Evening star., 1946-05-04
Letters to The Star
Blames Society for Increase
In Venereal Disease
To the Editor OF The Star.

To the Editor OF The Star:
The disgraceful and precipitate rise
IN the incidence of venereal disease
among our soldiers in occupation areas
is something every conscientious parent
must view with loathing and indigna-
ton. We can't help but regard this
indisputable evidence of mass erosion
OF human character as not only re-
Election upon service leadership but
upon spiritual preparation. In fair
ness, we may not hold service leader
ship entirely responsible for this moral
debacle that has befallen our children,
but as God-fearing parents we have a
right to insist upon courageous reme-
dial action
AS former medical officer who has
exercised command and as a parent
with sons in the service, this writer
has strong convictions concerning both
the cause and cure of this tragic, heart
breaking situation. In spite of the fact
that modern methods of treatment
guarantee both rapid and complete
cure of venereal diseases, the rates
have risen precipitately, though the
loss OF manpower days has decreased
Obviously the explanation of this dis
graceful increase must be q morale fac
tor rather than purely administrative
one, because both prevention and cure
have achieved an enviable perfection.
While in New Guinea, this writer
received letter from his youngest son,
shortly after his enlistment in the Navy
which pointed to the basic defect in
our approach as officers and parents
to the whole problem of sex morality
as it concerns our boys in service: Dad,
we have sex morality lectures, but every
one treats them like joke, even the
officers who are giving them. They
make no bones about the fact that they
expect you to be promiscuous. They
emphasize, Don't get caught"
In my observation, this complacent
attitude toward promiscuity was fur
ther compounded by two additional fac
tors-the poor example set by some mar
rled officers, who should have been a
source OF spiritual strength to their
men; and the repeal by Congress of the
loss OF pay provision and the need to
make up lost time which heretofore had
penalized those so delinquent in morals
and intelligence as to acquire venereal
disease in other than an innocent
manner.
We were In combat in the Philippines
when we first applied the order stip-
ulating that there were no more pen
altles, no official stigma for contracting
Venereal disease. One severely wound
ed soldier expressed the contempt Of all
OF us for this stamp of congressional
approval for sexual trespass when he
sarcastically commented: Next thing
they will authorize the Purple Heart
for the poor victims of venereal dis
ease"
The remedy? Restore the penalty
and the stigma. If an officer is involved.
he should be made to stand In double
jeopardy because he has failed as an
example to his men and has proven
That he is not gentleman within a
reasonable Interpretation of that title.
And what are we parents to do? By
precept and example prayerfully plead
with our sons to treat every woman with
the same chivalrous respect we humbly
ask others to render our mothers. wives,
sisters and daughters. Life will give
no more protection to our women folks
than we give to the women folks of
others.
THOMAS E. MATTINGLY, M, D.