 Only we hail from New York City, where the American stage begins. Here is another program with a cast of outstanding players. Public service time has been made available by this station to bring you this story. As proudly we hail the United States Army. Our story is entitled, His Name Was Whittle. A warm hearted comedy which revolves around a tall fellow from Tennessee named Jonas B. Whittle. It's the always amazing story of the change from rookie to soldier as proudly we hail the men of the United States Army. Our first act curtain will rise in just one moment. But first, today you're rapidly expanding United States Army. Need intelligent young men with ability and ambition. Man intelligent enough to recognize the vital need for a strong armed force. Man with ability enough to be trained in a necessary job. Men with ambition enough to secure the future for themselves and their loved ones. Well, now tell me, fellas, does this description fit you? Can you qualify for full information on how you can fit in with the finest? You check with your nearest United States Army recruiting station. Team up with the Army and you're going to team up with success. And now the first act of His Name Was Whittle. Maybe, just maybe, I'll live to be a hundred. Could happen. But even if I do one thing for sure, I'll never forget Jonas Whittle. Oh no, not in 200 years. I better take it from the beginning. Spring 1945, there was I, Sergeant Mark Brannon, back from the war. The big war. I had a lot of experience, a slight limp to put on. I had a lot of experience, a slight limp to put on. And a new duty assignment. I guess we could start from the moment I called the roll that first morning. Whittle? Frazzard. Frazzard. Sing him with Frazzard. What's your name, soldier? Who me? Yeah, you. What's your name? Latchez. Cliff Frazzard. Well, let's hold down the wisecrack, Frazzard. Okay. Now you, you're Whittle. Jonas B. Sure does sound melodic here, Jonas. Rating it out backwards that way, I mean. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, well, look, Whittle, from now on in roll call, you can just stand up with here when your name is called, instead of presence, huh? Yeah. Yeah, so that was just the way Ms. Mittle called me back home. How's that? Well, Ms. Mittle, he'd haul out Jonas Whittle and I was to haul her back present. I see. Of course, I was just in the fourth grade. That was all the father who had the books for. See, it wasn't exactly at school, what you'd call it. It was just Ms. Mittle's nice little Whittle lady that used to struck us up. Yeah. Oh, okay, right. Look, Whittle, stick around after formation like you talk to me. Yes. And, Whittle, you don't call sergeants serve. Just officers, huh? Yes. Ah, sergeants. You'll catch on. How was I? How y'all? Wiley? Well, good. Okay, wise guy, knock it off. Youngerman, A.R. Youngerman. After formation, I asked Whittle, to drop by my room on the top floor of the barracks. Ah, here we are. The show is nice, sergeant. You have me up prevented like this. It's right nice to get into a room with just rooms for a couple of people in it. Not that I don't like being in the barracks with all the fellas, but where I come from, you wouldn't find that many folks who once spotless somebody's barn was on fire. Just where is it you do come from, Whittle? Oh, up in the Cumberland Plateau Country, sergeant. Tennessee, me and my ma and Uncle John live at the bottom of T-Cup Valley. T-Cup Valley? Yeah. Well, you see, she's got a circle of bluffs clear around her, and down in the bottom where we live, it is sort of like living in a big T-Cup. See, my great-great-granddad is Whittle. He named it. There's a town down in there, you mean? Well, well, not really what you'd call a town. Just about 40 or 50 folks sort of scattered around, raise a little cone of vegetables, maybe a couple of hogs and a cow, and get along pretty good if the frost don't come too well. Uh-huh. Well, what I really wanted to talk to you about was the schooling you mentioned at Roll Call. Oh, yeah, yeah, well, see, Miss Whittle, she done her best to see that all the young is gutting some reasoning right in anyhow, and a little of the numbers, you know, risk-attack and like that. Whittle, how'd you like to go ahead with your schooling? Go ahead? You mean get some more instruction? That's just what I mean. We've got a thing in the Army called USAPI. That stands for United States Armed Forces Institute. Oh, that, that sounds too fancy for me, Sergeant. See, I'm all for ignorant. Like I said, I reckon I got schooling from Miss Muddler. Minded deal about the false grade, but that's all. Well, don't let the big name scare you. You do this schooling on your own time, by mail. Uh, how's your reading? Well, I don't read real fast, but I was pretty quick at learning. Miss Muddler used to say, and every night after supper, I used to read the Bible the more than Uncle John. Okay. I'm gonna see about getting you set up to take some of these courses. Then when this training cycle is over, you'll be all set to