The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-12-15
(Reg. U. S. Pat. Off.)

United Press Staff Correspondent
 New York, Dec. 15.-CUP)-Many civilians, particularly those with relatives fighting overseas, wonder why the Army Air Forces keep a flock of the nations finest athletes playing football in this country on super-teams.
 We mentioned this to It. Col. Alexander B. Hagner from the Sec ond Air Force headquarters at Colo rado Springs, Colo, where he is base commandant. The colonel-a tall, athletic looking chap with sparse, reddish blond hair-is in New York with the Second Air Force Superbombers, who meet the Ran dolph Field Ramblers of Texas to- morrow in a service football classic at the Polo Grounds.
 He smiled and said, I'm glad you brought up that point. We want the public to understand the pur- pose to our air force teams, and to appreciate that the players are doing a necessary and important job. It's not question of whether they are here or overseas; they are where they are assigned"
 Wounded
 Colonel Hagner did not mention it; but 19 members of this squad have seen action overseas, and seven of them have been wounded.
 He explained that morale is a very definite and important factor in the training and sharpening of men for any branch of the armed services. And it is particularly im- portant in the air forces, where men in preparation undergo long hours of arduous physical and men tai effort daily, with the knowledge in the offing that soon they will be engaged in the hazardous tasks of aerial warfare.
 From the morale angle, it is un- fortunate, he said, that many air bases must be located in isolated sports where there is no chance for normal entertainment or recreation. A glance over the locations of the 40-odd bases in the Second Air Force area (portions of the vest would quickly convince anyone of that.
 He continued, ito give these men a break - to help their morale, we bring fotball games to them-to as many bases as possible in season. In order to interest the men of our force, we try to build the best team possible. You've got to give them a Wining team, so that they can have something to cheer for. They want winning teams, just the same as civilian fans. That's why we gather the best players available in our force area - big-name athletes like Glenn Dobbs. Let me emphasize that these men play football in ad- dition to their regular force duties; so it's tough proposition for them We've already played IA games this season, Sprinkling as many as pos sible at isolated bases like Wen dover, Utah, and Pocatello, Idaho.
 Morale
 Tt was great thrill for the boys who saw the SuperbomberS play; 0AASA AI "do NAACC4 AAAS LO OGIIc1 OOyH who could only read about the SuperbomberS' triumphs in their base publications. It gave them some thing to root for on game-day, and something to think and talk about during the week. It was grand di- version - invaluable for morale Every man in the Second Air Force. no matter where he is, will have his attention concentrated on the Su- perbomberS tomorrow"
 Just as the Superbombers provide a hub of diversionary interest for the Second Air Force; so do the Charlotte. N. O., Gremlins for the Third Air Force; the March Field Pliers of Riverside, Calif., for the Fourth Air Force; and the Randolph Field Ramblers of Texas for the Air Force Training Command. h. cidentally, the RamblerS also have been adopted by the First Air Force which has no big-name team of its own.