The midland journal., 1943-07-09


stoke fires, you'll mop floors, and
you'll put high polish on the win
dows. You'll wonder If you've been
yanked out of civil life for This.
ALI your persecution is deliberate,
calculated, systematic. It is collie
giate practice of hazing, applied to
the grim and highly important task
of Transforming a civilian into a
soldier, boy into man. It is the
Hardening Process.
You won't get depressed; you
won't feel sorry for yourself. You'll
just get mad as hell. You'll be
breathing fire before it's over.
Believe me or not, at the end Of
that minor ordeal, you'll be feeling
good. You'll be full of spirit and
energy and you will have found
yourself.
You'll look at the new men COM
ing in to 60 through the same hard
ening period, and you'll look at them
with fatherly and sympathetic eye.
They will be rockies" to you, a
veteran of almost month.
For practical advice, there is none
better than the golden rule of the
Army: keep your eyes open and
your mouth shut"
At first, probably, you'll be in
clined to tremble at the sight of
every corporal who passes you on
the street. You might even salute
the first-class privates. Then, when
the top sergeant neglects to beat
you with knout they rub CT (These
two letters are the cornerstone of
your future Army vocabulary. They
stand for the words Government
Issue" and just about everything
you get in the Army will be GI.
Even the official advice. This story,
on the other hand, is not GI.) salt
into wounds, you might want to go
to the other extreme. This way
madness lies.
When corporals and sergeants are
to be dealt with, always remember
this: Make friendships first and
leave the joking until later. When
it's the top sergeant, it might be
best to leave the joking perma-
nently.
It can be very easy to start your
military life on the wrong foot by
giving your officers and noncommis-
stoned officers the impression that
you're wise guy, a smart aleck.
Soldiers, like senators, don't like
for new guy to shoot his mouth
off,"
So much for the don'ts. On the
"do" side, the most important thing
for you to watch is your attitude.
AS matter Of straight and practical
fact, the best thing that you can do
is to reason that you are going into
a new job. The job is temporary,
but while you have it it's highly
important.
AS, when you 60 into a new job in
civil life, you do your darnedest to
impress your employer with your
earnestness, your diligence, your in
terest in your work-go thou and
do likewise in the Army. AS in your
civilian job, the impression is made
in the first few weeks. You make
that impression, starting from the
very first day, by learning as quick
ly as you can, by applying yourself
with energy to each task, no mat
ter how small or how unpleasant it
is. You don't get anywhere by buy
ing soda pop or beer for your ser
geant.
Brodie Griffith, managing editor
OF the Charlotte News, adjusted his
ancient green eyeshade and began
glancing through sheaf of copy.
''Hargrove," he said, lighting a
cigarette, sit beats the hell out of
me what fate did mean for you. DIR.
Garinger down at the high school
said years ago that it didn't write a
formal education in on your budget.
Belmont Abbey found out that you
weren't destined to be worth hoot
as public relations man for Ben
edictine college. The drugstore
chain in Washington said you had
neither the talent nor the tempera-
ment for soda-jerking. And you GER
tainly fizzled as a theater usher.
Maybe fate don't know you."
MAY / have a cigarette?" I
asked, reaching before he could pro-
tect them. ''Day after day work
my fingers to the shoulder blades for
neither thanks nor living wage. /
am the feature editor of progress
sive, growing newspaper. What
makes it that? My hearts blood
makes it that!"
II would fire you tomorrow" he
sighed, "if anyone else could possi-
bly, straighten out the chaos you
have brought to this Office. In the
most underpaid brotherhood in the
world, you are the most overpaid,
two-headed brother"
II am the most underpaid six
armed Siva," I snorted. s'Look at
me! I am the feature editor, the
obituary editor. the woman's page
editor, the hospital editor, the re-
write man, the assistant to the city
editor, the commissar for paste and
copy paper and cokes. the custodian