The Color of War Episode 5 At Ease
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00:00During the Second World War, an entire generation recorded their personal experiences for posterity.
00:07Combat cameramen braved enemy fire to send home moving images, many of them in color.
00:14They captured history, and in the process they captured ordinary people caught up in extraordinary events,
00:21bearing witness to the color of war.
00:30For millions of men and women, the United States' entry into World War II changed their lives overnight.
00:54Engrossed from civilian into military life, they suddenly lost the usual creature comforts of a peacetime existence.
01:05It has been said that war is 90% boredom mixed with 10% sheer terror.
01:14The Allied servicemen in every theater spent an overwhelming majority of their time in what normally would be called everyday activities.
01:24Eating, sleeping, resting, writing and receiving letters,
01:30trying somehow to snatch a few precious moments of enjoyment in the midst of the most titanic struggle the world had ever seen.
01:41For the fighting men of the Second World War, these all-too-brief interludes often became their most treasured wartime experiences.
02:00In many ways, combat during World War II was unlike that of any conflict which preceded it.
02:08It was faster paced.
02:12Men fought with new weapons that were beyond the conception of even the most visionary early commanders.
02:19One of the things that hadn't changed, however, was a soldier's basic need for food.
02:27Napoleon said that an army travels on its stomach.
02:31This military maxim was as true in the Second World War as it had been throughout history.
02:40For Allied leaders, providing proper nourishment for the millions of men in combat conditions halfway around the globe
02:48presented a daunting and underappreciated challenge.
02:52The military's answer, in part, came in the form of the first scientifically processed food, field rations.
03:00Rations could be stored almost indefinitely without spoiling and were packed in nearly indestructible cans and foil wrappings.
03:10Most rations were meant to be consumed only for short periods of time,
03:14especially the C and K rations created specifically for men in combat conditions.
03:22This was not always the case.
03:25In fact, the troops who needed substantive meals the most, those in the front lines,
03:30often had nothing but these rations for days or even weeks at a time.
03:36Usually eaten cold, they were reviled by those forced to survive on them.
03:42I tried to eat a C ration, but I couldn't keep it down.
03:47Later, my stomach acquired the necessary leather lining and I wasn't as unfortunate thereafter.
03:56C rations were especially prevalent in the Pacific theater as they contained the highest caloric content
04:02and were packed in cans which better withstood the intense tropical heat.
04:08But all field rations were variations on a theme, dehydrated food.
04:14K rations came in three waxed cardboard containers, one for each meal of the day.
04:21Each contained a dried meat, a dried fruit bar, crackers, and a bouillon cube.
04:29Supper was not too appetizing. Dehydrated food again?
04:34How I would love to get my hands on that fellow back in the States
04:37who's constantly telling the public what delicious meals it makes.
04:44Another gastronomic advancement was the creation of a meat formula
04:49that wouldn't spoil and could be served in a multitude of ways.
04:53Packed in tins, this unique concoction was called Spam.
04:57It was such a central part of American servicemen's lives
05:01that U.S. Marine Private B.E. Flowers wrote a poem about it.
05:06I went to chow one evening and I was so hungry I was weak.
05:10As I entered the chow hall, I heard old Cookie speak,
05:14You'll have to eat it, boys. It's all we have today.
05:17Yes, of course I know it's Spam, but we fixed it in a different way.
05:25Army cooks often absorb the troops' complaints with good nature and a shrug.
05:31In the following interview, conducted in the Marshall Islands just days after landing,
05:36a Marine cook gives his side of the story.
05:39See, Sergeant, what's on the menu for dinner tonight?
05:42Why, for tonight, Captain, we have the same as we had last night
05:45for what we're going to have for tomorrow night.
05:47Here are those delicious three rations wrapped in those nice shiny tins,
05:51or K-rations, in our waterproof containers.
05:55Certainly is a lot of fun, Captain, digging into these K-rations.
05:58You don't know what you're going to be able to run into.
06:01They tell me there was some bread passed out here a couple of days ago. Is that right?
