Question 106: Free Response

The men of this outfit is getting very tired of this place, and are always wondering when we are going back to the States, to see civilization again. We all think that we have been up here long enough. We also feel that we have done our share of work up here.

(A) I would like to know why there aren't any negro warrant officers in my outfit which consists of negro personel [personnel].

(B) Company commanders have a bad habit of trying to build men's morale with tales of returning to the states when the project the unit is working on is completed. This lowers morale lower than low in my unit. (C) We would have a better unit if we had negro warrant officers. Officers in our unit have a habit of not returning a salute, either by ignoring it or turning their head in some other direction.

I think that there should be less RANK pulling at Public Sports events. To tell the men they cannot boo at a decision made by officers is like telling the German People you applaud the Fuerher or you will be shot. Then to take one mans feelings out on a company camp post or station is also wrong. A lot of the men commited no wrong but still are being punished for what someone else did.

Why do our leaders have to let John L. Lewis and his henchmen call strikes and thereby slow down production? Is that the kind of politics we will continue to have after the war?

I'm sincerely doing my best in my job, but I'm doing it to get the war over. This war won't settle a damn thing. England is still cherishing her precious colonies and her foreign investments. We still distrust Russia, which in my opinion, is the most admirable country in the world. I've argued with fellow Soldiers about post-war problems and most of them just don't give a damn about it. They don't realize it's up to most of us to save our sons from going through all this again. Therefore I'm reconciled to the fact of another war. We make the wars, each and every man of us, and until we take time to think and help run our own government and be considerate of other men and other nations there will always be wars. Every little act of thoughtlessness such as running the hot water and wasting it so the next man won't have any convinces me there will always be war. The army can't help that any. That's a job for education.

Incidentally, the food here is terrible and the mess hall never opens on time.

I think we have a surprising number of conveniences on the Post for such a new Post. I was pleasantly surprised. I don't suppose the Army could do anything about it, but I do feel the salute is a mark of servility, not comradeship. If it were comradeship why doesn't enlisted man salute enlisted man?

I would like to know if the Government expects the soldiers to fight the war And finance it.

It looks as tho [though] we are having to do it. We were made to buy war bonds in this battery, Or be reduced in rank to a PVT. If are forced to buy war bonds

I feel the bonds we buy won't be worth the paper they are made of after the war is over.

That is my opinion and all I have to say.

I Believe that these dehydrated foods are the curse of the Army. Realism would be one helluva lot better. A guy in the Service has to give up a lot why not let the civilians give up more. True they have had to give up some things but I have yet to hear about a civilian eating something he did not like just to keep going. After all we get the energy for our work from our food. Then the energy we get should be from the best food. After all the amount of energy we expend is what will end this war. I have not had fresh milk for 8 months.

Reassignment. I believe that the length of time that a man should stay in any theater should not exceed 18 months. This not from

a personal opinion but from what I have observed and heard. True I have 15 months in Alaska and would like to see the time limit lowered from 2 yrs. [years] to 18 months but it is not only myself I think of. I have talked to men all over this theater and they feel the same way about especially when you hear that in other theaters it is 18 mths. [months] and sometimes less. True this Alaska is not a combat zone but take into consideration the monotony of the place. I believe that any psychologist would agree that 18 months here was long enough. Open up the transportation system lets get a free movement of troops and not stay in any theater more than 18 months. Consider the climate here and the farness from civilization. Even in Italy there is a decent city to go to once in awhile. Climatic conditions should also influence the lowering of the set quota. When one is used to an abundant amount of sunshine he does not want to stay in a place where it rarely ever shines. Monotony can cause more mental cases I believe than a battle can. Check in the mental wards of this theater and see the proportion of men that are there and then take in consideration of what six months less would do for the men here in this theater. Even now the transportation problem makes a two year man here wait for awhile before he can leave. Back in the Dept. [Department] headquarters we hear of men getting a furlough why not treat all of the theater alike. Always you hear the same excuse "transportation". Does this army always run on excuses? Back in the States they get a furlough every 6 months here you cannot get one until you have served two years. Most of the men in my outfit had only five months in the States before they were sent overseas. Some guys have been in the States since the war started. Lets get this rotation business definitly [definitely] set up and give everyone a [an] equal chance. This is supposed to be a democrat [democratic] army. Sometimes we wonder.

