babies arc veterans Of
war. Here our own people have
so far been only slightly dis
turbed in their routine of life
and have not heard the roar of
battle and seen their homes
destroyed and their loved ones
killed.
THE civilians of this country
Il are still enjoying luxury and
convenience while other popula-
lions are accepting the sternest
deprivations. Some of our cit
liens secretly resent and even
openly disregard the lightest
restrictions that are deemed
necessary 10 our defense effort.
A fragrant instance may be
observed in the crowded roads
even as the government is urging
the necessity of rubber conserva-
ton.
The long delays in arriving at
the simplest of precautions
against enemy incursions, such
as dimouts in vulnerable terri
tory and the taking OF other
measures of public safety, indi-
cate the Indifference of some of
our officials and civilians.
We have been at war nine
months, yet on the west coast
and in other sections of the ma
ton only recently has 1t been
decided that it might be a good
idea TO mask the lights of the
cities.
When every family in the land
Is actually in the war as must
eventually happen, perhaps our
people will be steamed up TO the
fighting pitch that is necessary
TO win the war.
Copyright, 1912. by King Features