06:05Yes, one of our men went out to the boat and brought it in.
06:08It was only half a slice per man, but it tasted like cake.
06:11How come you don't have any mess halls here?
06:13Right now we have a detail out looking for lumber,
06:17hoping that we can build a mess hall in the near future
06:20so we can put out our delicious B-rations,
06:22which consist of our spring beans, peas, and whatnot.
06:26Back in the States they were frowned upon, but out here it'll be like a turkey dinner.
06:32This monotony in the serviceman's diet proved numbing.
06:37With an ingenuity born out of sheer desperation,
06:40Allied troops often altered their government-approved rations.
06:45Hungry troops in far-flung regions often found local foodstuffs to supplement their rations.
06:53Some of these additions were nutritional and reassuringly familiar.
06:58The food hasn't been up to standard lately, thanks to the latest invasion.
07:03But we supplement it with tomatoes, melons, and fresh potatoes, so we're able to get by.
07:11Others were less inviting.
07:14We just caught five pigeons and are boiling water for them now.
07:18Some life, I must say.
07:23Another problem for the rank-and-file soldier
07:26was the fact that the best food was usually reserved for officers.
07:31At the front lines, the enlisted men ate side by side with their superiors.
07:36But in camp or on board ship,
07:39there was a strict caste system that divided officers and their men into segregated worlds.
07:45This became an undeniable bone of contention for enlisted personnel,
07:50forced to watch officers eating well as their own stomachs growled.
07:56The officers get the best.
07:58The men get what is left.
08:00A few days ago, we had chicken dinner.
08:03Some of us watched the chickens being brought in.
08:06Our mouths were watering for a drumstick or breast.
08:10At noon, what a letdown.
08:12On the officers' table were all the choice pieces,
08:15and in the chow line were wings and backs and necks.
08:22In combat, however, officers and enlisted men alike
08:25had to deal with the difficulties of trying to get a hot meal.
08:31Each took turns heating his little can of meat that came out of the supper K rations.
08:36He did this by opening the lid, bending it back, and holding the can over the flame.
08:43The meat simmered and the grease melted and spat,
08:46but if it was a bit messy, it was still the best available way to get a hot meal.
08:54On Iwo Jima, American Marines became even more creative.
09:00This original footage shot by combat cameraman J.B. Fellows
09:04captured them taking advantage of the island's natural volcanic hot springs
09:09to warm their cans of rations.
09:14Sometimes the soldiers adapted the tools of war
09:17to satisfy their craving for a hot meal.
09:21We would break open packs of the plastic explosive C-2,
09:25compress the doughy stuff into thin wafers,
09:28and then set them on fire.
09:30It burned with intense smokeless heat, warming up water for coffee.
09:39The struggle to eat a nourishing meal before the next day's combat
09:43was a difficult hurdle for the soldiers overseas.
09:47Somehow they managed, keeping themselves strong enough to continue to fight.
09:53But man does not live by bread alone.
09:56Neither did the fighting men of World War II.
10:06In the Royal Air Force, tea was brewed three or four times a day,
10:10and if the supplies had ever failed,
10:12the morale would have been reduced more than by a major defeat.
10:27To every wartime serviceman, there are two types of beverages.
10:31The first, and tactically more important,
10:34is the type that keeps men going.
10:36Water, coffee, tea, and cold drinks that replenish bodily fluids.
10:41The second, and probably more important for morale,
10:45are the various spirits that replenish a lost sense of well-being.
10:49As for the first, getting enough fresh drinking water
10:53to the troops in the field posed significant difficulties
10:56for the Allied high command.
10:58They were fearful that local water supplies might be contaminated,
11:02either naturally or poisoned by the enemy.
11:13To counter these threats, the U.S. armed forces
11:16organized over 80 specialized engineer units.
11:19Their primary function was to provide combat soldiers
11:22with safe drinking water.
11:27These units distilled water from local sources
11:30and desalinated water from the ocean.
