The Wilmington morning star., 1945-06-09
WASHINGTON CALLING 4
by MIIM
MARQUIS CH1LDs G".,.3

WASHINGTON-h his message
to Congress the other day on the
progress of the war, President
Truman had something to say
about casualties and the life-sav-
ing miracles of modern medicine
on the battlefield.
Those miracles are very real,
but like SO much in the same vein
it tends to make it seem as though
to face the full cost; to know how
terrible the price is. We must
make our decisions for the future
in the light Of the knowledge Of
this fearful cost.
In a sense, the announced casu-
atty figures are deceiving. AS re-
ported recently for Army and
Navy, including killed, wounded,
missing and prisoners of war, the
total was 1926. 1t is undoubted-
ly by this time well over a mil
lion. ...-
But these figures do not include
the victims of training accidents
the whole category of 'non-bat-
tie injuries" An estimate fur
nished me by the War department
shows that up to May l. of this
jyear, $4,000 deaths had resulte
from non-battle injuries. That is
nearly one-third of. the total num-
Der, 178,854, reported by the Army
as killed in combat.
Even more startling is the esti-
mated number hospitalized for
such injuries. The round figure
given by the War department for
admissions to hospitals, up to May
8, is 100000. The estimated num-
Der hospitalized for disease is $685.
900. AS President Truman point
ed out, very small proportion
of those hospitalized for disease
] die.
They do, however. in many in
stances come through with serious
handicaps. Many will be depend
ent on aid from the government
SO long as they live.
For 1912, '43 and "a, the Navy
. department reports 10,687 deaths
:. from non-battle injuries. This is
I approximately one-fourth of the
total Navy dead. which is AZ, 755.
The figures on disqualification are
/ not available rom the Navy.
The other day young Marine
lieutenant, Cord Meyer Jr., who
went through all the fiercest oat-
ties of the Pacific until he re-
ceived serious wounds, spoke here
: in Washington before the Yale
l club. More articulate than most
, veterans back from the fighting,
perhaps because of his exception
al educational background, young
. Meyer had some frank things to
say about the quality of the men
, he had fought with: e.
! "For generation brought up in
the moral and intellectual confu-
sion of the '20s and '30s, the men
,, who have defended us and brought
us so far on the road to- victory
have performed what is almost a
miracle. With no clear idea of
4 why they fight beyond the mega
:, tive necessity of defense, with lit
tie hope or belief in the future
9 because they have been given
= none, they have been willing to
endure ex r e m hardships for
; years on end, and have proved
themselves as brave and steadfast
in the face of death as their re-
ligiously fanatical opponents.
Il wish I could make clear to
you the quality of their courage.
Again and again they have as
saulted beaches where each time
they knew that more than half of
their number would become casu-
allies, and from which they knew
that more than half of their NUM-
2 Der would never return. / have
seen men really seriously wound
l ed who have refused to leave the
S fight when it was possible, I had
e sergeant shot through the arm
S and stomach who continued to
r lead his squad until he could 10
longer stand from loss of blood
y Others never told me of their
t wounds until it was over, fearing
r they would be ordered to the rear
I, One could not have asked for
t Drawer, better men, and indeed
they had to be, for they otter
! achieved the seemingly inposs:-
: ble."
) This young Marine, on. limited
, duty because of the wounds he re-
| ceived, is serving as an aide to
Harold Stassen, of the U. S. dele
; cation at San Francisco. He wants
to devote all of his time and en-
ergy to preventing all this from
happening again.
} That is the way great many
of these battle-scarred young ver-
Grams are going to feel when they
come back. They will not under
stand Indifference to what is the
central problem of our time. They