Evening star., 1943-09-23

Henry McLemore. my DlBgeSL one.
I'm not telling you story and I'm
not trying to write pretty prose
when I tell you that, as I took that
oath and swore to defend my coun-
try against any enemies whomso-
ever, knew for the first time in
my life what 1t meant to be an
American.
All Of q sudden, rs was stand.
ing there, I realized what the -
States mean to me. As schoolboy
I learned the names Of the States,
the names Of their capitals. their
principal rivers, and the dates when
they joined the Union. Then, with
that flag in front Of me, with Just
few seconds separating me from
being member Of the armed forces
Of the United States, I felt part
Of those States, those rivers, thoes
capitals.
All Of United States Good.
recited the oath mechanically.
My body was In that little shack at
Blanding. I could hear the rain
beating down, hear the cry Of up.
two, three, four" from marching
troops, see the trucks numbering
down the streets, but my spirit
wasn't in Blanding. 1t was In Ver-
mont with the maple trees, in KEN
lucky with the blue grass, in Art-
zona with the desert, In Georgia
with the scrub pines, In Kansas
with the wheat fields, in New York
City with It's skyscrapers.
Against all enemies whomsoever."
For the first time quit being Henry
McLemore, for the first time I quit
being a Southerner who has talked
about Dixie being the only good part
Of the country, and who has said
that the South was right and the
North was wrong. All Of sudden.
as stood at attention with my right
hand raised, I knew that all OF the
United States was good: that there
wasn't part Of 1t that ! wouldn't
do my very best to protect and tight
for.
I wondered If I could be the only
one in that room who was feeling
the way did as I took the oath.
looked around little. One little
look was all needed to know that
every man In there felt the way ! did.
During our two days at Elanding
we had griped at the Army, iokingly
said we hoped we'd be rejected,
knocked the cooking, yelled about
being herded around like q lot Of
chickens, cussed among ourselves
at the non- CONS, and gave Blanding
and the Army hell In general.
But that was before the captain
had said, "Now all you men stand
up"
"Bugler, Blow Your Horn
Now-and I could feel 1t in that
room Just as definitely as If 1t were
a live and living thing everyone
| felt sorry for the men who had been
rejected, and we In our hearts were
proud and happy that in our pockets
we had tag stamped Accepted.
Army or Navy"
When the captain finished saying
the oath, I turned to the two kids
standing next to me. They couldn't
have been more than 18. They were
a young-looking IS too. They
scarcely had fuzz on their faces,
much less. whiskers. Their heads
still had that funny shape kids
heads have until they grow up. They
were deep from the woods Of Florida.
Algiers was something mystic to
them. Italy was just that funny
shaped country on the maps Of their
school books. They couldn't have
spelled National Socialism in an
hour. But the second they had
finished the oath, they solemnly
turned to one another, saluted,
joined hands, and blurted all at
the same time, Hot dog! We're inl
We're soldiers!"
A lump came to my throat when
I saw that handshake and heard
the proud way they said, Were
soldiers" American kids, ready to
walk on any beachhead. I was
mighty proud that I could stand
there by them, a soldier, too.
Bugler, blow your horn. It'll be
music to my ears.
Distributed BY McNaught Syndicate. IncJ