begin. Charlie, dang, Sergeant Brand is sure it's nice of you taking all this interest. Haven't done anything yet. The next few days were pretty hectic. Getting a training cycle started is always a full-time job. But I did make time to get a set of qualification tests for the USAPI courses for Jonas. He took them and mailed them off, working at night after training. Well, I guess you started to get the picture. Jonas Whittle was no ordinary trainee any way you looked at him. And it didn't take the guys in the barracks long to latch on to him. For laughs. Brassard was a spark plug for the rest. There was one trick after another, things like short-cheating Jonas' bed, replacing the water in his canteen with sand before a hot march. Real cute little ideas. As for Jonas, didn't seem to bother him much on the surface. He went ahead reading his book every morning and gradually making new friends. Some of the men began to seek him out for the simple reason he was fun to be around. They didn't stop laughing, but they stopped laughing at him and started laughing with him. So what happened there, Jonas, after you got to the city? Well, let's recoup and follow down as you had a new Hamid, are we? Yes, yes, yes. Well, he got to razzle me a little bit as I signed up. He asked me where I lived and I told him peace up valley. And he said... Well, he said, wasn't that up in the Cumberland country? And I said, yes it was. And he said, well, according to the last census, the women predominate up in that region, that right? Sure like to use them long words, predominate it like that. What would you tell him? Well, I'll tell you the straight truth about it. I didn't know what that word meant, predominate peace. So I played it safe. Sir? I can't say about all of them. I don't see... I don't see what's so funny, but that's what I'm trying to do, because you enjoy it right much yourself. Okay, okay. I hate to break this up, but you guys better get those rifles put together, lights out in 15 minutes. Alrighty, we just finished. How are you coming, Sergeant Brandon? Hey, Jonas, how's it been with you? Oh, everything's fine. It's like you collected quite an audience, huh? Well, you know, they like to hear about the mountains, and I like to hear about the big cities in our west north. Make the time go when you're working. Yeah. I'm sure it's been hustling along. We'll do for about two weeks Bivouac next week. That ain't some other shot for the needle, is it, Sergeant? No, no, no. This is a French word, means we're going to spend a couple of weeks in the woods practicing what we've been learning all this time. I'm sure it sounds fine, Sergeant. I'm learning a lot of things. I believe I like that pretty good. I always did like camping. Camping, he called it. So a lot of the other men raised in cities, the first few days of Bivouac were a nightmare. They heard noises in the bushes, everything from tigers to elephants. And every root they stumbled over in the dark felt like a snake. But the Jonas whittles, it was like coming home to a familiar house. This was where he shone. And I put him in charge of a squad for the three-day battle maneuver that came at the start of the second week. He was having the time of his life. Well, you'll repeat that as I can check it, Sergeant Brown. Yeah, you take the squad to map coordinates X-22 and C-13. You take a good, quiet look around and come back to report anything you find. Got it? Right. Are you sure you know how to find those map coordinates? I got my compass and all, I reckon we'll be all right. Okay, okay, you better move out then. I'll see you back in two hours. Okay, Sergeant, I'll see you in a little bit. Okay, Wally, hold him up here a minute. Hold it up, you guys! What's up, Joe? I just want to get him straight in my mind where we're going. I thought you told Bernie you understood the whole thing. Well, I do pretty well, but these numbers just sold a rattle-rattle loose in my head until I want to get him tied together and see what that map looks like. I think it would better take a readin' with the compass. How's it look? Okay, I guess. Don't feel just right some way, but I reckon the compass knows more about the direction than I do. Come on, let's go and keep it quiet. Okay, all right, move out! Quiet! Back are we? We ain't there yet. I know that. Where are we though? The most straight path? I'd just be dogged if I know where we are. What? Well, from the compass readin', we should have come to Big Gully by now. I know. We haven't. That moon comin' up makes you look bad. How do you mean? Well, either the moon is comin' up in the north tonight for change, or we are sittin' right in the middle of someplace where we purely ought not to be. Well, where do you think here we are? I'd say just about two miles in the middle of the middle of the anti-metallic car and more or less. Well, you're kiddin'. Say, you're kiddin'. Wish I was. You don't know, what could have gone wrong with that compass? I know. It's been a little skinnace of life. Say, nothin' with the captain. You are