The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1945-04-11
Observations
Home Folk Urged
TO be Natural 10
Service Men

Lines in a letter from overseas
make me think | have been night IN
IN own reaction.
when a fellow hears that he -
about TO be sent home either on
sick leave or furlough he begins TO
be worried about the treatment ne
will receive" SAYS the Marine cor
respondent Home ought 10 be a
place OF rest and understanding.
But is IL now?
III what we in the South PaCl-
nc. hear and read is true then
home, at least to the soldier who
has been off fighting TO keep il 60
ing. is place where you meet
amateur psychologists, anxious par
ents and wives and sweethearts
who are scared TO be natural for
fear theyll bring a psychoneurosis,
whatever that is, on the returned
veteran.
Home is a place whore everybo-
dy gets out a microscope. Puts you
under and watches YOU sQuirm.
Home is also a place where most or
the conversation is Hush Sinh.
Don't let him hear you... Hes not
like other people lie is a war
casualty. No. 1875. Treat nm
professionally BE very, very
kind. Remember. he's not the
boy he used TO be
What ever is the matter with
the folks back home? inquiries
the overseas letter. Don't you
ever have anything worthwhile 10
do? or are you just getting a vic
arious thrill out Of us and what We
have been through?
I'm not certain that We stsyal-
homes are getting ayicarlous thrill
out. OF VIII: the lighting men are
enduring. but ! do think the vet
eran is likely 10 suffer from a GER
tain over-edgerness in civilians.
The returned veteran is the nero
of nine out OF 10 short stories.
He is always misunderstood.
should think. as read the stories'
that he would be more misunder-
standing than misunderstood. To
return TO family that was morally
ouarrelsome. normally kind and
encouragin when you left il behind
YOU and find it cloyingly sweet
and brave and noble about II al
must both bore and confuse the
Homecoming warrior. No wonder
he often mopes alone in his room
Then wanders off far away any
where to get out OF sight and SOUND
o. so nue. helpfulness.
II is likely that we, you and J.
the family the soldier left behind
him have changed as much or even
more than the soldier himself since
he last saw us. We must have
grown older. And probably fatter
and less charming. Surely he Will
realize We are not the winged an
gels he liked to imagine US when
he was lodging shells in foIhole.
He may be looking us over. Put
ting us under q magnifying glass.
Studying us with mental note pad
and pencil TO watch how We Wig
gle and why We say what We say
and are W. worth the trouble he
took. Perhaps We don't seem the
sirens or the Mother McCrees We
think We do. Or not the Aid Faith
fuls spouting wisdom.
However, happy as a home com
ing is, 1t has its difficult pesce-time
moments. Haven't you noticed
when you have been of on a com
monplaee trip. how long the atmos'
phere OF the place you have visited
and the hours you have spent
there. cling TO you after you have
come back 10 your own roof tree?
Often the people at home seem
mighty strange. You have 10 get
acclimtized TO them and their en-
vironment. You have 70 unwind
the tension you keyed yourself into
for the outgoing journey.
"Unvinding the tension, that's
the veterans home coming prob
lem" said Col. Howard Rusk. in
charge OF veteran rehabilitation In
the Army Air Corps.
We were at one OF the pleasant
supper parties Mrs Evalyn Walsh
Mclean has been having at Fried.
ship for soldier conyslescents.
Gatherings like this nelp unwind
the tension You realize how you
have 10 key yourself up for any
extra enterprise Imagine how a
man has TO key himself up. day
after day. hour after hour. when
he is in combat.
You, yourself. have 10 unwind
from every special undertaking
Imagine how a man who has been
through any OF the terrible sieges
OF this war needs 10 unwind. Give
hi a chance to forget the tension
and he'll do the rest OF the ad-
justing himself"
think there's q lot o, foolish
ness in this new vogue OF How TO
Greet Your Soldier. The soldier
is a man, isn't he? And when
hasn't IL been necessary TO make
a few extra fourishes in welcoming
a wandering male, Every woman
who has man or two in her life
knows this.
natraf. MapuFa cfrra ~ ia1ignD-