The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-04-10
Italy CPS Demanding To Know Right Score

1 TOT Selllng 1L tO the men who have already served and fought long hard years overseas is going to be the toughest job of public relations that the Army will face.
 It is not only in the War De- partment and in congress where this problem must be faced but in the theaters themselves great lead- erShip will have to be shown.
 Army commanders will have to exercise considerable tact, patience and imagination in handling the masses of soldiers who will have ceased to be potential combat ma- terial and who have already, un- avoidably, begun to think of them ] selves again as civilians-civilians anxious to get out of uniform and eager to rejoin their wives and children or acquire them-and des- perately impatient to enter the race which has begun on the home front for post war jobs.
 Moreover as the average CT tends to think of himself as a civilian he'll begin to judge his officers as civil ians too-and no American citizen takes kindly to other men in po- sition and authority who shove him around unfairly.
 For these reasons towards the end of every war in rear areas increas- ing antagonism develops between the CT and "The Army. This nat ural antagoniSm of an American who finds himself still in uniform while the battle rolls past and dies down is always vocalized in the general complaint that officers are treated better than they should be solely on the grounds of their com- miSSioned status.
 This situation has been particu- larly true in the past in the Italian theater which has had a larger rear area and a smaller and less active front proportionately than any other theater Here from a CT one hears the frequent charge that tine brass hats get the best of every thing"
 For example, that officers requisi- tion all the best hotels and living quarters; have the first and some times the sole access to rear post exchange items; get liquor rations which even combat infantrymer don't, and above all move freely in jeeps and cars, using gasoline and transportation for recreational pur- poses which are denied the CT.
 As overall charges, the CTS com I 1llQjnfc nrnotlU tpH though all of them still stick in many individual cases.
 But the point is that while a crucial battle is in progress every where such charges never seriously impair morale or discipline. But ii ! peace should come to Europe leav- ing in the wake of the Allied oc- cupation armies thousands of Amer ican service combat troops waiting long months for transfer home ol deployment to the Pacific these charges if true even in isolated in- stances can become dynamite that will not only damage the prestige of the American Army leadership as a whole but will create plenty of local trouble.
 Our high ranking military author. ities here are keenly aware of tht situation and today are making every effort to meet it. In partic. ular they are pushing plans to make the GI's life more comfortable anc a fruitful as possible during ths waiting period.
 They point out the Red Cross ant rest camp facilities here will have to be greatly increased with partic- ular emphasis put on recreationa and vocational education services for the CT will revolt at the idea oi long days of drill for a war that has come to an end.
 | Plans are being made to open schools and shops that will help him fit himself for postwar jobs or a profession but even with the utmost skill and tact with the end of the European phase of the war, men anc officers overseas will have entered the most difficult and trying perioc which will call on them for the ut most self restraint, discipline anc scrupulous observance of the work. ings of democracy.
 The consensus over here, both ir the ranks and among officers, is that the passage of national uni. versal military training act by con. gress would do more than anything that can be done in or out of over. seas theaters to dissipate the deer discontent and feeling of frustra- tion that is bound to overtake mer who are kept long months overseas after VIE day.