Evening star., 1942-07-25

Or is III years! DaSid Lawrence
BY this time, I have learned that
no matter how others may, for the
sake of convenience, reckon the
length and breadth of this world,
its true unit of measurement is in
terms of happy memories. and al
though censorship prohibits much
that I should like to say, allow me.
by right of those bright memories of
your gracious hospitality, to wish
you one and all bounty of health
and good cheer.
The fates have been kind to me.
In war where any semblance of
pleasure is to say the least, bad
taste, I find many things that please
me, as know they would please you.
When you hear others saying harsh
things about American youth, know
how wrong they all are. So many
times now that 1t has become COM
monplace, I've seen incidents that
make me know that we were not soft
nor bitter; perhaps stupid at first,
but never weak The boys who
brought nothing but contempt and
indifference in college-who showed
an apparent lack of responsibility-
carry now the load with a pride no
Spartan ever bettered.
Homespun Gallantry.
Many of my friends are now
dead. To a man, each died with
nonchalance that each would have
denied was courage. They simply
called it lack of fear, and forgot the
triumph. If anything great or good
is born of this war, it should not be
valued in the colonies we may win
nor in the pages historians will at
tempt to write, but rather in the
youth of our country, who never
trained for war, rather almost who
never believed in war, but who have,
from some hidden source, brought
forth gallantry which is homespun
1t is so real.
Il say these things because
know you liked and understood boys,
because I wanted you to know that
they have not let you down. That
out here, between a spaceless sea
and sky, American youth has found
itself and given itself SO. that at
home, the spark may catch, burst
into fame and burn high. If the
country takes these sacrifices with
indifference, it will be the cruelest
ingratitude the world has ever
known.
There is so much that I cannot
say, which should be said before 1T
is too late. It is my fear that ma
tional inertia will cancel the gains
won at such price.
Help Keep the Faith.
"You will, know, do all in your
power to help others to keep faith
as 1 know you do-with those few
who gave SO much.
"It was not my intention to wax
patriotic nor poetic: I hope you
will see the sincerity intended. Re-
membering the countless happy
hours spent with all of you has
been a constant source of content
ment. Thoughts of Connecticut
laurel are perhaps incongruous as
/ become accustomed to the busi-
ness of death, but they serve as
balance wheel.
MY luck can't last much longer,
but the flame goes on and on
that is important. Please give all
my best wishes to all Of the family
and may all you do find favor In
Gods grace. BILL"
Somewhere in the Pacific the
young man who wrote that letter
has vanished. The assumption OF
his friends is that he is dead. Many
another letter has doubtless been
written from men on the firing line
To friends back home. Unfortu-
nately they do not get into print.
The Office of War Information
might well collect them and repub-
lish them anonymously for they are
words written by Americas youth
An moments when all other con-
siderations have been swept aside,
when profit and loss of material
kind has been eliminated and when
pride and power and all the things
for which men strive so vigorously
are superseded through the supreme
sacrifice-all to protect and safe
guard the people back home.
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