11:33The processed water was stored in portable canvas reservoirs,
11:37then transferred to special five-gallon water cans.
11:43It was then carried to the various front-line troops,
11:46wherever they were stationed.
11:49But even with these specialized units
11:51providing as much clean water as possible,
11:54there were invariably breakdowns in either manpower or equipment,
11:58resulting in shortages.
12:00This was especially true in the arid deserts of North Africa
12:04and tropical heat of the Pacific theater.
12:09In these areas, unique methods of recycling were implemented
12:13to ensure that the most utility was squeezed out of every drop.
12:21After the morning wash,
12:23the water was left in your canvas camp basin all day.
12:26For the evening wash, the soap suds were skimmed off
12:29and it was used again.
12:31Another skim the next morning,
12:33and it was poured into a gasoline can
12:35to accumulate for washing clothes.
12:38Even when enough fresh water was available for the troops,
12:41it was often barely drinkable.
12:43Chemicals used to purify the water,
12:45such as chlorine, alum, and soda ash,
12:48left a foul, bitter taste.
12:54As a result, water was frequently modified into something else
12:58to render it palatable.
13:00For British servicemen, this beverage was tea.
13:03The central importance of tea to the English soldier
13:06cannot be minimized.
13:08Starting in 1942,
13:10the British government began to purchase
13:12the world's entire tea crop on a yearly basis.
13:15At any one time,
13:17there were over 30 million tons of tea stored in England,
13:21enough for 50,000 soldiers.
13:24At any one time,
13:25there were over 30 million tons of tea stored in England,
13:29enough for 15 trillion cups of tea.
13:36British troops were so fond of the drink
13:38that they were known to brew it in their tanks
13:40as they went into combat.
13:43They accomplished this by strapping a water can
13:46to the exhaust manifold,
13:48so the water would be hot and ready for brewing
13:50once they stopped.
13:54For American G.I.s, coffee was the preferred drink.
13:58Besides masking the unpleasant taste
14:00of the processed drinking water,
14:02its caffeine boost made a good cup of joe
14:05a staple of everyday existence.
14:08Of course, finding that good cup was often impossible.
14:12Ration kits contained the standard instant coffee of the day,
14:16which most men found less than satisfying.
14:21There was a brown powder
14:23which had to be heated with water
14:25to make thirst-inducing hot chocolate.
14:29In a lump like a piece of tar,
14:31heated with water,
14:33it made coffee.
14:36We always had iron-bottom coffee,
14:39so strong that it would eat out the bottom of the pot.
14:45Despite these shortcomings, however,
14:47the demand for coffee continued non-stop.
14:50In the cold month of January 1945, for example,
14:54the American Fifth Army alone
14:56went through over one million pounds of coffee.
15:03The type of drink craved by most soldiers
15:05was of a different variety
15:07and contained not caffeine, but alcohol.
15:11Unfortunately for the servicemen, however,
15:14all of the U.S. armed forces were essentially dry.
15:19Following the tradition of the First World War,
15:22there was no official issue of alcohol
15:24to either officers or enlisted men.
15:27The latter were only permitted to buy specially brewed beer
15:31that was only 3.2% alcohol,
15:34half the content of normal beer,
15:36and then only when off duty.
15:39Officers were allowed to purchase whiskey
15:42and similar distilled spirits,
15:44but only in the amount of one-half bottle per month.
15:48Not surprisingly, men and officers alike
15:51generally ignored the official prohibition on drinking liquor.
15:55For troops in Europe, local wine production
15:58was a great boon to their cravings
16:00for the fruit of the vine,
16:02although there were unforeseen problems
16:04in making it drinkable.
16:07There is plenty of wine over here.
16:09I strain it through cloth
16:10to keep from drinking the flies and gnats
16:12which are in the wine.
16:14Yesterday, I found two flies in my wine.
16:20For troops in the Pacific theater,
16:22the situation was quite different.
16:24There was no local production of wine, beer,
16:27or any other alcoholic beverage.
