 Today, on your Army reports, a breakthrough in military communications, new storage and preservation methods for Army food supplies, U.S. soldiers fight the enemy in Vietnam's caves, and ancient art contributes to the soldier's morale. Army engineers build camp friendship in the Far East, awards for freedom at Valley Fort, experience a most unusual duty assignment. Stationed at Feldborg-Schwarzwald, they are considered part of the community and treated with great friendliness and hospitality by the villagers. A daily job includes picking up the mail from the postman, which means a warm smile on a cold day, and another strong handshake to satisfy local customs. Then it's a steep climb through snowy, picturesque terrain to the next stop, arriving for work in a rather unorthodox fashion. The men change from a wheel to a track vehicle, a snow cat, during the last leg of the trip to the summit of a local mountain, where the signal core tropospheric site is located. The site provides an important radio link for worldwide Army communications. The link is unique in many respects. The miniature Eiffel Tower on the mountaintop is 160 feet tall and has four 30-foot parabolic antennas. Supplies often must be brought in by helicopter because of the severe local weather conditions during most of the year. Within the remote communication control center, buried in the snow, is found the elaborate electronic equipment providing the important radio systems which connect with other global Army facilities. The Feldbord-Schwarzwald site has drawn the interest of radio communicators the world over because of the inherent difficulties involved in establishing a 60-voice channel tropospheric scatter system with the Swiss Alps and weather variations to obstruct the signal. Yet, Army personnel working under these difficult operating conditions fulfill their assigned missions, keeping the channels open and the messages moving as their share in the preparedness of the United States Army in Europe. For centuries, man has worked on the problem of preserving his food supplies against the spoilage produced by microorganisms. In recent years, a new method of food preservation has been developed in which the Army saw many advantages. It involves the irradiation of plant and animal food products with gamma rays from a radioactive source such as cobalt-60. Tests conducted in line with strict government standards have shown that irradiation destroys bacteria with little or no change in the color, flavor, odor, texture, or nutritive value of the selected foods. In 1966, the world's first industrial procurement of irradiated bacon was arranged for by the Defense Supply Agency with technical assistance from the Army's Natick Laboratories. In the two packing plants contracted for this project, the bacon slabs are treated as they normally are. This includes smoking, which is one of the oldest methods employed to increase what is termed the shelf life of certain meats and fish. But even smoked foods require refrigeration if they are to remain on the shelf for any length of time. After smoking, slicing, and weighing, the bacon in the irradiation process is rolled up and placed in cans. The cans are capped and sealed. A dosimeter disk is attached to each can. The yellow disk changes to red when exposed to radiation. The canned bacon is packed in cartons and shipped to Brookhaven National Laboratory, Long Island, New York. Brookhaven has the required irradiation facilities. In the future, it is expected that privately owned packing industries will have their own irradiation equipment. At Brookhaven, the cartons are stacked in aluminum containers and loaded on a conveyor system which transports them to the irradiation facility. In the irradiation process, the Cobalt-60 is raised between the containers and is kept there for an established period of time. Meanwhile, its gamma rays penetrate the containers and sterilize the meat by destroying the microorganisms, which, if present, can cause food poisoning. Once the bacon is removed from the radioactive field, no residual radiation remains in the meat or its containers, and the sealed cans protect the food from recontamination by bacteria or other microorganisms. The red dot on the carton indicates the contents have been irradiated and that the bacon can be kept unrefrigerated for extended periods of time. With the approval of the Federal Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Agriculture, other foods, including plant products such as potatoes, fruits, and grains, are to follow the bacon example. There are several advantages of food preservation by irradiation, as developed for the army by the Army Materiel Command Substance Research and Development Program. It can reduce the logistical loads usually associated with the transportation and storage of food under constant refrigeration. And this can reduce the overall cost of military food supplies. For today's army, widely deployed as it is, it makes possible the more efficient delivery of food that is thoroughly good to eat and that will contribute to the well-being and morale of each soldier wherever he may be assigned. Twenty-five miles north of Saigon, U.S. infantrymen discover a Vietcong tunnel complex. Searchers nicknamed tunnel rats prepare to descend into the caverns 15 feet underground. Before securing a Vietcong tunnel, there are many booby traps and butterfly bombs that must be disarmed. Any rock that is moved or any string that is pulled might set off an explosion. Though tunnel rats work in pairs, it is still a lonely job. Each man inches his way forward on the alert for any suspicious objects which may conceal the explosives. They are usually planted by the VC near the tunnel entrances. Even after the dangerous traps are disarmed, there is still the enemy to contend with. There are many hiding places