Draft Speech of Senator Harry S. Truman at University of North Carolina Political Union, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Speech of Senator Harry S. Truman of Missouri University of North Carolina Political Union Chapel Hill, North Carolina April 30, 1942 TO BE RELEASI ON DELIVERY It is a great honor and privilege to be here as the guest of the Carolina Political Union to talk with you in an intimate way concerning the progress of our war effort, and particularly, the part you men leaving this historic school of learning can play to insure the sucess of this effort. Many of you here this evening will be called upon to interrupt your college careers to enter the armed services. Some of you who are graduating will have to postpone entering professional and business life for the same reason. We all recognize the tremendous sacrifices involved, but these are the days of ALL OUT SACRIFICE. No one laan question that the greatest sacrifice of all is already being made by the youth of our nation who are giving up their very lives to preserve and perpetuate our ideals, our security and our institutions. Was in metas In the last analysis, the contribution that you young men will make in entering the armed services to help bring this war to a speedy and successful conclusion far outweighs the sacrifice of giving up a year or two of your career. Many of you are the sons of fathers who fought upon the battle- fields of France in the first World War. I had the honor to command the 129th Field Artillery from Missouri on the same battlefields. Now in this greatest crisis of American history when Americon freedom is in the gravest peril, once again the youth of America is called upon to serve on the far-flung battlefronts of the world. To take the offensive and win this war--and we must take the offensive, because wars are not won on the defensivo==we must produce vast amounts of instruments of wor so that the forces of the United Nations loan be equipped to carry the war to the enemy wherever he may bo--and carry it succossfully. On the battlefronts of the world our fighting men need planes, tanks and guns and they need them now. We have already sufforod serious reverses because nur forces have not been adequatoly equippod. We shall not allow this to continue. I have said many times, and I say to you young mon now, that American lives must not be lost because of lack of equipment. The courage of the American fighting mon is being proven again. The valiant stand of MacArthur and the American forces in the Philippinos is typical. But courago alone is not enough.