Victory worker. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1942-1943, 1943-08-20

for in u. S. Public Health Service
Marine Hospitals.
In all these institutions, the res
toTation of self-confidence. as an
aid in the restoration of physical
health, is the immediate aim of
doctors, nurses and other person
mel.
Men with amputations are en-
tertained by professional solo
dancers who after going through
their strenuous routine display
their artificial limbs. Newly blind
ed men, under the charge of blind
members of the hospital staff, are
given messages to deliver in vari-
Gus parts Of the building and en-
couraged to find their way around
unaided. Men made totally deaf
(whO often suffer as great an emo
tional shock as those who are
blindedD are introduced to viva
cious and charming young women
members Of the staff. They con-
verse-the young women writing
their questions or remarks on
slips of paper and the men talk
ing. After they have had a good
time playing cards or other games
the young women-whO have fol-
lowed the mems conversation
with complete normality casually
reveal the fact that they, too, are
totally deaf.
The Army, the Navy, the Civil
Service Commission, the United
States Employment Service, the
Office of Education, and the Red
Cross have all laid plans well in
advance for insuring the employ
ment of discharged servicemen,
including the disabled. Many men
want not their old jobs but better
jobs, and often they are trained
so that they get them.
Great care is taken to see that
men are properly placed. One sail
or, blown off the deck of a battle
ship and badly burned, was left
with a nervous disability after his
wounds had healed. He was una
bic to control the shaking of his
hands. When he returned home the
USES office got him several jobs
in succession, but he couldn't Ov-
erCOme his nervousness. The Vet
Grams Employment Representa-
tive, determined to find the right
job for him took him to a small
machine shop, where he was Civ
en- job operating punch and
shear machine located in a seclud-
ed corner. Here he was able to
adjust himself more readily to the
work and his nervousness dimin-
ished; today he is a valued en-
ployee, and the twitChing of his
hands is scarcely perceptible
In an increasing number of cas-
es the Army and the Navy do not
discharge disabled men, but en-
ploy them in limited service after
their physical rehabilitation, train
ing them if necessary. A disabled
Air Forces pilot, for example, dis
qualified as a result of wounds,
often gets a great psychological
lift if he finds himself able to fill
another kind of job in the Air
Forces. Often, too, technical skills
acquired in the Army or Navy
have fitted disabled servicemen to
take jobs after discharge. Many
of the ex-servicemen who have
been taken out of the big game"
before it is finished want to stay
as close to the war as possible,
and increasingly they are being
given the opportunity to do so.
In summary, Americans can rest
assured that their wounded sold
iers and sailors are being given
the most modern medical and psy-
chiatric care. the finest surgery
and appliances, expert rehabilita.
ton, vocational training and final
ly employment opportunities that
confirm their hard-won feelings of
independence. All these things are
being provided, and provided by
persons and organizations expert
in their field, professionally equip
ped to further the welfare of the
wounded ex-servicemen.
But the American people - the
families, friends and acquaintance
of the disabled and disfigured
men, and the public at large-have
a responsibility in the matter too.