16:30The wine was produced in the U.S.
16:33There was no local production of wine, beer,
16:36or any other alcoholic beverages,
16:38but there was always the time-honored tradition
16:41of making your own.
16:47We decided to make some home brew.
16:50We called this mixture Kickapoo
16:52in honor of Lil Abner.
16:54We took all the canned fruit
16:56we could get our hands on and stewed it.
16:58To this, we added a bunch of bottles of hospital brandy.
17:01It was meant to be used for exposure cases.
17:04We all figured we qualified.
17:06I tossed my cookies before the night was over.
17:09One man fell onto an anthill and got chewed up.
17:12One man woke up naked in about four inches of ocean.
17:15The doctor came curious
17:18and checked the water can.
17:20The Kickapoo juice ate the enamel off the inside.
17:24He said it was a good thing that we all tossed our cookies.
17:32Yet despite the hazards alcoholic beverages sometimes presented,
17:36their benefits to the troops' morale was undeniable.
17:42As soon as the darkness settled in,
17:44Charlie opened the bottle.
17:46We kept passing it back and forth,
17:48and soon it was empty.
17:50With little sleep and little food,
17:52it didn't take long before the wine
17:54had a sweet, morpheus effect.
17:57I recall looking up
17:59and seeing tracer shells going very high over our position.
18:03I didn't care.
18:09Besides alcohol, there was another vice
18:11that was actually encouraged by the powers that be,
18:14smoking tobacco.
18:19During the early 1940s,
18:21cigarettes were thought to be as American as apple pie.
18:25Research on the effects of cigarette smoking was nonexistent,
18:28and each G.I. received a ration
18:30of between five and seven packs a week.
18:38Taking a cigarette break was simply part of a normal day,
18:41and the nicotine intake was thought to relieve stress
18:44for the troops in the field.
18:48Another way a G.I. could use his cigarette ration
18:51was as barter.
18:53American cigarettes became a type of universal currency
18:56in foreign countries with which G.I.s could buy native merchandise.
19:00If you had the correct brand of smokes,
19:02Lucky Strikes, Chesterfields, Paul Malls, or Camels,
19:06you could purchase almost anything your heart desired.
19:13For ten cigarettes, you get a bottle of wine.
19:16I went to a French farm once,
19:18and the farmer gave me a loaf of hard bread
19:21and a glass of wine, all for 15 cigarettes.
19:27The government carefully tried to limit the vices
19:30in which Allied servicemen indulged,
19:33but there was another type of pleasure that they had no way to stop,
19:37no matter how hard they tried.
19:46To look at the veterans of World War II,
19:49it is almost impossible to think of them as teenagers
19:52or men barely in their 20s.
19:55It is even harder to visualize them as rowdy,
19:58foul-mouthed, heavy-drinking, sex-crazed individuals.
20:02But in all honesty, that description fit most of us.
20:19For all of the perilous duty
20:21that awaited the millions of young servicemen being shipped overseas,
20:25it must be remembered that they were just that, young men.
20:29The vast majority were painfully naive.
20:32Many had never been outside the country,
20:35or indeed, outside their own hometowns.
20:38To be shipped far away from their families,
20:40and then to be expected to put their very lives on the line,
20:44often left these young men with some expectations of their own.
20:48These lonely boys wanted some company,
20:51some reassurance and warmth.
20:54In short, they wanted a woman.
21:02Even overseas, there were American women close at hand.
21:06Over 30,000 had shipped out as members of the Women's Army Corps
21:10and the Women's Naval Auxiliary.
21:13Their efforts had an undeniable impact on the war effort,
21:16helping to keep the troops organized and supplied.
21:19They also had a positive effect on the men's morale.
21:23One American G.I. in the Italian theater wrote about it.
21:30Yesterday I had my first day with a whack.
21:32Quite a change being able to carry on a normal conversation
21:35without having to refer to an Italian-American dictionary.
21:39The very notion of a woman's Army Corps was so novel,
21:43songs were even composed saluting their efforts,
21:46like the following selection.
