 from Korea to Germany, from Alaska to Puerto Rico. All over the world, the United States Army is on the alert to defend our 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 Captain Carl Zimmerman. In the letters from Korea, you find many interesting stories and anecdotes that seldom reach the public eye. Stories written between the lines of the news by men who see only what is going on in their particular sector will write about their own experiences or of things of special interest to them. Now some of the stories we're going to bring you today may not give you a detailed picture of the war in Korea. But we do feel that you learn a good deal about the courage, the ingenuity, the humor, and the heart of the American soldier. Let's move into Korea now, here at the side of a road and hear these words from an infantryman. I remember how we sat around waiting to move up, every guy with his own thoughts. You keep him to yourself before a battle and you get ready for what's ahead for what you'll have to do. We heard a lot about our objective. By now, I guess you've heard about it too. We were headed for a big mountain called Old Baldi. No sense worrying about what might happen to you, but that's hard to do, especially hard when you get close to the jump off point, close to the commies dug in on that mountain, waiting for us. At dusk, our guns opened and we moved out into the valley. They shot flares above us at night, but we kept going up that mountain. After the battle, there wasn't much to see on Old Baldi Mountain, except debris, shell holes, wrecked vehicles, and those bunkers where the Chinese lived, and where a lot of them died. Some of our guys didn't do so well either. They carried me down that mountain. The aid station was a busy place and some of the guys who came in were in pretty bad pain. They sure set their teeth, though. They stood it and their faces told an awful lot about the battle we'd been through, about war in general, I guess. Of course, some of the guys were luckier than others. This was my first trip in a helicopter and they don't lose any time getting your board one. It's a sort of flying ambulance. It can't fly too fast for you. You'll worry plenty, never quite sure just how bad you're hit. Of course, the boys tell you you're going to be okay, but they keep that blood plasma feeding into you all the way to the hospital. I don't remember much about the ride, but I know it was only a few minutes before we were settling down and the reception committee was there, ready and waiting. At that mash hospital, the sign looked mighty good to wounded guys. The receiving room is just a short ride by ambulance from the helicopter strip. A guy who's wounded sure gets moved around a lot. Next thing I knew, the driver said, well, we're here. The doc's waiting for you and everything's going to be all right. As they took me inside, the doc was talking to a guy from another outfit. When we take the dressing off, I'm going to put a towel or a blanket under that so we can get a better look at it. Say hello, what happened to you last night? Well, last night, sir, about 11 o'clock, I had two bunkers knocked down on me. Two bunkers? Right. Rebuild it or two separate bunkers? Two separate bunkers. I just told Stella we see this foot. Got a wound of entrance here. Easy now on lifting it. Did you got one back there? Yes, sir. Now you have a big wound of exit down here. You got normal feeling in your foot on this side? Yes, sir. How about on this side, sailor? Does it feel different to you here? Yes, sir. Okay, that's the only place. How about your other buddies up there? Well, sir, they were about three or four of them got hit last night. Got hit last night? Yes, sir. They come in through our place here? I don't know where they have not, so far, sir. And how about with you today? How many more boys were in with you? I'm on the one today. The only one in your bunker when it got hit? Lieutenant, the leader, he got hit last night. Got hit last night? About a quarter to 12. Okay, how long have you boys been up there now? We just got up our yesterday afternoon. You're just replacing the fellows that have been on the line and are now coming off? Yes, sir. But some of us weren't able to carry on a conversation. The problem here is one of this man wound of entrance in the upper chest of an over abdomen has gone into his abdominal cavity or just through his chest wall and injured his lung. He also has another one in his head. It might be in the skull, although by x-ray we feel it is not. We had all the best equipment and technicians with a know-how to handle it. They don't miss a trick in those mash hospitals. Of course, you don't stop worrying right away. There's still surgery ahead and most guys feel a little scared before they go in. Seems like a long wait and that's why it means a lot to have the chaplain there. Somebody to talk to, somebody who understands a lot of things without being told. Some of the best surgeons in the world are in these hospitals near the front. If anybody can pull you through, they can. It's up to them now. They're skilled and well trained in their profession. Of course, you don't know what's going on, but you've got confidence in them and you know that you're getting the best medical care. When you wake up, you're in a bed for the first time in months and there are nurses to fuss over you. Funny what a few hours will do. Sure, we were still weak and kind of numb, but the nightmare of battle was beginning to drift out of our minds. We usually stay at a MASH hospital for more than 48 hours, so we removed again. The clearing company they took us to was right next to an airfield. When we pulled in, a transport was waiting to fly us to Japan and some of the guys would be flown from there back home. Of course, nobody was complaining about that. Some of us had a long way to go toward recovery. Well, that's about the end of my story. We know it isn't an unusual story. It happens to lots of guys, but I never thought it would happen to me. Never thought I'd have to leave my buddies back in an old baldy mountain. Thought about them a lot as we got ready to take off. Didn't have time to say goodbye then, but we