listening to the proudly-we-held production of His Name Was Whittle, and we will return in just one moment for our second act. Ask anybody what they want most out of life, and a great majority of the answers can be boiled down to just one word, that one word is happiness. Well, now happiness is a lot of different things to a lot of different people, but basically, I guess you might say that it's the achievement of your goal. To be happy is to be successful in whatever you do. And in today's highly specialized world, training is the key to success. If you're a young man of service age, you can get free training worth thousands of dollars by enrolling now in your United States Army's new Reserve for You training program. Under this plan, you can enter the course of your choice and be trained in such interesting fields as X-ray operation, photography, automotive maintenance, and communication. In all, there are over 150 courses to choose from. So for complete information on how you can benefit from this program, visit your local United States Army Recruiting Station. Remember, team up with the Army, and you team up with success. And now the second act of the proudly-we-held production, his name was Whittle. Look, Jonas, maybe you made a mistake. You could have made a mistake, couldn't you? I'm sure I'm sorry, Wiley, they got you all into this. I just trusted my compass and something is purely wrong with it. God, let's dance. Well, what do we do now? Well, there's a road right down there. See that white place in the moona? Yeah. Well, reckoning from the direction of the moona and how far we've come, I think I know where we are pretty well. It ain't too good, but if we're real careful, see, and following that road, we might slip back without anybody seeing us. Really think so? About all we can do. You get the rest in line and follow me close now. Okay. All right, you guys, stay close. And for heaven's sake, be quiet. Okay. Hold on a minute. Drive by the road. Yeah, I want a lesson. You got anything? I can't. Are you talking to my ear? You what? Some kind of vehemence will come. Get them colors back in the brush. Okay, you guys, back up. Get down flat. Not a sound. Damn the road. It's a wetness carrier. Hold it here, driver. Just wanted to take another look at the map by the headlights. Yeah, that must be the turn just ahead. Colonel's command post should only be half a mile or so down the left floor. Captain, sir, if you're going to be there by oh three hundred hours. Don't worry, Corporal. This briefcase will be in the Colonel's hands a good two hours before daylight. When I carry a battle plan, it gets there on time. I'm sure sorry, Captain, but I reckon you're going to be a little late this morning. Who's there? I don't need that you move out of the headlights, sir. You all are captured. Begging your pardon, sir. Now look here. Where are you? Come out of the shadows. Yes, sir. Mella, you and the rest around to be here. Ain't a better use to say you're not the enemy now, Captain, because I can tell by that doohickey on your helmet that you all aggress the truth. So you'll just have to come along with us. You're captured, fair and square. But I've got, that is, I'm on my way to an important mission, sir. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. I heard you all talking about it and I hate to mess up anything you had planned, but we've got to be getting back and it'll make a, make it a whole lot better if we bring you in with us. You and that briefcase you got there. What do you mean, make it better? Uh, us coming back with prisoners are matching all of us. Sergeant Brandon, he won't mind so much that we got lost. Lost? Oh, no. Captured by a bunch of lost trainees. Well, sir, don't feel too bad. Could have happened to anybody. Well, I guess we better get moving now before anybody else comes along. I might have glad you all was riding in a weapons carrier. What? Well, sure, it would have just been might have crowded with all of us if you just had to jeep. Oh, yeah. Sorry, sir. I'm going to load them up. And that was the way they came back. Whittle riding up front, getting down to present his prisoners as the company command force, fouled up the whole enemy plan for the rest of the maneuver. So Jonas Whittle was a hero, as he put it by mistake. Well, you see, Sergeant Brandon, it wasn't really to our credit at all what it was we was lost. Tell you the truth, I think the rail credit ought to go to Brassard. Brassard? I don't get it. Why don't you take a look at this here compass? The one I was using on the patrol. Well, let me think. I don't think it's going to matter. Wait a minute, wait a minute. This thing's cuck-eyed. You better just turn it over and pry up that back cover. Hey, what's this? This little old chip off a damnstorm magnet. Yeah. But it sure put us in the woods. What is it between you and Brassard Whittle? He's been on your back ever since the cycle started. I know right in the nose, Sergeant. He just got to play tricks on somebody, and me being so deference, I guess