21:48One little whack, a khaki-covered cutie
21:52One little whack, released a man for duty
21:56One little man, he flew through the flack
22:00To Berlin and back with bombs in his rack
22:04The Women's Army Corps
22:06The Women's Army Corps
22:09The Women's Army Corps
22:12Another group of American women who volunteered their services overseas
22:17were the nurses of the Red Cross.
22:20These women performed various duties in military hospitals
22:24as well as serving the men food behind the lines.
22:28There was a special place in the hearts of the American fighting men for these women.
22:34During short periods of rest from hostilities,
22:37the presence of American Red Cross girls was always a source of great comfort.
22:42To be pampered and be served coffee and donuts by the opposite sex,
22:46it was always a morale builder.
22:55Normally, however, interactions between these women and enlisted men
22:59was limited to the exchange of a mug of coffee.
23:02Only officers were allowed to have further contact with them.
23:06Any social mixing of enlisted men with whacks, waves, or Red Cross nurses
23:12was frowned upon and was usually nipped in the bud by their superiors.
23:18If the enlisted men tried to talk to the girls,
23:21the officers would give them a scram, buddy,
23:24and take over like big operators.
23:27And that's the way it was.
23:29A bunch of enlisted men standing around with mouths open
23:32watching the conversation go back and forth
23:35between the Red Cross girls and the officers.
23:38That's the way it always is.
23:43Not all servicemen were sexually active.
23:46Many were still virgins, having no experience at all with women.
23:52Instead, their sexual fantasies focused on American pinup girls.
23:57Starlets like Betty Grable smiled down from barrack walls all over the world.
24:04Yank Magazine, a publication aimed directly at American enlisted men,
24:09even ran a regular feature called Pinup of the Week.
24:16Servicemen also created their own pinups.
24:19These drawings sometimes adorned the sides of artillery pieces and tanks,
24:24but they most frequently appeared on aircraft,
24:27where they received their own distinct appellation, nose art.
24:33Nose art often combined the sexual with the deadly,
24:36as many of these scantily clad beauties were depicted riding on bombs,
24:41wielding lightning bolts,
24:43or otherwise striking down the enemy in their short shorts and stiletto-heeled pumps.
24:49Padding the derriere of their fantasy girlfriends before departing on a mission
24:54was common for American pilots and airmen in all theaters of operations.
25:05But there were times when the fighting man's urges could not be satisfied by mere paintings,
25:10and only the real flesh-and-blood variety of woman would do.
25:15Certainly, the generals in the War Department were well aware of the impulses of their men.
25:22They also realized that few servicemen were sexually experienced,
25:26or knew about the risks of venereal disease.
25:30Thus they made a point to include films,
25:33some extremely graphic in nature, in the training of all new recruits.
25:38One of the most notorious of these was called Sex Hygiene.
25:42It sternly warned the G.I.s against having casual sexual relations.
25:48Unroll the rubber.
25:50If the woman has gonorrhea or syphilis, as she probably has,
25:55there will be millions of the germs on the rubber,
25:58on the hand that removed it,
26:00and on the surfaces surrounding it.
26:03You must now do these things as quickly as possible.
26:06First, urinate. Pass your water.
26:09Second, wash your hands, your penis,
26:12and the surrounding skin and hair thoroughly with soap and water.
26:16Third, get to the nearest prophylactic station for a treatment.
26:20Every minute is important.
26:22There is no sure method of preventing venereal disease if you expose yourself to it.
26:26These methods will prevent most infections
26:29if taken soon enough and performed thoroughly enough.
26:33However heavy-handed or puritanical these films seemed today,
26:37they were meant to stop the spread of V.D.,
26:40which commanders knew could cause a severe drain in their manpower.
26:46In fact, a 1943 sample of four U.S. soldiers
26:50was found in the hospital in New York.
26:53In fact, a 1943 sample of four U.S. infantry divisions in Italy
26:58revealed more V.D. cases than battle casualties.
