The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1945-02-09
Vets Demand
| About Effort

Vets Demand
About Effort
We can see that any man with his
eye on the political future will have
to WOO the veteran. And that brings
us back to the National Service bill.
Now one of the chief gripes Of
the serviceman is the fact that he is
drafted to fight where and when he
is told but the men who work In the
war plants do not have to take or
ders from anybody. The sorest spot
on the G.I.'s soul is the strike Of
the miners last year. Naturally, he
thinks labor draft law should be
passed.
That is the kind of news the Presi-
dent wants to get out. That is one
of the reasons why he wants ma
tional service bill passed. He knows
its Importance to the morale of the
fighting men as well as to the pro-
duction of supplies. That Is why he
is willing to risk the anger Of labor
pressure against the measure. He
knows that the morale Of those boys
now will affect their attitude toward
the government when they return
and their confidence in the leaders
Of the country.
But where, then, does point 3 (Mr.
Roosevelt Is not interested In the
next presidential election) come in?
The answer Is in the bigger fish"
he has to fry (point ~.
When an American reaches the
presidency 1t is usually considered
that he has hit the ceiling and from
there on there Is no place to 60 but
down. True, the United States is a
pretty big outfit to boss, but what
about the United Nations? Bigger.
Whether or not the United States
puts its weight behind United Ma
tons organization to prevent future
wars will depend on the verdict of
the men who know more about war
than anybody else in the world, the
men who are fighting this one.
And anyone who champions this
undertaking, whether he is finally
chosen as its leader, or whether he
merely goes down in history as the
man who made 1t possible, he will
have to have the confidence and the
support of the veterans, whose opin-
ions on the subject will receive gen.
eral acknowledgement, 1t is con-
coded.
Incidentally, another Roosevelt
figured in one of the most ambitious
efforts at international organization
for the preservation of peace, tied
dy" having prompted Car Nicholas
II of Russia to call the second Hague
Peace Conference Of 1907.
Here is q little human interest
story that will interest you If you
have a boy in the service or If you
are psychiatrist.
My friend Joined me in the club.
He was obviously feeling very proud
and happy about something. He told
me he had just had telephone call
from his boy who was training to be
a paratrooper. It Is something to be
allowed to take the training-all
are volunteers. It Is a lot more to
make good.
Well, the boy had made his first
jump from a plane. It was, he had
phoned his father, just like riding
on roller-coaster. The real hard
Jumps, he said, were the first at
about IS feet from a tower with a
cable attachment. And the fifth
jump from the plane. That Is the
one that ends lot Of careers. Some
Of the toughest-fibered boys can't
make that one, even If they have
gone through those preceding, in
GLIDING the first tower jump. Then
they are washed up as the say
ing goes, and they disappear.
But a lot disappear after the first
Jump. Men who have come back
with medals for bravery In action
sometimes stand there, the tears
streaming down their cheeks be-
cause they just can't dive of into
nothing.
But my friends boy said 1t was
like a rollcr-coaster. And as the
father sat there you could see that
that meant lot to him and at last
he revealed why.
81 couldn't help remembering" he
said, when the boy was about five
and his older brother had lust
climbed up on chair and jumped
of. He got up on the chair but he
just couldn't make the Jump .
now he's done It,"