Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1944-02-25
WarO
All IFronts
Battle Courage
Cant. De Foney. U. S. N.

derStdnd about military courage
is that you cannot apply yard
stick to it in advance of action.
Human fortitude cannot be
measured like the tensil strength
of bar of steel. Only battle can
write the answers. Often as not,
a lion turns out to be a lamb in
combat, or a lamb a lion.
For several months l served
on one of the biggest aircraft
carriers in the Pacific. On this
ship was a downy-faced 18 year
old kid whom we called Babe.
He was a timid, introspective
sort of boy who read books in
his bunk at night, stammered
when you spoke to him and,
while he was member of a So
caliber gun crew, he appeared to
be just about everything fight
ing man shouldn't be.
Then one azure morning we
were attacked by enemy dive
peeling off one by one and
bOmbers. Down they came,
lancing straight at the carrier.
We had fighters up and our
heavy antiaircraft slammed at
the Japs like a hundred doors,
but the kids back of the long
file of 50-calibers just waited.
During long, desperate seconds
they simply had to stand and
take it.
/ was watching Babe anxious
ly. He looked sick ,Jith fear I
wouldn't have been surprised to
see him collapse at his post.
But he didn't collapse. AS the
bombers screamed into range
and the 50-calibers blazed into
action, the scared kid suddenly
became mana cool, efficient
and entirely deadly man. He
never faltered for an instant in
the performance of his duties.
"dTtlHlt EUiUtlUuH
When the attack was beaten
off, Babe was transformed. His
face was flushed, his eyes bright
and he danced up and down on
deck in a kind of unholy ecstasy.
I'VE got one of EN-" he shouted
jubilantly.
That illustrates a point which
many noncombatants do not un-
derstand about war. 1t was lar
gely discipline and training, of
course, which enabled Babe and
his comrades to stand fast dur
ing the terrible seconds when the
Japs dived straight at them, but,
once they we're able to strike
back, they were immensely
strengthened by an emotion
which old-time writer's used 10
refer to as "the fierce JOY of bat
tie. !"
There comes a time, however,
when the mental and nervous
fatigue which results from con-
stant taking can, if contl-
nued long enogh, sap the forti-
tude of the bravest.
The case of Johnny Allen
was like that. RaZOr-keen,
spunky, blue-eyed kid with a
triangle of ginger hair on his
forehead, Johnny had every
thing a fighter pilot needs.
There wasn't anything in the
air he was afraid Of. and on
the ground he was invariably
gOOd-natured, happy-gO-lucky
always up to some amusing
deviltry.
After his arrival in the Solo
mons, Johnny went on haZ-
ardOus operatiOnal missions
day after day. Often he would
be i'm combat two or three
times in "a hours.
After a, few weeks of this
Johnny's personality underwent
a marked change. In an air
plane he seemed just as daring
as ever, but he stopped enjoying
life. Instead of horsing around
with fellow pilots after a flight
he would go off in corner and
read, He groused a lot. One
night he flew into a rage and
took a poke at his best friend
merely because he had scattered
some equipment on his cot.
Rest Cure
The squadron's flight surgeon
had a quiet talk with Johnny.
He broke down and bawled in
the middle Of ii. The flight sur
geon knew the symtomS. What
really allied Johnny was fatigue.
He wouldn't admit il even 10
but his nerve was gone,
The surgeon sent him back to
q hospital for rest, followed by
.eave.
When he returned to the
he was himself again,
rs brave and cheerful as ever,
out If the doctor had not acted
promptly Johnny might have
suffered nervous crack-up
which would have cost his life,
md possibly those of some of
he men who flew with him.
Modern Improvements
In the amphibious warfare of
he Pacific, one of the chief dam
tnrr "a fltn,- L. AhnA nf ..,,,...i.