among the black distant shafts or around the tunnel corners. Once the hazards are removed and the cave is secured, the tunnel rats dig for buried supplies and documents that may have been left behind by the enemy. Vietcong tunnels often serve as command posts from which they direct military operations. In the hands of the cave's former occupants is clear. Inside the tunnels are found 10 sacks of VC documents, including plans for an attack on the big U.S. air base at Tansung Noot. Materials found in the underground hideouts are passed up to waiting hands for later study and evaluation. Enemy tunnels in Vietnam have yielded much valuable information to U.S. forces, thanks to the hazardous efforts of the tunnel rats. In an organization as vast and complex as the United States Army, there are many small units, little known or publicized, that perform important morale services for troops in the field. The Institute of Heraldry, an activity of the adjutant general of the Army, applies the art of Heraldry, born in the medieval age of chivalry. As the medieval knight was proud to be identified by his coat of arms in or out of battle, so the modern American soldier is proud to be identified by his unit insignia. The Institute of Heraldry helps perpetuate this ancient art. This is the Institute's home at Cameron Station, Virginia, on the outskirts of Washington. Here a group of specialists with unique training, skills and experience will, on request, design and develop a wide variety of heraldic devices for official agencies of the federal government. Coats of arms, shoulder sleeve insignia, D.I.s or distinctive insignia, decorations for bravery, campaign medals, badges for skill and proficiency and other identifying devices. Any military unit may request the services of the Institute. It should supply full details on its history, mission and traditions. The trained heraldic artist seeks to tell the unit story with symbols and colors that are authentic as well as vivid and striking. His ultimate objective is to develop a design that will become a timeless part of the unit heritage. He will often go for authentication and inspiration to the small but unique library, with its remarkable collection of ancient and modern works on Heraldry. Some date back hundreds of years and are rare in valuable examples of their kind. The artist works up a series of drawings as a basis for a finished painting. This is the distinctive insignia of the 56th artillery, compared to its coat of arms. Now here is the description or interpretation of the blazing ray. The crest commemorates the award of the Distinguished Unit Citation given the organization in World War II for Huitgen Forest by the Hearst of Trees and the Arrow. The Trident and Toriyee, allowed to the Navy Presidential Unit Citation, awarded the organization for action in Incheon during the Korean War. The shield is red for artillery. The searchlight beams and the winged projectile denote the character of the parent organization. Also the winged projectile on the black sheet alludes to the motto, Night Hides Not, signifying that the knight does not hide the enemy from the artillery fire of the unit. This painting goes to the requesting unit for comment. If it concurs in the design, manufacturer's drawings are made up six times the actual size of the distinctive insignia. Also a painting of the actual size insignia, along with a color guide, goes to the manufacturer. All enamels must adhere to these standardized shades. The correctness of the specifications are the responsibility of the institute's technical division. The specifications are extremely precise. In the case of an embroidered shoulder sleeve insignia, the exact stitch count is prescribed. However, if the Heraldic device is three-dimensional, this may be a distinctive insignia, a seal, metal, or plaque, a different procedure is followed. The Vietnam service medal is a good example. From the original design, a large-scale model is made, which in turn produces a mold from which more plaster models can be cast. The technical division writes up specifications which go along with the original model to a developed mental manufacturer. A galvanal or copper-plated version of the plaster model is produced. From the galvanal, a hub is made, which reduces and reproduces the face of the metal in its exact dimensions. Dyes are made from the hub. A master die is kept permanently by the institute. Metals are struck from the die. They are annealed and trimmed until they produce a satisfactory result like this. Good samples, specifications, and hubs are forwarded to the Defense Personnel Support Center in Philadelphia to be utilized in procuring the issue items. The Institute of Heraldry is responsible for the quality control of all optional purchase Heraldic items sold through PXs and commercial outlets. Thus, the institute does not do any manufacturing directly. It provides the tools and maintains constant quality control of the product. Many exceptions are in the case of the president and the vice president for whom the institute makes seals for display. For example, as seen on the presidential jet planes like Air Force One and the president's helicopters, the institute's skills and experience are widely used throughout the armed forces. It now does much of the Air Force's heraldic designing. Civilian organizations within the government also turn to the institute for guidance. The heraldic institute designed the seal for the Federal Aviation Agency. But it is with the fighting man and his organization that the Institute of Heraldry, U.S. Army, is chiefly concerned. The significant events that mark the history of the armed forces are reflected in its heraldic devices. Here, for instance, is the new shoulder sleeve insignia for the first signal brigade Vietnam, the 44th Medical Brigade Vietnam, the first