 weapons coupled with the fighting skill of the American soldier stand ready on the alert all over the world to defend this country you the American people against aggression this is the big picture an official television report to the nation from the United States Army now to show you part of the big picture here is sergeant Stuart Queen no fighting man in history has enjoyed as much behind-the-scenes support as does the individual American soldier of today weapons equipment personnel all exist basically to make the force of the foot soldier as strong and as effective as possible to achieve this goal surely yet economically our army is now calling upon a pool of resources only lightly tapped in the past foreign nationals the big picture study of today to many people the words army and infantry are synonymous true the infantry is the backbone of the army for an army is organized trained and equipped for combat on land only land forces are prepared to fulfill the army's mission to defeat an enemy's land forces then to seize occupy and defend the hard one ground coordinated with the infantry armor and artillery bring their heavy weight to bear on the enemy and behind the frontline power is a well integrated but enormously complex force men to make weapons others to build highways and bridges where the weapons may pass lines of transportation stretching from factory and farm to the battleground and communications welding all into a unified force no army in history has provided better medical facilities or achieved greater life-saving accomplishments than America's medical core of today as invaluable as physical aid and comfort is the spiritual support of the chaplains for the well and the wounded alike for every single foot soldier there are seven men and women in support working to make his efforts more successful with the signing of the Korean troops in 1953 and the subsequent rotation of American units there has been no weakening of support for our remaining troops while the number of Americans on duty here has been reduced assistance has been increased from another quarter South Koreans by the thousands have been employed by the 8th Army and scores of jobs vital to the strength of our defense force use of this large reservoir of locally available workers cuts down the number of troops needed for rear area jobs moreover it saves money costs of transporting manpower from the United States are eliminated entirely the 8th Army's operations are made more economical too because the salary outlay for the native Korean is fractional compared to the cost of paying and maintaining United States soldier to do the same job then to the wages paid by the army to its Korean employees results in a welcome contribution to the war weakened Korean economy because the communists whose initial thrust the United Nations acted to thwart feed on poverty and unemployment our armies use of Korean civilians acts as a continued deterrent to the spread of communist influence in Asia this same strengthening of the Korean economy operates on another level Koreans with special aptitudes are fitted into the working scheme through on the job training by army specialists with the new skills acquired by individual Koreans the total economic potential of the Republic is raised types of jobs in which Koreans reduced the need for American manpower range from skilled artisans and scientists to special police and military guards the communist attack in Korea spotlighted our need for supply depots in the orient when thousands of tons of equipment had to be rushed shipped to Korea from Japan although the truth prevails now one of the army's biggest jobs in Korea is to protect its depots from thieves whether they operate as organized subversives or as small boys developing bad habits at the same time in Japan more than 100,000 Japanese nationals are employed by the army further is strengthening the supply chain which equips and maintains Americans of the far east command some serve as guards at military installations while others work with army MPs protecting the rights of American and Japanese civilians and military personnel alike once a Japanese national has passed his first interviews and examinations qualifying him for a civilian job with the army he is fingerprinted for purposes of record and security in Tokyo following his fingerprinting the prospective employee reports to the Tokyo army hospital for his physical examination included with the physical checkup will be a dental and x-ray examination when the applicant here Mr. Shimamura has been fully processed he will be ready to join the ranks of civilians who are helping the army to fulfill its policy of nearly a decade to emphasize the assigning a military personnel to purely military duties and to use civilian employees and non-military occupations as much as possible assigned to the 22nd border pool in Tokyo Mr. Shimamura reports first to the army's driver's training school in addition to a thorough working knowledge of traffic rules the students are required to be fully informed of the techniques of preventive maintenance during the several weeks of instruction the students familiarize themselves with a wide variety of vehicles so that whenever a need arises for drivers of a certain type of car or truck there is always an adequate number of qualified men on hand to handle a job because supply is one of the army's biggest jobs in Japan these drivers play an important part in boosting the army's overall effectiveness all down the line the aim is to use more civilians so that a greater number of soldiers can be freed from assignments not requiring military skills in no area is the effort better affected than in the professions of dentistry and medicine Japanese nationals like 24-year-old Dr. Sakuma rank high on the army's list of human resources Dr. Sakuma's education includes three years of pre-medical study at Yokohama University then four years of medical training at the College of Medicine following his schooling Dr. Sakuma applied for an internship at a United States Army Hospital following his examinations at the Tokyo Army Hospital he was accepted for internship at the Yokohama Army Hospital where he's currently serving men of Dr. Sakuma's intelligence and training provide the army with a rare resource they fill important posts in specialized areas for which the army of necessity has only limited training facilities the training period is not so long as a doctor's but the problems of filling the positions with the right personnel for secretarial jobs is equally great particularly spots for girls with an understanding of both Japanese and English girls like Dorothy Nomura fulfill one of the army's greatest needs in Japan not only is Dorothy able to handle intra-army correspondence she is able also to bridge the gap between American and Japanese officials as a combinations stenographer typist interpreter Miss Nomura is a valuable contributor to better international relations contributions made by Japanese civilian employees