Sentence:  labor and all noncombatant troops , whose morale <WSD>was</WSD> vital , too ; administrative organization and delicate diplomatic relations with Top Brass - British , American and Chinese ; health , hygiene , medical aid and preventive medicine ; hospitals ( inadequate ) and nurses ( scanty ) ; food and military supplies ; logistics and transport ; airdrops and airstrips ; roads and river barges to be built . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun)