Extracted text

OCR Page 1 of 9
1942 IN A TOTAL WAR, THERE IS NO CEILING ON THE DUTY OF THE INDIVIDUAL CITIZEN. You, AS MEMBERS OF THE TEXAS DEFENSE GU ARD, HAVE EVIDENCED YOUR AWARENESS OF THE REALITIES OF THIS WAR; AND YOU, BECAUSE YOU REPRESENT SUBSTANTIAL ELEMENTS IN YOUR RESPECTIVE HOME COMMUNITIES, CAN RENDER STILL FURTHER SERVICE TO YOUR COMMAN COUNTRY. BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN TO AN ACTIVE FRONT -- AND RETURNED -- I AM n FORTUNATE MAN. I SAY FORTUNATE BECAUSE A TRAVELING COMPANION Fortunate because AND CLOSE FRIEND WAS SHOT DOWN BY JAP ZEROS' WHICH THE PLANE IN ^ WHICH I TRAVELED ESCAPED; TROUBLE * FEW SECONDS BEFORE THEY SPOTTED us; FORTUNATE BECAUSE WHEN I CONTRACTED and pneumonia A TROPICAL FEVER HAPPENED TO BE AT A BASE WHERE HOSPITAL AND MEDICAL FACILITIES WERE ADEQUATE. THIS GOOD FORTUNE I MENTION TO EXPLAIN WHAT HAS BECOME WITH ME ALMOST AN ALL-ENGROSSING INTEREST: THE DETERMIMATION TO DO EVER ALL WITHIN MY POWER TO SEE TO IT THAT OUR FIGHTING MEN, WHERE THEY ARE STATIONED AT THE EARTH'S FOUR CORNERS, SHALL HAVE ADEQUATE EQUIPMENT. GUNS AND PLANES, WEAPONS OF EVERY KIND, IN THE HANDS OF w AMERICAN FIGHTERS EQUAL OR. SURPASS THOSE OF ANY OTHER NAT&ONO A So LONG AS THERE 18 ANY DOUBT ON THAT SCORE, NONE OF US AT HOME can REST. WE HAVE THE BEST F IGHTING MEN IN THE WORLD. BUT NO MATTER HOW GOOD THE FIGHTING MAN MAY BE, HE IS INFERIOR TO AN ENEMY WITH SUPERIOR EQUIPMENTO THERE IS NO NEED, OR DISPOSITION, TO RECOUNT PAST MISTAKES. THE BURNEMX BARUCH COMMITTEE WELL SAID THAT IT WAS CONCERNED WITH THE PAST RECORD ONLY INSOFAR AS IT CAST LIGHT ON PROBLEMS OF THE FUTURE. But, THE COMMITTEE ADDED, WRONGS OF THE PAST CANNOT BE

Relations