St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1945-09-07

Editor: Remember when CT.
Joe comes back you can't feed
these boys promises and praises.
They will want concrete action.
They don't want handouts or SYM
pathy. Here is something they will
want and it's up to everybody con-
cerned and God bless America if
they don't get it. The proper re-
ception and not to be back slapped
and coddled as conquering heroes.
They have done their duty as SOL
diers and will want to get back to
do their duty as citizen. You don't
have to treat him like hero, but
just like another good friend. You
will have to treat him like your
next door neighbor because that's
who he will be. Respect for his
ability, he may have been a Mr..
Nobody when he left civilian life
for the army, But he changed
with little more education they
made him a sergeant, a captain,
an ensign or a lieutenant colonel.
They gave him a ship, a tank, a
plane, placed upon him the respon-
sibilities of many mems lives and
thousands of dollars worth of
equipment.
He is no longer a Mr.. Nobody.
He is a man of decision and ex-
perience. He doesn't want you to
consider the time he spent in the
service as wasted time. He has
gained stature and self respect.
Battle has taught him to make
surer, quicker, more important de-
cisions than he ever had to make.
Don't be afraid to trust him and
treat him as an equal, give him a
chance to use his new experience
in your business, your factory, your
community, give him a chance to
expand.
He may be content to return to
his old job, then again all the re-
sponsibility they gave him showed
he had talent. Will you help him
or will you fear his competition?
If you stifie him now he may re-
main a disillusioned civilian Won
dering if it was really worth it
after all.
Respect him for his opinion, not
as a radical, a communist or a So
cialist. But he may ask for many
things which might appear radical
to you. He might want socialized
medicine or some means of seeing
that his children and all other chill
dren receive proper medical atten-
ton so that they may grow up
strong. He probably saw too many
disease ridden bodies and minds.
He will want to see jobs for
every one, a decent standard of
living and security for the aged
and other reforms. He saw starva-
ton to many homeless and too
much poverty and filth. He might
be for internationalism and against
isolationism, because he fought
alongside the Tommies, the
Trenches and the Reds, and he
found they were guys just like
himself wanting the same thing in
life from their people and their
government. He will want after
victory the feeling to open that
door to the promised land as de-
scribed in the Atlantic Charter, a
promised land that shall be a world
not of plumber and piracy nation
ally or economically, but freedom
from want and fear, for which the
millions of heroes of so many lands
gave their lives.
He will not be bullied, hood
winked or led around by the nose to
join any organization of veterans
or civilians that demand or stand
for anything selfish even though
it may have fancy slogans, pretty
posters and American flags.
He'll think for himself. This
veteran could be your son, husband,
brother, friend, neighbor or part
ner.
HENRY LONGBEHN.