field force Vietnam. No matter how complex the weapons and tactics of war become, the motive and ideals that inspire the fighting man and which his heraldic devices proudly display to the world have not changed from those of his nightly predecessors of nearly a thousand years ago. Honor, beauty, courage, and pride in his unit. In Korat, Thailand, Camp Friendship, a construction project of the U.S. Army 44th Engineer Group. The installation has all facilities necessary to fill the needs of our military personnel. Many of the original structures are being currently rebuilt by a civilian construction unit under the supervision of Army engineers. All the comforts of home for civilian construction workers and military personnel. The 44th engineers arrived in Thailand late in 1963 to begin their construction and road-building mission in support of U.S. Army and Air Force operations in Thailand. Many Thai construction workers are employed on the Camp Friendship renovation project. New 100-bed hospital will serve the medical needs of the facility. Indians work side by side with American soldiers adding an extension to a Bailey Bridge. This road under construction by the 44th engineers was formerly known as Route 23 and was nothing more than a wide trail. When completed, it will reach from Friendship Highway just outside the camp to the Bangkok Bypass about 139 kilometers away. Heavy earth-moving equipment has been brought in for the project, which requires laying road beds through a mountainous section outside Korat. In 15 days, a company of the 44th engineers working 12-hour shifts cut away whole portions of the mountain and put in the dirt fill needed to support the road materials, which will serve as a military highway, gets an unusual workout. Thai police predict trunk-to-tail traffic on the new route. The Freedom's Foundation at Valley Forge was established in 1949 to help inspire a love of liberty and an appreciation of the American way. Through its annual award program, the Foundation has encouraged citizens from all walks of life to speak out for the basic principles which we as a nation hold dear. The Foundation's founding fathers fought and died for those principles of individual freedom which are this country's inheritance. At this year's award ceremonies, present of the Freedom's Foundation, Dr. Kenneth D. Wells talks by telephone with Bob Hope. Bob is a citation, official on the plaque of the National Service Medal and with genuine respect to you, Mr. Hope, and with a great regard for all of those who would like to express their thanks for the happy hours and the serious leadership you've given. We officially from Valley Forge present to you the first recipient since the Foundation was formed in 1949, the National Service Medal. Then the James Madison Award is presented to the Department of Defense. The Directorate for Armed Forces Information and Education, Department of Defense, Washington, D.C., Mr. John C. Broger, Director. On behalf of the awards jury, looking at the Department of Defense Information and Education program with its massive work in television, radio, films, and other very varied forms of communication, we should look again to what our country is doing in the education of its men in uniform, the public and procural schools, our university should look to it. For here, indeed, is one of the richest, most carefully prepared sources of knowledge about our nation and our principles that any nation in history has ever been able to put together under one agency. Later, the Defender of Freedom Award is given to a member of the Women's Army Corps. It receives $1,000 and the encased George Washington Honor Medal. Ladies and gentlemen, we have the first time in the history of the awards process of nearly 20 years, a lady who received the top award in the category of military services where we've had tens and tens of thousands of entries. I'd like to have everyone in the auditorium today just rise in a moment of appreciation. Our congratulations, Miss Allen. Wonderful, wonderful work. I'd like to say that I've never felt more humble or more proud to be an American. Thank you. All you best. Ladies and gentlemen, in presenting the George Washington Award to you, Mr. Strickland, you, Mr. Strickland, we present the first Postamus Award in the history of Freedom's Foundation. I want to read to all of you the letter which came to dad and to mom and their wonderful home in North Carolina after they knew that Butch had paid the highest price there is to be called a free man in America. Now, this is the letter he wrote to mom and to dad and to his lovely sisters. He said, dear folks, I'm writing this letter as my last one. You've probably already received word that I'm dead and that the government wishes to express its deepest regret. Believe me, I didn't want to die, but I know it was part of my job. I want my country to live for billions and billions of years to come. I wanted to stand as a light to all people oppressed and guide them to the same freedom we know. If we stand and fight for freedom, then I think we have done the job God set down for us. It's up to every American to fight for the freedom we also dear. If we don't, the smells of freer could become dark and damp as in a prison cell. Don't mourn me, mother. For I'm happy I died fighting my country's enemies. And I will live forever in people's minds. I have done what I always dreamed of. Don't mourn me. For I died a soldier of the United States of America. God bless you all and take care. I'll be seeing you in heaven. Your loving son and brother, Butch. This letter was found in Butch's duffel bag. After heroic action, time and again, purple heart, other many citations for honor and service. And after a previous year... Tribute to a fallen hero whose sacrifice dramatizes the true meaning of the American heritage.