The Chronicle-star combined with the Moss Point advertiser., 1949-05-06
Letters

would publish:
There seems to be consider
able controversy over a Vet
Grams Bonus for the State of
Mississippi. OF course differ
ences of opinion are what cause
horse races. We have a few le-
gionnaires, a few overseas vet
Grams from rear echelons, and
some soldiers from the occupa-
ton forces, who don't seem to
know what the war was all
about. AS l see it the oppo-
sition to the State Bonus Bill
comes from the "4007 class.
But l have yet to hear of
a real combat veteran, whether
of the 400 bracket, or just a
guy drawing his 1920 oppose
my bill.
What ! am about to say now
is on behalf of those men,
and women, who really know
what He'll is, because they were
there. They r my reason for
starting the ball rolling for a
veterans bonus in the State of
Mississippi. These veterans are
the reason / have fought for,
and will continue to fight for a
State bonus at every opportu-
nifty. Surely a grateful state can
afford to express its thanks to
its veterans in this mannerl So
=. it will cost money Can
you count in dollars and cents
the lives of Mississippi's War
Dead? You can do nothing more
for them, except as your v. F.
w. honors their final resting
place when the broken bodies
are brought home. BUT Z.
you can honor their memories
by helping the LIVING veteran.
Shall Mississippi be the last
state to recognize its RESPONSE
bility to the living? The answer
is NO not as long as you
and l have the CUTS to stand
together for that which we be-
lieve is RIGHT.
The Veterans of Foreign Wars
have rendered Military Honors
for every War Dead returned to
Jackson County. 1t is kind of
sad, isn't it, to know that is all
we can do for them? But how
many of you did duty with
these men, and saw them fall?
How many of you have lain in
foxholes three and four days at
a time? Wet, cold, hungry, and
yes scared? No, we won't
say sleepy, because you knew
better than to sleep then d.
until finally the good Lord
knew you'd had enough and He
opened His heart and let you
find your way out of that bit of
HE'LL! And you went back to
the rear are where you could
get a bath, and they served you
hot meals and you studied
plans for hitting another beach
:. maybe you had time to
write a letter home to those
you loved. You told them, "Ev-
erything Is Fine, but you said
it with your fingers crossed
Then, it was names and places
you vaguely remembered from
your geography books, Maxim
Saipan Okinawa :.
and finally Japan =. and you
saw the conquered people, and
thanked your God, that your
home, your state, and this great
Nation had been spared the raw
ages and devastation of total
war. Then finally the great day
came when the Top Brass said,
That's all, boys, you can go
homei" If you were lucky you
came by plane or ~troopship.
But some of you weren't so
lucky you came home by
hospital ship not to your
loved ones, but to endless days
and months of disqualification.
When you had licked your own
wounds and began to look
around, you saw the living He'll
that is the aftermath of all
wars. The padded cells, tenant
ed by men, brave men made
pitiful by the very awfulness of
what they'd been thru. You saw
the armless ones, the legless,
the p~araplegics, and the pocked
and battered bodies of the
shrapnel cases. Then suddenly
it hits you! THIS is the price
paid in man power for remain
ing a great and humanitarian
Nation. Can a State do less than
show its gratitude to those who
live?
Now you probably want to
know what outfit l served with.
l was a combat infantry-man,
serving with the 9th Division,
l65 Infantry. I was with you at
Siapan Okinawa and
in Japan. l came back on a hos
pital ship with you, and there's
a year of my life neatly filed
away at Percy Jones General
Hospital in Battle Creek, Mich
ionn cnur The 4unn AI.