27:04Those forced from regular duty by contracting these diseases
27:08were placed in special hospitals called Casanova Parks,
27:12or just plain clap shacks.
27:15They were forced to wear uniforms with the letters V.D. emblazoned on their backs.
27:24Sadly, the spread of prostitution in war-torn countries
27:28was encouraged by the harsh realities of war.
27:33Young girls traded their bodies for the food, water,
27:37and other essential supplies possessed by the Allied soldiers.
27:44In April of 1944,
27:46it was estimated that there were 150,000 women left in the city of Naples.
27:53Of this number, almost 30% were full or part-time prostitutes.
28:03While sex was important to the servicemen of World War II,
28:07a majority of the men craved simpler pleasures,
28:12pleasures that often meant just as much or more
28:15than a fleeting night of passion.
28:19Boy, Paris is really a big place.
28:23Did you see it in 1918, Dad?
28:26I walked through the Arc de Triomphe and saluted the Unknown Soldier.
28:30It felt really funny to think that not very long ago,
28:33Hitler walked through it.
28:36Paris is all decked out in its finest,
28:38and you would never know that there's still a war on.
28:49For the soldier on the front lines, or the sailor aboard a fighting ship,
28:53there were few things sweeter than rotation away from duty.
29:00All branches of the service realized that a fighting force's effectiveness
29:04eroded when its men were not given time off from the stress of combat.
29:12Yet front-line troops received opportunities for rest and recreation
29:16infrequently, usually once every six to eight months.
29:25The most common was a period of time at a designated rest area.
29:31These camps were nothing more than crude structures
29:34seemingly set up at random behind the front lines.
29:39The rest area's facilities were primitive at best,
29:42and yet to the men they were something akin to paradise.
29:48If nothing else, they provided a haven out of the line of fire
29:52where the G.I. could actually bathe and shave,
29:55luxuries rarely available at the front.
30:01In terms of natural opportunities for recreation in the field,
30:06the troops in the Pacific had a distinct advantage
30:09over their comrades in Europe.
30:12Most Pacific islands offered prospects for year-round swimming and bathing
30:16that were impossible in the colder climates of France and Italy.
30:24But no matter where they were, the food at the centers
30:27was uniformly superior to the field rations
30:30many servicemen had become accustomed to eating.
30:33This letter is written while on a pass to a rest center in Holland.
30:37The food is very good.
30:40Today was the first time in five months that I'd had any ice cream.
30:44The chicken we had yesterday was very tasty.
30:53Regardless of their location, the men found ways to relax
30:56in their off-duty hours.
30:58Almost every base had a makeshift baseball field.
31:03I'm sweaty and grimy, and I have a minor case of sunburn.
31:07But it wasn't from work.
31:09I just finished pitching 13 innings of softball.
31:12Our side won by about 10 runs, which made me feel good.
31:17Another way for servicemen to relax was by gambling.
31:21Card games were quite popular nearly everywhere there were soldiers,
31:25with, typically, small amounts of cash to burn.
31:30The highest stakes games were played at the rest centers.
31:36The rest centers were the most popular places to play card games.
31:40The most popular card games were played at the rest centers.
31:43Yet even when soldiers won large amounts of money,
31:46their joy was tempered by the knowledge that there was nowhere to spend it.
31:52I won $250 playing poker,
31:54the most money I'd ever had at one time in my life.
31:57And what was I going to do with it?
32:06While the amenities for enlisted men were far better at the rest centers
32:10than they were at the front,
32:14they were still not on a par with those reserved for officers.
32:19This report from New Guinea was typical.
32:23Military police guarded a beautiful beach for officers and gentlemen,
32:29while enlisted men swam on a beach featuring riptides, rocks,
32:33and the encroaching jungle.
32:36But one pastime was enjoyed by the soldiers.
32:40It was enjoyed by officers and enlisted men alike, listening to music.
32:45Big band swing was at the height of its popularity,
32:49and the luxury of bringing their favorite records with them to war
32:53was a novel one for America's fighting men.