said so long to those medics, fine men. They sure treated us good and we won't forget them. Here is another story that comes from a small town behind the front lines. The people of Cap Yonge have seen their town change hands five times during the war. They have known the terror and destruction of war. But now, pieces come again to their village and the people no longer live in fear. In some ways, life for them is much the same as it was before the war. There are people who expect very little of life and that's why the story of how something good happened to them is especially heartwarming. It began one morning in front of the Cap Yonge County Office where an American officer met the officials of the town. This civil affairs officer tells it this way. You might call this the story of how the spirit of Christmas came to Cap Yonge. It began one day while I was talking to officials of the town asking them how we could help the people of the village. Well, they had a parley right there on the street in front of the county office and it didn't take them long to come up with an idea. They decided to show me what they had in mind. Said they wanted to drive out to a certain field on the outskirts of town. So we all piled into the jeep while I wondered what was in their minds. But they wouldn't tell me anymore until we arrived at the field. Then they said, what we need most is a new school to be built here since our other one was destroyed in the war. Well, from then on, events moved quickly. Back in town, these officials paid a visit to Major General Joseph Clellan commanding officer of the 40th division. They told the general about the idea and he was all for it. But there was that time old question, where's the money coming from? The general wasn't stumped by it. He figured all of us would be willing to chip in on a cause as good as this one and anyway, he told these officials that he'd see what could be done. The word got around and the school idea went over big. Have you ever seen an American soldier who didn't like kids? Well, this was a cause they just couldn't resist and no sales talk. Nothing was needed by the guys collecting funds to build it. All over the division, the men really dug down to take care of those kids that kept young. Men in every unit chipped in what they could and put their contributions in the hat, gladly. And in just three weeks, they contributed a total of $14,000 in bills or coins, whatever they could afford. We set up a temporary school in tents. These were all right for the time being, at least. They served well enough to get the school in session and to get the kids back to reading, writing and reciting their lessons. We sure liked those kids. But with winter on the way, we figured they'd be pretty cold sitting in tents. So we didn't lose any time getting the engineers in on this deal. They got right to work drawing up plans for a permanent school building. And in short order, we were ready to begin construction. The kids and all officials of Cap Yonge came out for the groundbreaking, so did the general. In fact, he shoveled up the first spade of dirt for the foundation of Cap Yonge High School. And the actual construction got underway. The townspeople supplied the labor and we brought in the necessary building supplies from all over Korea. Those people really went to work. You didn't see them sitting around or leaning on a shovel. Of course, some of their methods were kind of primitive. That was to be expected. But they also showed a lot of skill and ingenuity. For example, the way they put the framework of this school together was pretty interesting. The beams were fitted into place and then secured by wooden pegs. The engineers supplied some machinery to speed up the operation so you had a view of primitive and modern construction methods used on the same project. Cap Yonge, a present from the 40th division, was built to handle 500 kids. And that present materialized pretty fast. Nothing fancy maybe, but the mud made good plaster and the tiles were solid protection against the rain. Before long, the school was ready to open its doors. But the kids weren't the only ones who came to school that opening day. Just about the whole town turned out for the dedication ceremony. And those people put on quite a show. You'd have thought the war was over. Maybe most of the villagers didn't understand the general's words, but they understood the good wishes behind them and they returned the spirit of giving with gifts and flowers. Just to make sure those kids got to school on time, a bus captured from the commies. Kenneth Kaiser High School was in session. The school was named after the first 40th division man killed in Korea and dedicated, as the plaque says, to the future leaders of the Republic of Korea by the officers and men of the 40th division, United States Army. From a signal company comes a letter from an American soldier written to his young son at home. Dear Mike, your last letter was very interesting and I enjoyed the pictures you drew in it. We have lots of animals over here too, and I want to tell you about one of them in particular, a mule. A Chinese communist we captured named Rosie, the Riveter, because she kicked so much. But she really wasn't as stubborn as a mule because she soon began to appreciate life on our side of the line. In fact, at our outfit, she became so cooperative and trustworthy that we took her into our confidence. Allowed her to look at our maps and stand in on our briefings. At one briefing in particular, Rosie agreed to help us carry out an important mission, the building of a very high frequency radio station on top of a big mountain, hard to get up to. Well, Rosie didn't say much, but she sure studied that terrain map very carefully before we set out. Our strategy was this. Trucks would carry the bulk of the equipment to the base of the mountain. At that point, it would be loaded on the backs of Rosie the Riveter and some other mules and donkeys attached to our company. Then they would carry it up the mountain for us. Well, Rosie and a donkey friend of hers, named Sarah, started off on foot ahead of the trucks, walking together, passing the time of day. Close behind