toward better international understanding are not confined to their places of work over the mahjong board American servicemen learn from this oriental game more of the working of the Asian mind than they could from any lecture this process of getting to know one another better is carried on continually in game rooms provided for the mutual use of American and Japanese personnel at the bridge table cards replace the ivory mahjong pieces but the interchange of ideas and customs continues further insight into Japanese culture is gained at the Ernie Pyle Memorial Theatre where programs of native classical dances and plays were presented regularly just as the Japanese share the American mania for baseball so they also appear as a nation of amateur photographers the average GI Shutterbug or lens lover feels right at home naturally the membership of the Lensman's Club is composed of Japanese nationals and Americans an excellent example of growing friendship is found at the St. Odelia layman home for orphans in suburban Tokyo the men of the Fucho Ordnance Depot have informally adopted the children of the home every man allots part of his paycheck to help support the orphanage the money for the most part goes for food and clothing delivered by the ordinance men themselves every Saturday the men give up their free hours to visit the home here they turn their working day army skills to repairing and improving the orphanage facilities for men thousands of miles from home who may even have children of this same age there is great satisfaction in sharing with less fortunate youngsters the informal adoption of orphans by American service men is more the rule than the exception in Japan in addition to their duties with the 16th Corps artillery the men of Hardy barracks Tokyo regularly find time to take the children of the Japanese orphans hospital picnicking in Tashimen Park oddly enough the men of Hardy live within a stone's throw of the Japanese Communist Party headquarters it is difficult to see how the red propagandists reconcile their word portraits of the American service men with the flesh and blood reality men who would rather spend their off-duty time entertaining a bunch of kids at a picnic table than in other more rugged pursuits just as the informal adopting of an entire orphanage by United States Army units is a common occurrence so too legal adoptions by American service men and their wives are becoming equally commonplace picnics like these lay the groundwork for mutual affection mutual cooperation is the key word in describing American military and Japanese business interests in Japan jobs are created indirectly for thousands of Japanese nationals through American supplied ideas with an enormous population concentrated in a small area the Japanese traditionally have been masters of the miniature the export firm of Marusan Shoten alert to possible new products and potential markets is currently making good use of a suggestion provided by an American Army officer because the United States is world renowned for its automobiles for both design and mass production the manufacturing of miniature American cars seemed like a fine prospect for a product with a universal appeal acting on this suggestion Marusan Shoten limited added miniatures of American automobiles to its list of products every toy is an exact duplicate on a fractional scale furthermore the cars actually run the idea suggested by an American Army officer pursued and developed by an ingenious and far-sighted Japanese businessman has already enjoyed considerable success by cooperating with small businesses in this and similar ways Japan has helped to stay free of the influence of her communist dominated neighbors on the continent of Asia the toy automobile is small in itself but combined with other products and multiplied by the thousands it becomes an important weight in the balance of world trade the same initiative shown by the small businessmen in Japan is displayed by individual workers employed by the Army at the Opama Ordnance Depot here civilian employees have established a training school on their own the new skills acquired in these classes furthers the individual workers chances of advancement in his line of work not only that, the beneficial results of such classes are seen in the figures for every American job there are 10 Japanese workmen on the other side of the world foreign nationals give additional strength to the United States Army at Kaiserslautern in western Germany is the largest single complex of field supply installations in the world here are concentrated millions of dollars worth of supply dumps and depots arsenals and repair shops open and concealed warehouses petrol dumps barracks and maneuver grounds supplies and weapons ranged from the obvious to top secret above ground, on the ground and below ground at the western area command headquarters at Kaiserslautern close to France and west of the Rhine River a veritable electronic and mechanical army within an army is needed to keep tabs on the myriad items kept on hand to meet the need of the Army the primary mission here is the receiving, storing, breakdown and issue of supplies and equipment this is a service command backing up our combat ready army in Europe in and around Kaiserslautern are found mile after mile of new railroad track and paved military highways great loads are being trans shipped from nearby railheads or being brought in in trucks from receiving centers in France the Kaiserslautern area is noted for its size however much of the building expense came from German paid occupation costs and most of the manpower for construction and maintenance is supplied by German nationals there are more than 300 types of jobs open to the citizens of the new German Republic when a department head needs a man to fill a particular job he first contacts the employee utilization office in his area this triggers a chain reaction aimed at getting the right man for the right job as speedily as possible currently there's an opening for a fireman responding to an advertisement placed in a local newspaper Joseph Mueller reports to the employee utilization office where the initial information about his background, education and job experience is elicited because Mueller appears qualified he moves to the third phase of screening if he passes the series of interviews ahead of him he will join the more than 11,000 German civilians employed by the Army in the Kaiserslautern area alone the more than 130,000 foreign nationals augmenting American military and civilian personnel in Europe while Mueller receives his second screening interview G2 Army Intelligence receives a copy of his application form when his statements are checked out against the records Mueller receives his security clearance at this point Mr. Mueller's prospects for the job look good he returns to the employee utilization bureau where he is briefed on matters of salary possibilities for advancement and on the job procedure he will put in a trial period on the job