Evening star., 1943-02-13

/ over the Gam since then.
And several people have flown over
the water.
Two years ago-many months be-
fore Pearl Harbor-I spoke to you
Of the thought that was then upper
most in our mindS-of the deter
mination of America to become the
arsenal Of democracy Almost all
| Americans had: by that time deter
mined to play their full part in
/ helping to save civilization from the
| barbarians Even then we were in
| the midst of the historic job of pro-
duction-a job which the American
people have been performing with
zeSt and skill and above all success.
Tonight as I speak to you another
thought is uppermost in our minds.
| That is our determination to fight
this war through to the finish-to
the day when United Nations forces
march in triumph through the
streets of Berlin, Rome and Toxic,
Last September l made tour of
inspection through this country.
saw war plants at work. I saw Army
and Navy training camps and flying
fields. I saw American men and
women-managem and labor
alike-working to beat production
schedules. I saw American soldiers
and sailors and flyers doing the job
of training for the fighting which
| lay ahead.
Now I have returned from one OF
the fronts overseas, where the pro-
duction from American factories and
the training given in American
camps are being applied in actual
warfare against the enemy. I have
seen our troops in the field. I have
inspected their superb equipment, I
have talked and laughed and eaten
with them.
Troop Morale High.
I have seen our men-the Nations
men in Trinidad, in Belem and
Natal in Brazil, in Liberia, in Gam
bia. In these places there is no ac-
tual fighting, but there is hard, dam
gerous, essential work, and there is
a tremendous strain upon the en-
durance and the spirit of our troops.
They are standing up magnificently
under that strain.
have seen our men-and some
of our American women-in North
Africa. Out there is war. Those
men know that before this war is
over many of them will have given
their lives. But they know also that
they are fighting to destroy the pow
er of the enemies of their country
that they are fighting for a peace
which will be a real and lasting
peace and a far better world for the
future.
Our men In the field are worthy
Of the great faith, the high hopes,
we have placed in them. That ap-
plies as well to the men of our
Navy, without whom no American
expeditionary force could land safe
ly on foreign shores. And it applies
equally to the men Of our merchant
marine who carry essential NUM-
tions and supplies, without which
neither the United States nor our
Allies could continue the battle.
No American can look at these
men, soldiers or sailors, without
great. emotion and great pride and
very deep sense of responsibility
to them.
Because of the necessary secrecy
of my trip, the men of our armed
forces in every place I visited were
completely surprised. The express
sion on their faces certainly showed
it.
I wish that I could pay similar
surprise visits to our men in the
other fields of operation-the naval
bases, the islands of the Pacific,
Australia, the mainland and islands
of Alaska, the islands of the Allan
tic, the two Guianas, the Canal
Zone, Iceland. Britain, Central Al
RIGA, the Middle East, India, Burma
and China. l wish I could tell them
face to face that their Government
and their people are very proud of
the great job they are doing in
helping to strengthen the wise that
is slowly but surely squeezing the
breath out of our enemies.
In every battalion and in every
ships crew you will find every kind
of American citizen representing
every occupation, every section. every
origin, every religion, every political
Viewpoint.
Fighting for Freedom.
Ask them what they are fighting
for and every one of them will say,
Il am fighting for my country" Ask
them what they really mean by that
and you will get what on the sur
face may seem to be a wide variety
Of answers.
One will say he is fighting for the
right to say what he pleases and
to read and listen to what he likes
Another will say he is fighting
because he never wants to see the
Nazi swastika flying over the First
Baptist Church on Elm street.
Another soldier will say he is
fighting for the right to work and
earn three square meals day for
himself and his folks.
| A fourth soldier will say he is
fighting in this world war so that
/ his children and grandchildren will
not have TO go back to Europe or
Africa or Asia to do this ugly job
all over again.
But all these answers really add
/ up to the same thing, every Amer
/ ican fights for freedom. And today
the personal freedom of every Amer
ican and his family depends and in
the future will increasingly depend
upon the freedom Of his neighbors
in other lands.
/ For today the whole world is one
neighborhOod. That is why this war,
which had its beginnings in SEEM
lngly remote areas, has spread to
every continent and most of the
islands Of the sea involving the lives
and the liberties of the entire human
race. And unless the peace that fol-
lows recognizes that the whole world
is one neighborhood and does justice
to the whole human race, the germs
OF another World War will remain