I was elected. Yeah, but this guy doesn't know when to stop. I'm going to have to give him the word. Well, sure would be a lot better if you could hold off, Sergeant. You know, sort of between him and me. Okay. But you're sure a bullheaded hillbilly. Coming from you sounds like compliment. If you're so smart, Brassard, what are we doing on his dick in detail? You can't win every time, whoever, you know. Like the man says, the best laid plans, et cetera, et cetera. Et cetera, you know what I mean? Like that big laugh you were pulling on Whittle last night? Oh, you mean the compass bit? Yeah, I mean the compass bit. Well, you got to admit it was a terrific gag. It just didn't work, Ethel. He ought to pay you to pull gags on it. A couple more like that, and he'll make them a general. Yeah, yeah. Hey, I got one for DeMar that'll really slay you. Where do you hear this one? I tell you, sometimes I'm so smart, it scares me. Yeah, I know the feelings. So what's the gag? Sit down a minute. We're doing for a break anyhow. Brandon said get this finished. So we'll finish later. All right, all right. Let's hear the gag. Okay, look. Tomorrow we got a fire on the mortar range, right? That does it. I'm not fooling around with any high explosives for no matter how many laps. Oh, no, no. Wait a second. First we make dry runs with dummy runs, right? Yeah. Doll, doll. Tomorrow, you and me and some of the guys, we make sure we get in the same crew with Whittle, see? And then the first... Hey, what's the matter with you? I thought I heard something twig snapper. Take it easy, whoever. Take my word. The sergeant somewhere taking it easy with a cup of coffee from the mech tent. Do you hear a rabbit or something? Come on, relax. Go ahead, put down the shovel, will you? Maybe you're right, but... No, but... Look, I'm trying to tell you the gag. So, like I say, we're working with Whittle, and we make the dry runs for him. After comes the live bandination. But meantime, and this is the bit. Meantime, I got a dummy run fast in the bushes. So? So after a couple of times with the real thing, I sneak out the dummy run to wrap it in. Then nothing happens. It just lays there. You get the picture. This is a joke. You're losing your touch. Oh, wait a minute, stupid. So then I holler, look. It's stuck. It'll go off any second. And we all take... Oh, brother, I just caught up with you. My man should be in the next safe before 10 seconds arrive. Oh, brother. I know you, Mr. Rubick. I know you. What? What? What's the matter, you guys? Troubles get tired? You're giving them a rest? Sarge, where'd you come from? I just walked up. Why? You got something to hide? Oh, Sarge, I can see through yourself. We're just taking a break, that's all. We're all ready to go again now. All right, let's get with it then. That hole needs to be finished before Chow is over. We can't throw garbage just anywhere. Oh, sure. Just consider it done, Sarge. Just leave it to us. I will, I will. But if you're still in that hole, come chow time. I'm going to have them throw the garbage in anyhow. Well, let's just keep moving, huh? Right, Sarge. Right. I'll say this about Weber and Brassard. Neither one of them were very good liars which left some hope for them. But what they didn't know was I told a little story of my own. That wasn't just a rabbit, Weber had heard. I don't often eavesdrop. But when I heard them mention Whittle's name, I just couldn't resist. First, I had a good mind to warn Whittle about what they were planning. Then I got a hunch. I decided to let it ride because the way I figured it, this might just be the time that Big Hill Billy really turned one of Brassard's tricks back on him. And I didn't want to miss it. In fact, I could hardly wait for the next morning. Brassard and company succeeded in getting on the same crew with Jonas. And after Chow, we were ready to begin the live firing. I chose to spot near Whittle's mortar. I could see everything. But I couldn't quite make out what they were saying. Well, here we go, Jonas. Only this time, it's for real, you know? I just make sure you don't aim that thing straight up. That's all. I don't want any of these things coming back down on my head. I guess you'll be careful handling those shells, Brassard. Because she has no joke. How true? How true? How true? Well, no time like the present. You got your sight set in? I believe so. Yeah. Okay. Get back, Weber. Now, pull a pin and drop it straight down the pipe. There she goes. Well, now you can see it. The question is, where is she gonna hit? Hey, not bad, Jonas. It's about 50 yards more to the right than you're in. Sign this gadget about three clicks. That's got it now. Ready? Round two coming up. Watch out for this one, boy. Yeah, watch it now. Ready, Brassard. Okay, here she comes. Now pull a pin and down the pipe. Damn it, she didn't fire. It's fucking air. Get clear. It's gonna come on any second. And then it happened just like I had a hunch at wood. Jonas didn't run with the rest. He started yelling. Hey, don't run. Get down flat. Get