Why does the U.S. Government worry more about Post War plans than they do about winning the war?

Why is strikes allowed to continue while men die on the battle fronts. Just before going to Kiska there was a coal strike in the United States. It is my opinion that morale dropped about 30% because of this strike which we heard of over the radio. Why do Officer's receive more promotions & decorations for bravery than enlisted men. This is especially true of the Air Corp. Just because an Officer flies a fortress it don't make him any more of a hero than the other men with him if his plane & crew

make some usual feat or record.

Why haven't women been sent to Alaska to release these men for service in combat zones?

Job Placement

The Army's system of training can't be beat but some people in control push the wrong buttons now and then. Army time and money is wasted by training a man as a technician and after he has the required knowledge to do the work, making a truck driver or basic or giving him an ordinary line job. This lowers his moral [morale] tremendously. Psychologists have proven a man may do the best he can at a job even tho [though] he may not like it, but will always be happier in doing what he is best fitted for because he enjoys doing it. No warrant Officer or officer should be commissioned and allowed to remain in their specific units because of biases they may have formed previously and the swell chance it offers them to make it miserable for the guy they dislike with out him being actually able to PROVE infractions of Army regulations. Medical Often a mans mental attitude has a lot to do with him being or imagining he is ill. In most cases, I sincerely believe a good psychologist could recondition thousands of men before a "don't care" point is reached. He should be present at sick call and should be the Medics right hand man. Mental illness may cost the government more money in lives and property, lost or carelessly destroyed, then the pay of a man who is both expert and interested enough to take on a job of this sort. They should be a prime requisite in all overseas theatres. over

Something is seriously wrong when Doctors of any outfit lose interest in their jobs. Perhaps a system can be found to rotate them or at least an attempt made to find their reasons for such an attitude.

First of all lets get the army fatigues the same, for they look like hell, some wear blue other [others] H.B.T [herringbone twill army fatigues] and that surely makes it look bad. Less clothes but better material, the raincoats are very poor, and someone's enjoying the profit of his life by turning them out that way. I believe corns grow better on my toes than on a farm, watch those shoes.

This is all I got to say. Why can't the colord [colored] outfit have theair [their] own colored officer. Let the negro man be a pilot if he wants to . Give him the same chance. We all are fighting for the same country. We have negroes can hole [hold] the job but they won't give him a chance. Thats what [what's] wrong with our out fit [outfit], my CO [Commanding Officer] hats [hates] a negro he is white and I hate him. I am willing to fight, if we be given our rights.

I have been asked if the United States will be a better place to live after the War. I am going to give my honest answer to this.

I think there can be a lot of improvement now as well as after the war. I think the Negro race should be treated better than it is being treated or has been treated, now and after the War. I think there are a lot of improvements made toward the Negro. After all we are fighting to keep America a Democratic Country. [The single word democratic is written above the instructions at the bottom of the page.]

I believe more effort should be spent to send men who want to learn a type of work to college especally [especially] if they are not doing nothing, in order to find out those who are serious. You could offer them the chance of going to college & cutting there [their] pay about 25%, if he is really intrested [interested] in the work he will take the cut & go to school, this can be done in an area such as this. I have been in the army three years, approximately, time enough to learn enough in the study of insect control to be of real use in reagions [regions] such as the tropics.

I believe at times the army is unfair in Court Marshall [Martial] sentences. I have known of cases where one who has done a serious and thing to get off light & again cases where one who has done some minor thing have the book thrown at him, half the officers representing

enlisted men instead of helping him are just a mockery to justice. They don't know there ass from a hole in the ground of course a good deal of the defendants consil [counsel] are sincere but a [an] officer should not represent a man unless he has a thorough knowledge of law. Another thing a court in the case of first offenders shouldn't should go easy on a man. I know that if I ever got a black mark against me especially if it was for some minor incident I believe that I would never again be a good soildier [soldier], for some things they make you feel like a criminal for the simplest thing such as being A.W.O.L. [Absent Without Leave] for a few minutes. A little more justice please, by the way so far I have never BLANK up. I know my feelings in this case were influenced by those around me but my impressions of the army is obtained by how the men are treated in general & not by how I am treated.

