Evening star., 1944-02-26
U. 5. Troops in Britain
Split Over Issue Of
Vote for Servicemen
BY WALTER McCALLUM,
Star Staff Correspondent.

Star Staff Correspondent.
Notwithstanding over nearby
England, talking with officers and
CTS you get a medley of conflicting
views on the political situation in
the United States. The outstanding
factor in the thoughts held by the
Army brass and the guys who flop
around in the mud is that whether
they get chance to vote or not
they are vitality interested in the
forthcoming national election in the
United States
What about the soldier vote
here?" I asked a colonel at a bonn
Der station up near the North Sea
How do the boys feel and how do
the officers feel?"
1--WE just don't care" he replied.
1--WE realize it means a lot to the
people back home, but up here we
are fighting a rough, tough war,
and we want to get on with it and
forget politics. You must remem-
ber that We are in the very front
line right here, only a few minutes
away from Germany by air. I feel,
and know the men feel that poll
tics and trading in votes has little
to do with fighting a war. That's
our first job and it's big enough
without dabbling in politics. But
we are interested to the point that
whatever happens lin the coming
elections will affect the future Of
the men who go back to the United
States"
Nom CONS Want Vote.
Three non-coms were waiting for
bus along Kensington Road. They
were all from New York State, and
they didn't hesitate to air their
views.
Yes, sir, we want that soldier
vote to go through" one said, but
they're taking a hell of a time to
get going on it. If it goes through,
1t had better go through quickly,
or we won't get chance to vote.
You can't distribute ballots from
48 States in New Guinea, China,
England, Italy and Africa and way
stations overnight, then collect
them and ship them back to the
States. And who is going to take
over the job of distributing them?
The Army isn't supposed to have
any politics, you know"
"I realize" said one of the SER
geants, that what happens in this
years election in the United States
is going to have lot to do with my
personal future. And I want to have
something to say about it. I want.
that soldier vote and I want it as
soon as possible.
This years elections carry more
weight than the usual march to the
ballot box. In way we all feel the
fate of the world and our personal
fate, by long stretch of the imag-
ination, can be decided right there
In the United States in November.
And feel, and a lot of us feel, that
we have right to voice in our
personal future.
mo matter how optimistic the
people in the States may be, lot
of us don't believe this war is going
to end in hurry, something like
next Tuesday, perhaps, and we want
to have whack at a ballot on the
men who will carry on for the next
four years"
Men Outside London Grim.
London seems a long way from the
war. You see motley collection of
uniforms of all nations fighting the
Axis, il, but the men don't have the
same .down-to-earth, grim attitude
of the lads at the aircraft stations
scattered throughout the airdrome
which is the United Kingdom
Perhaps in London the men have
more time to null over political
problems and the coming elections
in the United States. Perhaps they
are more politically minded as were
the three noncoms from New York.
But out in the mud and misery of
a bomber station, they have little
time, It's hard, slugging work from
dawn to dusk and frequently after
Their attitude is: Get on with the
war, and forget politics"
Strikes in the United States grippe
them down to their toes. What the
hell are we fighting this war for?"
asked corporal. 80 some guy who
sleeps in comfortable bed at night
in heated room, can make 80 cents
more an hour?" He added some
words that shouldn't appear in print.
God, that stuff makes me sick.
Why can't they realize we're in a
hell of war. Let's get it over and
get back home"