Evening star., 1942-01-06
Registration 10 Fit
Each Into Victory
Role, Says Hershey
Selsetivs Service Chief
Also Outlines in Forum
Policy on Defsrmsnts

Policy On Deferments
The selective service systems task
IN seeing that al Americans are as.
siened to their proper places In the
war effort was described last night
by BriG. Gen. Lewis D. Hershey,
director Of the service, In an address
delivered on the National Radio
Forum. sponsored by The Washing
ton Star.
The speech was broadcast over the
national network Of the National
Broadcasting Co. and was heard
locally over Station WldAL. The
text Of Gen. HerShey's address fol-
lows:
Our Nation is at var.
TO the winning Of this war We
have pledged our fortunes. our lives
and our sacred honor. The day OF
half measures has passed. What
ever Is required We shall give.
Whatever must be done We shall do.
Our land is rich In material re-
sources. Our Nation has 4 vast
supply of man power. We possess
industrial facilities envied by the
rest Of the world. We have thou
sands OF men with 4 genius for
management. We have millions Of
men with 4 capacity for skill. In
our country there are miles and
miles Of land unsurpassed for its
fertility.
In America there are millions Of
homes-homes Of American families,
American men. women and children.
All Of these Americans are in this
war All Of these Americans ARE
today asking . single question:
What can I do to bring victory to
American
Many Tasks to Do.
There are many tasks which must
be done. The Army must be in
creased, trained and equipped. The
Navy must srow in ships, In planes
and In men. The Marine Corps
must be made invincible on land, on
sea and In the air. Minerals must
be mined, food must be grown, mu-
nitions Of war must be produced.
All Of these activities require men.
All Of these men are engaged In
work vital to victory. Modern war
Is vaged on . thousand fronts.
The post Of honor must ever 20
to him who by land, by sea or by air
meets the enemy.
But for every one whose high
privilege 1t Is to serve in combat
against the foe many others must
serve to produce the guns. the ships
and the planes-the machines with
which modern war is wased.
II there are to be engines to pull
our planes above the Toe, II there
are to be ships to command the
seas, then there must be men ana
women with skill. with energy and
With foftitude who will work day in,
day out. week In, week out, yes,
year In and year out, to produce
them.
These men and women are the
soldiers behind the front. It II the
keenness Of their eyes, the dexterity
Of their hands and their determine
ton to win which will eventually
put more airplanes in the air, more
ships on the seas and more tanks on
land than any enemy can hope Sue
cessfully to Withstand.
It Is this will to win In the hearts
Of men. Of women and, yes. Of chill
dren, on hundreds Of Thousands Of
farms which viii produce the food
10 feed up and our Allies.
Must Work fer victory.
It will be the spiritual strength
Of our people which win maintain
those essential things In our na-
tional life, those things which con-
tribute materially to national
health, to national safety and to
national interest.
It will require work to win this
war. There will be multitude Of
tasks to be done. These tasks will
be done II We intellisently use the
man power which is ours.
TO do this requires understanding
and enlightened cooperation on the
part Of each Of our citizens.
The selective service system has
IN important role to play In the
use of our man power in the win
ming OF this war.
It Is the primary task Of this
system to determine the place In
which q given individual can best
serve his Nation.
In the making of this decision, the
local board must strive to see the
entire picture Of the Natior1's ef-
forts; to appreciate the need for
men in the land and the naval
forces; to realize that modern wars
require the efforts of millions Of
skilled men and women; to visual
ize the demands Of our farmers and
their peculiar problems Of labor,
and to understand that while pro-
duction must not be hindered, that,
on the other hand, no civilian oc-
cupation can become 4 refuge for
those who seek to evade their obl-
cations in the armed forces.
A balance must be struck be-
tween the deferment Of 4 husband
and father in order to maintain
that most basic social unit, the
home, and at the same time to
avoid abetting the registrAnt who
presumes to establish q home 50
that he may evade his obligations
to defend all homes, including his
own.
There is no ready-made answer
TO these problems for they never
occur In exactly the same manner.
Needs to Determine Course.
A basic principle Of selective serv-
Ice is to procure men for the land
and naval forces without unneces-
sarily disturbing vital industry and
other agencies and facilities which
contribute materially to the Sta.
bility of our national life.
The degree to which We interfere