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office of which Is at 1Z Bouievara nauam, Algiers,•WHYI■ . - ' « 9 j • •1, ’ i . * . • • • , • „ » « .One of the praiseworthy features ; of the ”Why I Fights essay contest sponsored by the Special Service Section, NATOUSA, is thafc-it provides soldiers with the opportunity for expressing themselves on a subject about which they have done a great deal of thinking.Most soldiers find it difficult to explain their sense of duty or pride in the uniform they are wearing. Basically, many feel like the engineer who was indulging in a bull session with his mates on the beach of Salerno Bay shortly after the invasion. An air raid had ended. The boys sat up and puffed on their cigarettes. A hot argument started on the merits of their branch of service. It was good healthy griping. These boys were veterans. It was their third invasion. The same theme of how lucky were the guy« at home was repeated over and over again. The debate died down as quickly as it started when one of them said he didn’t mind being in the Army. ’’You couldn’t live with yourself if you weren’t,” he told them.Somehow that was typical. Another word for it might be called morale. Until now, there has been little or no attempt to define what gives substance to morale. The American soldier plodding through the mud in Italy has a pretty good idea of why he is fighting the Nazi. So does the fighter pilot whd eagerly takes off after Jerry. But ask him to give you the reason and in most cases he will be shy or at loss for words. On the other hand, the soldier who is inclined to be bitter or cynical is the one who does not have a clear idea of why he is in uniform.Most soldiers deep down inside of them know instinctively why they are fighting this war but this feeling has found no means of expression. The essay contest is recommended strongly because it gives soldiers a chance to put it down in words. It would be a good idea if unit commanders encouraged them to do so.sonresoffofthesyr•3tucThawpel1no!wamifro*1ifl!Ofcmttrrhulivlt;»awani$on50no
Newspaper Details
Sicily Stars and Stripes
Palermo, Sicily, IT
Tue, Oct 26, 1943
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Michael L.
MO, USA 29 Sep 2023
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Sicily Stars and Stripes
