The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1945-01-25

S~SS06~s
The loyal French see this and
wonder what manner Of people we
are. They are used to force, and ex'
pect us to use it against the COM
mon enemy. which includes the
French Nazis. Our enemies see it.
laugh. and call us soft.
Both sides are puzzled by a coun'
try at war which still lets enemie,
loose to work against it.
There are an astonishing num-
Der Of Axis sympathizers among
the French in North Africa.
Not . majority, Of course. but
more than you would imagine.
This in itself is a great puzzle
to me. 1 can't fathom the
thought processes Of a French
man who prefers German vic
tory and perpetual domination
rather than q temporary occu-
patton resulting in eventual
French freedom.
But there are such people. n
they are hindering us, and we over
here think you folks at home should
know three things:
That the going will be tough and
probably long before we have
cleaned up Africa and are ready
to move to bigger fronts. That the
French are fundamentally behind
us, but that a strange. illogical
stratum is against us. And that our
fundamental policy still is one Of
soft glowing snakes in our midst.
Nurses r Tops.
The American nurses over here
and there are lots Of them-have
turned out just as you would expect:
wonderfully.
Army doctors, and patients. too,
are unanimous in their praise for
them. Doctors tell me that in that
first rush Of casualties they were
calmer than the men.
One hospital unit had a nurse they
afraid of. She had seemed
neurotic and h%ysterical on the way
down. The head doctor detailed an
other nurse just to watch her all
through the hectic first hours OF
tending the wounded. But he needn't
have. He admits now she was the
calmest of the lot.
The head of one hospital, .
colonel who was a soldier In the
last war, worked in the impro-
vised hospitals set up at Arrow
to tend the freshly wounded.
He says not a soul in the out
fit cracked up Dr. got flustered.
you're so busy you don't think
about its being horrible" he says.
You aren't yourself. Actually you
seem to become somebody else. And
after it's over, you're thrilled by it.
Gosh, I hope I'm not stuck in a
base hospital. I want to get on to
the 'front.'"
The Carolina nurses Of the evacu.
alton hospital about which I've been
writing have taken it like soldiers.
For the first 10 days they had to live
like animals, even using oper
bitches for toilets. but they never
complained.
At this tent hospital one nurse Is
always on duty in each tentful of q
men. She had medical orderlies t.
help her. In bad weather the nurse.
wear army ~overalls.
But Lieut.. Col. Rollin Bauchspies
the hospital commandant, want!
them to put on dresses once in
while, for he says the effect on thu
men is astounding.
The touch of femininity, thu
knowledge that a woman is around
gives a wounded man courage anc
confidence and a feeling of security
And the more feminine she looks
the better.
Only about 100 of the hospitals 70|
patients are wounded men. Tit
others are just sick with ordinar!
things. such as flu. appendicitis
sprains. They've got a whole tentfu
OF mumps, and a few cases o
malaria and dysentery.
At the far end of the hospital
behind an ~evil-looking barricade o
barbed wire. is what Colonel Bauch
spies calls Casanova park" Bacl
there are $50 soldiers with venerea
disease.
What's the barbed wire for?"
asked. They wouldn't try to &c
out anyhow"
Its just to make them feel ik'
heels the colonel said.