them came a mule named Elmer, who thought he could fly by flapping his ears. He also had a habit of nudging people. Before long, we arrived at the mountain. Rosie wasn't alarmed by the size and the weight of the load she was to carry. She didn't kick about it at all. You see, while a captive of the Chinese Communist, she'd been worked hard night and day. But on our side of the line, she got better treatment and she regained her strength. Of course, it was a tough climb up that mountain, even for a strong mule. And there were times when Rosie's patriotism began to weaken. She kept going, though, encouraged on by Sarah and by the sergeant who was with her. So with her help, we got our equipment up that mountain. We planted our antenna at the summit and made it secure and our very high frequency radio station went into action with the help of a former Chinese Communist, Rosie the Riveter, a good American now. You've probably heard how army units fighting in these mountains have been cut off by the enemy or isolated by the terrain, yet kept alive by supplies dropped to them from the air. A story on a quartermaster aerial supply unit comes to us from Aashiya Air Force Base in Japan, where some giant C-119 flying boxcars are based at the home of the 8081 Airborne Air Supply and Packaging Company. The men of this company specialize in air drops of supplies ranging from food and first aid kits to treadway bridges. Their story is told by a veteran of the 8081. First off on this story, I ought to tell you that even though we fly a lot, we're army personnel and proud of the patch we wear. All of us are paratroopers trained by the Army's Airborne Department and assigned to the quartermaster corps. We're usually called aerial delivery technicians and we usually do our delivering early in the morning. That's because there's less wind then, better chance of hitting the target. We know how important hitting the target can be to the guys on the ground in Korea. For example, supplies packaged and dropped to the 7th Division and to the Marines help them fight their way out of the death trap at the Charwan Reservoir. But most of our missions aren't as spectacular as that one. Right now we're getting ready to visit the Air Force radio station we've been supplying for over a year now. Dropping some magazines along with other supplies. Mighty welcome to guys who've been sitting on one mountain for months. Yeah, they're old issues, but they'll be brand new to them. Those cargo parachutes are one reason why you gotta be a paratrooper for this job. They cost a lot of dough. So do the drop containers. So if they're dropped behind the enemy lines, sometimes we parachute in after them. Gather them up and lug them back to our side of the line. We shove the cargo into the plane on rollers and push it out the same way. Since the early days of the war, we've kicked out about 20,000 tons of supplies over Korea. But the best way to give you a picture of how it's done is to take you along on a mission. We're headed for that Air Force air station I told you about. Aside from a parachute, you strap on a life preserver, a survival kit and a jungle knife and a 45. Just in case you have to bail out over enemy territory in Korea. We all keep in mind the slogan of this outfit. Remember it says, lives of individuals in combat depend on the supplies we deliver. If need be, risk your life to get them there. Never fails, just get a cigarette going and they tell you to get aboard. No smoking till you're in the air. Takeoff time, 05.30. Plenty of fresh morning air because the back door is always open. You take a last look at Japan and then head over the water, gleaming in the morning sun. That's the Sea of Japan down below. The pilot and the navigator do all the work now. But once over Korea, we make a final check of equipment, especially the static line that pulls open the chutes. That Air Force station is right on the peak of one of these mountains and if we miss it with our load, those guys below are going to be mighty short of water, food and everything they need to keep alive. Our pilots in contact with that station now. On that mountain top, the radio operator fills us in on the wind velocity and the best approach to the target. Then they fire a smoke grenade to guide us in. Okay, this is it. Target below, shove the stuff out. You hold your breath until you see those chutes are hitting the drop zone right on the nose. It's an especially beautiful sight to the guys below, I guess. South Koreans attached to the air station pick up the groceries and bring them into the camp area. Sometimes a box will get broken, but that doesn't happen very often. Usually the stuff arrives in good shape. Then it's stockpiled and ready for use as needed. Yeah, it's a big event for those Air Force guys. Outside of their radio, the stuff we drop to them is just about their only contact with the outside world. But the thing that always gives us a chuckle is the sight of those guys playing ping pong on the top of a mountain in the middle of nowhere. We gotta hand it to them. Mission accomplished, time 08.20. Now you can relax on the way back to Japan. Take a snooze if you want or eat your box lunch. Another mission in our daily routine. And you can chalk up a record too. One year of airdrop service to that radio station in Korea and every drop right on the target. Yeah, this job has its rewards and most of them come just knowing that you're really giving a hand to those guys who are fighting this war in Korea. Guys we have a lot of admiration for. Guess they're glad we're around too. Every soldier has his own story, of course. And today we brought you a few of these stories. Because, well, because they're important. Not spectacular or newsworthy, but important just the same. Because they serve as a reminder that the strength of our army is in the individuals that comprise it. Where today we spoke to you about people, next week our story is one of weapons. Tools for a modern army. Captain Carl Zimmerman inviting you to be with us that. 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 US Army in cooperation with this station. You 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.