32:57The Armed Forces Radio Network even broadcast shows
33:00specially aimed at swing lovers serving overseas.
33:05Yank, the Army Weekly presents G.I. Jive.
33:10G.I. Jive
33:19This is 15 minutes of solid jive.
33:22Rhythm, jazz, and the music's alive.
33:27The War Department also recorded and distributed its own records.
33:32Called V-Discs, the collection encompassed a wide variety of artists
33:36who donated their time and talent to the war effort.
33:41This is Louis Jordan making some V-Discs for you cats overseas.
33:45Get groovy and latch on to some of this jive.
33:55But nothing that these rest areas might offer
33:57could compete with the allure of a two-day pass to an open city.
34:03Millions of American servicemen anticipated their chance
34:06to receive the now legendary 48-hour pass.
34:12For a Midwestern farm boy or a soldier from the rural South,
34:16a liberty in cities such as Paris, Manila, or Venice
34:20must have been impossible to imagine.
34:26There can be no doubt, however,
34:28that many of their fantasies were fulfilled
34:31on those well-deserved times away from the front.
34:37What a time.
34:38We weren't drunk, but feeling good enough not to worry about anything.
34:43And if you can imagine these Paris streets crooked at all angles to each other...
34:49We made it.
34:50But I know there must be lots that didn't.
34:56News that beautiful Florence was to be our base for this assignment
35:00altered a negative approach into a great expectancy for Old World art viewing.
35:05The single untouched surviving bridge was the ancient Ponte Vecchio,
35:09a structure too weak to support heavy armor.
35:12To think its age was instrumental in saving it is ironically miraculous.
35:21Ultimately, these short-lived excursions were among the most treasured memories
35:26of the American GI in the Second World War.
35:30However, there were other things that also stood out as special to a serviceman.
35:36Things always to be remembered,
35:39some unique, some mundane,
35:42but most importantly, reasons to stay alive.
35:51Dear Mom and Dad,
35:53I did not receive a letter from you today,
35:55which lowered my morale about a mile.
35:58Please write every day,
36:00because you don't realize what just a little note means to a soldier.
36:05I love you.
36:15One of the most important events in the life of a serviceman was mail call.
36:21Receiving a letter, postcard, or parcel from loved ones back home
36:25was a momentous occasion.
36:29Conversely, if the company postal clerk finished his duties without calling your name,
36:35it was as if the world had turned dark.
36:38Such was the significance of the mail.
36:43I received your really swell letter, the 11th today, in our first mail call,
36:47and no kidding, I'd say it's one of the nicest letters I ever got.
36:52Thanks a million for it.
36:54I can see right now that mail is going to mean an awful lot to us here.
37:00To the GIs in their foxholes,
37:02receiving a letter was like having a small gem
37:05suddenly land in their desolate world.
37:09It wasn't important that the letter was weeks old
37:12by the time it was finally received.
37:15All that mattered was that it was a piece of home
37:18right there in their hands.
37:22I'm very sad.
37:24There was no mail today.
37:27You would think that the military would develop a system
37:30for getting mail to the members of its fighting forces more promptly.
37:33Instead, they go in for expensive research and all kinds of gadgets,
37:37none of which contributes to the morale of the men more than the mail.
37:48But the Allied commanders were aware of how important mail was to the rank and file
37:53and made every effort to get it to them wherever they were.
37:58The following interview was recorded on Kwajalein,
38:02a remote island in the Pacific.
38:05I didn't expect to find a mail clerk on Kwajalein ten days after the attack,
38:08but then I was wrong.
38:10Here is Lieutenant L. of Buffalo, New York,
38:13who does his part to see that the men get their mail as quickly as possible.
38:16Tell me about the delivery on the first day.
38:18Did it go over big, Lieutenant?
38:20We delivered mail four days after the battle.
38:23You just see the men's faces light up when mail is passed out to them.
38:27It's really good insight, even if you don't get a letter yourself.