(You know who? (well another year hear here & I won't know either)

I feel that this Bn [Battalion] is a labor Bn and not an anti-aircraft outfit. They have keep [kept] men in Alaska to [too] long. I feel if a man is overseas two years he should be able to get a chance to stay in the States for the duration. Why not ship the men that have been in the states since the war was started and let them complete this war or otherwise if a man is needed to go overseas again that has been over it may work out

but the way the army is they don't care how long you have been over as long as you are able to walk you will go again. Their [There] are a lot of men that will never go over because they have more pull then other men.

The organization to which I have been attached or the past two years has never run smoothly or functioned like it should because all of the officers that we have had have either been more interested in their own personal gains than in the welfare of the company. The men that we have recieved [received] from the States have all been sent out as punishment, not because they were ready

for overseas duty.

In reference No. (52)

hears that other fellows go home and see their loved ones at least ever [every] three months. It just planely [plainly] isn't fair. In Reference No. (68) If you want any outfit to be what it is let it do its own work and not work for outfits that take days off while you have to work every day and pull guard at night. The anti aircraft outfit seems to be every thing but one on this base. I believe a system could be worked out

that every outfit gets the same rest instead of one outfit getting 5 hrs [hours] sleep and other ones getting their regular sleep.

I don't see why they try hold a Negro down in this war, for instance my self, I tried twice to go to O.C.S. [Officer Candidate School] and my own whites officers wouldn't let me go, and many other things have happen [happened] to me since I been in the army. I know one thing this outfit I am in is no place for a Negro soldier.

I wish someone would see that the soldiers come over seas would get furloughs or be consider for rotation when his time is up. Why do the Army keep Negros out of certain branches of service. I think a Negro which I am a Negro myself, can do anything other races can do. I see they let Japs be in all branches of services and give them better consideration than Negros over

and the Japs are fighting us, when I say us I am suppose to be an American but I am not treated like that in this war. I hope someone would look into this for we Negros. I am sure what I said won't do any good, but I had my say anyway.

I think the rating system is very poor and this should be looked into and see that a man that knows his work and is willing to do his work get paid for his effort instead of the present system.

over

Just a word on Rotation there is men in this outfit that come up here just 10 days after Pearl Harbor and have never had a furlough others that have shown great loss of spirit and many times they are not sound in health or mind because they have been in this theater to [too] long.

Surely this could be checked a little more closely. all

Why is it in every other war zone a soldier has to stay only eighteen months before rotation and here it is two years? I think if the time was cut down the same it would raise the morale more than anything that could be done, or give him a furlough after a year. Even a year is long enough for any one to stay away from civilization.

Give a person a chance to get in something he likes and I'm sure he would be of more benefit to his Country. I have tried several times to transfer to the Air Corps as an Aerial Gunner and my C.O. [Commanding Officer] won't let me go. Why can he stop me? It should be like the Cadet training. It's almost as important. The Army needs gunners & I am fully qualified for the job.

I was drafted three years & four months ago & from the first day I entered the Army I didn't like it. It seems my chief criticism is the petty-politics & apple polishing that is done in the Army, that rubs my fur the wrong way. But I suppose where there is a great number of men eating & living & working together, there will always be this condition.

I also believe that if the Army & the law makers, would dis-contue [discontinue] to make such fantastic & starry-eyed promises to the soldiers, the men wouldn't look forward to these promises & therefore wouldn't be disappointed th when these promises are broken, which they usually are. I believe that the Army should be more realistic in relation with the men & not to sugar coat the men.

It seems to me, that there are far too many peoples of importance, making wild-eyed promises to the men. I would like to see this stopped.

I would also like to see the calibre [caliber] of the officers raised a bit. Although I am perfectly satisfied in the way Gen. [Generals] Marshall & Eisenhower are running things, I would like to have better, lower grade Commanding Officers. As for me, I don't consider myself a good soldier, as I believe I don't have the temperement [temperament]. But I will do everything & anything I am told to do & hope to get out of this mess O.K. I would like to get out of this war with a clean bill of health. I wouldn't want to come home to with any serious injuries such as a missing leg or arm. I would rather be buried in boot hill than come back a cripple.