down in the ground or go on it. In a single motion, Jonas scooped the mortar up into those long arms of his and started running with it, away from Brassard and the rest. Get down, I tell you. Get down. A 60-millimeter mortar has no light load, even without a dummy round inside. But Wittles' long legs were really covering ground. He ran maybe 70 drives yards that way, thumbling under the weight, and then finally he dropped the mortar and hit the dirt besides it. When he dropped the mortar, the dummy round slid out right in front of his nose. Even from where we were, you could see his shoulder's droop as he suddenly caught the whole picture. But the real sight of all was the faces of Brassard and the rest as it dawned on them what Wittles had done. Oh, for gosh sakes. Look at that big hillbilly. He really thought it was gonna blow instead. Yeah. Yeah. Brassard's face told the whole story for all of them. Nobody said much as he started walking slowly out to where Jonas sat beside the mortar. Give your hand. Yes, sir. Look right foolish, Brassard. You all get a good laugh. Nobody's laughing. I shouldn't know there was a dummy round all along. Yeah, but you didn't. So the way I see it, you just blew yourself up to save our lousy neck. What? You know, I say there's some things that it's better to be even smart. Look, I came out here to say I'm sorry. I believe you mean it. I do. Give your hand with the mortar. I can't show them what you're black. From where I stood, that pretty well wrapped it up. Like I said, Brassard had the makings of a soldier in him and when he walked out in front of the whole company to apologize, it started to show. I never told Jonas that I'd known about it all along and it wasn't until a week later, back in camp, that I got the rest of the story from him. Hi, Jonas. Oh, hello there, Sergeant. Why you been keeping yourself? I've been a little busy since we got back getting set for the next cycle. Golly, dang, that's right. And if the cycle's almost over... Yeah. Say, you had any more brushes with Brassard? No, of course. Things have changed quite some in the past week. I think maybe he learned something on Viviwag. Well, you know, it's never too late to learn, Sergeant. That's right. That's what Miss Mylode used to say. She used to say it's never too late to learn not if you live to be a hundred. I think I'd like to meet that lady someday. Say, maybe you'd like to come home to the valley with us when the cycle is over. I wish I could, Jonas. Maybe sometime later. But you said us. Ah, Sergeant, did you know Cliff Brassard ain't got any family at all back where he comes from? No, I didn't. But I figured... That's what I thought, too. Well, anyways, I invited him to come home with me for a visit in Tikka Valley, and he's going to do it. Yeah, a fellow ought to have some place to go so it'll be easy after all that. Well, that's real fine, Jonas. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I wrote home, so they'll be looking for it. Sergeant, my moss makes the biggest the widest biscuit you ever saw in your whole life. And I'm kidding. Uncle John, he'll bring in a ham from the smokehouse so when you come down the trail and smell that smell coming out through the windows Sergeant, there you know your home. It just sounds wonderful. Yeah, sure. It'll just be autumn when we get there. The leaves on Hardwood Mountain will make you dizzy just to look at them. And after a day or so when we get rested while we'll go on down the holly to Miss Middles with my books to go calling. Yeah, yeah. Miss Middles, she'll be glad to meet old Brassard. I suppose all of us at one time or another have seen the principle of strength through unity demonstrated by a handful of sticks. Now singly they can be broken very easily but when bound together. Well, then it's practically impossible to break them. And so it is with our America, yours and mine. Working together as a team, we can be certain that our democratic way of life will never be broken. One of the most important members of democracy's team is our United States Army, a highly spirited organization that offers unequaled opportunities to modern young men and women. Today, the Army has a new career program and operation, one that permits you to choose your own course of training in the skill that best suits your aptitudes and interests. So we kind of suggest you find out about it real soon. And how do you do that? You go down to your local United States Army recruiting station and talk it over with the real friendly folks down there. Remember, there's complete information without obligation. So plan ahead. Face your tomorrow today. Team up with the Army and you team up with success. This has been another program on Proudly We Hail, presented transcribed in cooperation with this radio station. Proudly We Hail is produced by the Recruiting Publicity Center in New York for the United States Army. And this is Richard Hayes speaking, inviting you to tune in to the same station next week for another interesting story on Proudly We Hail.