The Wilmington morning star., 1947-12-22
LIFE OF USS
MAN DESCRIBED
Lt.-CoL Sage Parachuted
Behind The Enemy
Ry RICHARD HOLLANDER
NEA Special Correspondent


(NEA) --Lt.-Col. Jerry NJ. Sage
is a tall, wide-shouldered young
ish man who used to p l ay foot
ball at Washington State. Be-
tween his graduation in 1898 and
the beginning of the war he
worked for a soap company.
During the war he served with
OSS and parachuted behind
enemy lines to do demolition
and other cloak and dagger
work. He was captured and es-
capped.
Perhaps it was the fact of his
capture, or perhap sits simply
that he's an unusually under
standing kind of person, but
whatever it is, he has an inn
pressive insight about Displaced
Persons in the American Zone
in Germany. His Official title is
Chief of the Field Contact Sec
ton displaced Persons, Civil
Affairs) of European Command
in Frankfurt.
Col. Sage speaks several Ian
guages, but more important is
mis- ability to shed official diem
and talk to the people who are
his char ges. His interest in them
is personal and complete.
Col. Sage carries no banners
for any of the various nationali-
ties in our Displaced Persons
camps. He regards them all as
human beings, neither better
nor worse than they should be,
considering the various kinds of
hells they've been through. He
knows that some of them are
better future resettlement risks
than others, but it is solely on
an individual basis. In this he
differs quite widely from some
of his colleagues, both here and
in America.
Sage sets forth the DIP prob
lem in simple terms. There are,
he says, four possible alterna-
tives in dealing with he remain
ing half million in the American
Zone-the so-called final h a d
core of the problem.
l. We could forcibly repatri-
ate them to their home countries
at the point of a bayonet.
2. We could close the camps
and cantonments in Germany
and dump the DPS upon til
German economy - thereby
starting a whole new set of
Sudeten German problems in
reverse.
3. We could continue to main
tain the camps and cantonments
indefinitely, caring first for this
generation and then for the
next, which is rapidly arriving.
4. We could endeavor to Sc
cure their resettlement in coun-
tries where they could sink new
|roots-the first roots they would
have had in many year.
Sage can only see the fourth
alternative. The others, he be-
lieves, are either impossible,
like No. 3, or completely in
humane, like one and two.
Usually when men and women
have been exposed t. the prob
lem of the DPS at close hand
for any length Of time they
cease tot hink in terms OF hui
manity. but In terms o. annoy
ing problems like infant mortal
ity and cloggee latrines
But Sage continues to think in
erms of humsity He sees in
terms of humanity. He sees in
the remaining DIP problem
something of test of national
and international morality. He
thinks that the western nations
should stop depending on affida-
Wits from abroad, on private |
charity, in attempting to solve
the problem. He thinks that we
should face the situation square
ly as nations and absorb these
relatively few remaining people.
There has been some m a II
in this direction Bel
gium has taken 1000 men who
to become coal miners.
France is interested in f farm
workers. Venezuela is planning
to accept some families-the
larger the family the better.
Youngsters enjoy shredded
carrots in a sandwich or salad