38:30What about the men who don't get the mail?
38:32I guess you kind of hate to pass them up, don't you?
38:34Yes, sir. I feel like sitting down and writing them a letter myself.
38:38Perhaps the only negative aspect about the flow of mail was censorship.
38:42All of the enlisted men's letters home were censored by their officers.
38:48There's only one thing better suited to raise the G.I. morale,
38:52and that's another little piece of paper which grants the privilege of writing mail
38:56that won't be bothered by that nuisance.
38:58Mr. Inbetween, that guy with the hungry snippers.
39:09If merely receiving a letter from home boosted the spirits of troops in the field,
39:14one can only imagine what it must have been like when a U.S.O. troop stopped nearby to perform.
39:22These highly publicized road shows played over 400 dates in the Pacific Theater alone
39:29and featured some of the biggest stars of the day from radio, vaudeville, and the movies.
39:36Jack Benny and company were here the other night, much to the delight of thousands of the men.
39:41He was aided by songstress Martha Tilton, Carol Landis, and harmonicaist Larry Adler.
39:47They put on a whale of a show.
39:50Entertainment of that caliber really is a boost to morale.
39:58Less exciting than a Hollywood star, but at least as cherished and memorable,
40:03was a serviceman's friendship with a wartime pet.
40:11It was this connection of a more intimate nature that was close to the hearts of many servicemen.
40:19The black and white pup I told you about previously is growing like hell.
40:23He continues to chew up everything in sight.
40:26There's another dog that adorns our office floor practically every day.
40:30We've given him the moniker of G.I. Joe.
40:33He plays the part perfectly by sleeping most of the time.
40:37In addition, the transportation section has five pups that are known as Dagwood's pups.
40:45But even the affection of a newfound pet was often not enough
40:49when a soldier faced one of his toughest times while overseas, the holidays.
40:56Nothing could make a serviceman stop and reflect more deeply
41:00than the realization that back home, people were celebrating.
41:04Feasting and exchanging gifts.
41:08Holidays brought the desolate reality of his surroundings into sharp focus
41:13and made the soldier on the front lines feel even more alone.
41:18As usual, Christmas Eve was spent in a foxhole.
41:22The night was clear and cold with a brilliant moon shining.
41:26I could just see all of you in the living room around the Christmas tree.
41:30Don't get me wrong, I'm not homesick.
41:32But I sure wish I were at home for Christmas.
41:40Despite the typical wartime shortages,
41:42most branches of the service were well aware of the importance of these special seasons
41:49and tried desperately, if often unsuccessfully,
41:52to give them the appearance of traditional holidays back home.
41:56One thing that was never taken for granted by the servicemen of the Second World War,
42:01especially those on the front lines who were forced to endure long periods
42:05with only short and irregular doses of it, was sleep.
42:10Sleep was a necessity. An extra sleep, the greatest of luxuries.
42:16Men learned to do it anywhere they could in nearly every type of condition.
42:20There are two fellows in a hole, so one stands guard while the other sleeps.
42:25The foxholes are constructed so that the person sleeping is really fairly comfortable.
42:30We put a thick layer of straw on the bottom of the hole
42:32and slept on an overcoat spread over the straw.
42:38Thus it was that everyday comforts, taken for granted in peacetime,
42:43became a necessary part of the service.
42:45Thus it was that everyday comforts, taken for granted in peacetime,
42:50became so significant to those serving in time of war.
42:56The fighting men of World War II went through the fire of combat
43:01and came out the other side with a new appreciation for life's smallest pleasures.
43:08Sergeant J.W. Fraser spoke for millions of his comrades in arms
43:12when his unit was finally pulled to the rear.
43:17He and his men had survived five days and nights of furious, non-stop fighting.
43:25It was unbelievably good to sit quiet.
43:28No mud, dust shell holes, dead cows, smells.
43:36It was good to lie back and know you are alive.
43:39Good to shave, eat, sleep.
43:46Above all, to sleep.
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