before he goes on the payroll officially the advantages in employing a civilian for a job like Mueller's are plain he will put in a full work week with overtime if necessary and will not be diverted by combat instruction or other activities required of military personnel from the bureau, Mueller reports to the firehouse in Vogelwe where he will be stationed although civilians like Mueller do not enlist for a prescribed length of time there is a better than average chance that he will make firefighting his career the foreign nationals who man Vogelwe's fire department are a vital adjunct to the United States Army in Germany for Vogelwe is a uniquely important military installation in the summer of 1950 while the United States was deeply involved in the Korean conflict Earth moving equipment went to work in the farmland near the ancient town of Barbarossa six army divisions were on their way to Germany from the United States to prevent another Korea in Europe the land cleared was one day to become the town of Vogelwe an integral part of Operation Palatine the cover all term for the total military installation in the Kaiserslautern area on the original blueprints and specifications the town of Vogelwe was slated to house more than 12,000 people the actual construction work was done by French, German and American subcontractors employing for the most part local German artisans and laborers Vogelwe today is a city in itself composed of more than 104 story apartment buildings each of these houses is a city block long strung out along a maze of winding streets which enclose and isolate the community in Vogelwe are schools and athletic fields shopping center and a 1,000 seat theater post office and police station gymnasium and beauty parlor a chapel for all faiths and super filling stations run by the Army quarter master corps the schools range from kindergarten through high school with recreation facilities for all agents Vogelwe is big bigger in fact than many of the home towns from which come its inhabitants the soldiers and their dependents it's far bigger than the older surrounding German communities frequently it's called Little America if it weren't for the military legends on the buildings the busy super shopping center might be mistaken for one in any suburban community at home from Long Island to South Los Angeles in the quarter master commissary are found all the brand name goods advertised at home on television and in the newspapers on the surface Vogelwe is suburbia fundamentally it is the center of a mighty military installation which stands as a bulwark of security in the heartland of Europe because Vogelwe is essentially a military establishment the living quarters of thousands of Americans some of the individual tenants responsibilities are lightened so that the soldiers can devote full time to their proper business soldiering servicing the buildings of Vogelwe therefore is a preventive maintenance organization manned entirely by German nationals with special skills members of the preventive maintenance teams are prepared to install or repair electric wiring and windows in addition to plumbing fixtures maintaining an American soldier in any one of these necessary maintenance jobs would cost around $5,000 a year for a German national the cost is a fraction of this of course in any community where you have several thousand married couples you're bound to find additional thousands of children and where there are lots of children there are bound to be dogs lots and lots of dogs and to carry this logic a bit further where there are dogs by the yard even dogs by the mile Bowser or Fido or call him what you will at some time or another is going to need medical attention so at Vogelwe not even the needs of the dog population are overlooked the veterinarian clinic is manned by German nationals naturally who better to care for a luckless doxon in Vogelwe the little touches of home are there for the married soldier but what of the unmarried private the bachelor captain who darns the holes in his socks or affectionately sews on the insignia denoting a promotion in the military world here again the civilian population the small business enterprise applies the answer cleaning pressing and tailoring shops managed by German nationals operate to meet the demand for every branch of the army operating in the palatinate there is a pool of civilian labor to augment military duties experienced German linemen help keep the signal core communication channels open civilian firemen protect both American military and civilian property this is civilian Joseph Mueller's first response to a fire alarm since joining the Vogelwe fire department he is still in the two-week trial period before his name goes on the list of regular civilian army employees but because of his past firefighting experience and the initiative and sense of responsibility displayed in his first days on the job chances are very good that Mueller will become a dependable member of the Vogelwe fire squad Mueller's income and the income of the tens of thousands of foreign nationals like him does much to strengthen the economy of the new German Republic which stands in the shadow cast by the Soviet Union's arsenal to the east at the same time our own economy is strengthened at home our outlay of tax garnered money for military costs are reduced because the jobs undertaken by foreign nationals are performed more economically than they could be either by American civilians or military personnel on foreign soil Moreover, our resources of skilled technicians and professional people in the United States remain strong a healthy nucleus for expansion in an emergency for defense in case of attack for immediate mobilization to strike back equally important, foreign nationals working for and with the United States Army wherever it is stationed around the world cannot help but to know and understand better Americans our ideals, our sentiments and hopes and for every foreign national in civilian garb an American soldier in uniform is freed to serve his basic purpose to defend, to take, to hold the land the policy of employing foreign nationals as a supporting force for the United States Army has four key benefits the program makes our total operation more economical at home it keeps America's force of skilled labor strong equally important, it strengthens the economy and fosters the ties of friendship in the countries abroad where the American soldier serves today now this is Sergeant Stuart Queen inviting you to be with us again next week when we will present another look at your Army in action on The Big Picture The Big Picture is a weekly television report to the nation on the activities of the Army at home and overseas produced by the Signal Corps Pictorial Center presented by the United States Army in cooperation with this station you too can be an important part of The Big Picture you can proudly serve with the best equipped the best trained, the best fighting team in the world today the United States Army