Arkansas State press. [volume] (Little Rock, Ark.) 1941-1959, 1945-06-01
Troop Shift 10 The Pacific
Big Job With Human Side
Need to Finish the Fight Against Japanese
Prevents Wholesale Release Of Vets;
Move Will Tax U. S. Shipping.
WNU Service. Union Trust Building
Washington, ID. G,
BY BAUKHAGE
News Analyst and Commentator.

WNU Service. Union Trust Building,
Warrington. d. G.
The American vocabulary has
been enriched by a new word which
has burdened the notebooks Of war
department stenographers In Wash
ington for 4 long time. When was
In San Francisco ! saw it, meaning
graphically illustrated.
The word 10 Unemployment" No.
I didn't make . typographical er.
ror. Unemployment we have heard
about before. ReDeployment Is dif-
ferent. And In that word. as In
Hauptmann's tear" can sparkle
AN the Joy and all the sorrow Of
the world"
This new word isn't In any die.
tionary. And In all the echoing acres
Of the Penta gon could find no Of
Acial definition Of II but In its cur.
rent application 1t simply means
shifting lot Of American boys out
q the European theater Of war
where the curtain has gone down.
That process IL causing many q
headache In the Pentagon. II will
cause many 1 heartache At home
and abroad. It will cause some hap
piness. too.
For the boys and the families Of
the soldiers and sailors who are cast
for the second act in the tragedy Of
World War II land that IL most Of
thsm) redeployment means heart
aches. For the others II means hap
piness. But whether they 60 back
70 Main street and take up the plow-
share or the pen. the hammer or the
school book, or whether they 60 on
% fresh battledelds. II ID a head
ache % well a. 4 heartache for the
high command.
Hsartachs, Headache
Fer OAfceSs
Before writing this article / had
Z long conversation with one Of the
highest Of the high command and I
can tell you redeployment IL both
headache and heartache for him. He
and al his officer comrades who
have sons and grandsons Of their
own lighting at the front want them
back - much A. any rear rank pri-
YATES mother. dad. sweetheart or
wife, wants him,
But few outside those more or less
intimately concerned realize the me-
chanical implications Of anaging
this major migration Of history In
the moving Of more than three mil
lion men.
Have you any idea how long the
mere physical process Of simply
loading soldiers. one after another.
On ships and sending them back TO
America would take?
do not have Official figures al.
though they should be released
shortly. but have an estimate on
good authority. Of the time which
would be required to transfer three
million men now In Europe across
the Atlantic to east coast ports. AS
suming that the transport facilities
available were devoted exclusively
TO this mission. perhaps three hum
dred thousand men a month could
b. carried home. That would mean
that 10 months would be required
to transfer them all. And. Of course,
that Is q fantastic supposition, since
ships ~ well as men, are needed in
the Pacific and so are ships to carry
the endless supplies which the army
Of the Pacific viii require to carry
on about warfare.
Redeployment. materially and
morally, Is q tremendous task and
~ result Of personal conversations
with the top men upon whom Its
twin burdens rest. can assure you
that the question Of morale is. II
anything. the greater Of the two In
their consideration.
There Is no question that the SUI.
3ering and the repercussions Of the
lengthy separation Of young men
from their normal life will become
greater. now that We Day has come
and gone. The army high command
knows this and that Is why so much
time has been spent on taking every
possible step to minimize the suffer.
ing which this slash that cuts across
the heartstrings Of Americas social
Life, will cause.
happen to know that busy with
the terrific burden OF bringing Eu-
ropes war to successful termina-
ton and beginning the final portion
Of chapter two, General Marshall
himself for many long months has
spent hour after hour OF his crowd
Cd days and interrupted nights
working on this problem.