 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 today is entitled Operation Flashburn. It's the story of a typical small southern town such as Wilmington, North Carolina. And what would happen if that town were occupied by foreign troops? It is the hope of every one of the 60,000 men who took part in these maneuvers that this will never happen here. Our first act curtain will rise in just a moment, but first... Young man, be honest with yourself. Have you reached a standstill in life? Is each day just like any other? Are you worried about your future? And most important of all, are you feeling dissatisfied with yourself and your personal development? Well, if this description or any part of it fits you, it's just about time you investigated the opportunities waiting for you when you enlist in the United States Army. Every man in the Army has a skill, and more often than not, the Army taught him that skill in one of its fine schools. The Army offers an interesting present and a secure future, with plenty of promotions along the way. And above all, the Army molds you into a man, a man whose family, friends, and country are proud of him. If you think you can measure up, stop in at your nearest recruiting office and see if you can qualify to wear the mark of a man, the uniform of your United States Army. And now your United States Army presents the proudly beheld production, Operation Flashburn. There are perhaps a handful of men and women alive today who can remember what it means to have bombs burst in their backyards, who have seen artillery shells set their homes afire, who have heard the awful platter of enemy soldiers marching through their streets. Of course, we are talking about American people now. What we have just described has been rather a commonplace elsewhere in the world. Wars have ravaged Europe and Asia and Africa, with agonizing regularity. The threat of a conqueror's boot is still a recent nightmare in many places of the world, but it is only a faded memory to a handful of aging Americans. True, we have spent our blood and our treasure three times within the last generation, but our cities have remained intact and our people were spared the indignity of yielding to foreign soldiers. Because this has been so in the past is no guarantee it shall remain so in the future. It is some 90 years since troops marched against each other on American soil and spread the desolation and havoc of war. May this never happen again, but it will take more than our wishes to prevent it. Wilmington, North Carolina, a pretty nice town, typical small southern city, kind of a mixture of the old and the new. As a matter of fact, after quite a few years in the army, I've seen a lot of cities and towns. And while I wouldn't say this to some of the guys in the outfit, most American cities and towns look pretty much the same to me. Streets, buildings, people. What's the difference? Will you have, soldier? Oh, I don't know. A dish of chocolate ice cream, I guess. Some syrup on? Why not? Whip cream? It works. Sure enough, you only live one. A nice looking kid. A lot of nice looking girls in this town. A lot of nice people too. I wonder what had happened to this thing who were free. Hey, Sergeant, is it true the army's going to hold some big maneuvers around here next month? Well, I only know what I read in the papers. Yeah, I read in the papers that there's going to be a big war game with atom bombs and everything. Well, that's what you read. That's what you read. I mean, no kidding. Is Wilmington going to be invaded, like they say? Is an enemy army going to land here by? Anything can happen. Yeah, I guess. But I kind of wonder what would happen if it really would happen. Not just a game. Well, you wouldn't wonder long. You'd know sooner, huh? It's funny to think about war. War taking place right here? Just stop and think, don't it? Sure does, sister. It sure does. Well, this is the end of my three-day pass in Wilmington. Bus leaves for Fort Bragg in five minutes. We'll be fighting all around this state next month. That is, we'll be pretending to fight. An enemy force will have landed way down south in Georgetown, South Carolina and up through here. They'll have used atomic weapons to secure and hold the beach here. A lot of these buildings, theoretically, won't be around. It's funny when you think about it. That'll be 30 cents. Here you are. Have a nice trip. Thanks. Hey, you know, you have kind of a familiar voice. Wait, you might have heard me on the radio. No kidding. I sing, but that is when I can get a job. Most of the time I don't get a job, so I have to work here. Well, you're bound to be discovered one day. That's what I keep telling myself. Well, good luck. Have a nice war game. Oh, yeah. We'll try. Oh, farly old man you're aging. What are you feeling so down about? I'll tell you, you're trouble, kid. You've got too much imagination. All this is going to be is just a maneuver, and right away you see cities bombed out and people poking around garbage cans looking for food. Well, actually, it isn't really imagination. You've seen it in Europe, in Korea. Say, that was a good-looking chick at that. What a voice. You could listen to that voice all day, but you wonder if you'll ever hear it again. Bench-hunt! At ease. Sergeant Farley, cut the radio please. Find seats and make yourself comfortable. Not too comfortable, though. This is the latest in Operation Flashburn. For some months now, the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment and the 278th Regimental Combat Team have been trying on new uniforms and behaving like a foreign aggressor army. Who are those jokers, sir? Those jokers. Some two of the smartest, toughest outfits in the U.S. Army. Present company, naturally excluded. Those jokers, as you put it, are specialists in simulating enemy forces. Okay, as you know, they're a task force that has invaded the United States. They landed near Georgetown, South Carolina. That beachhead now extends as far as Wilmington. They'll be going for High Point and Winston-Salem. Their objective is to push north and west to capture our atomic manufacturing plants. Our objective is going to be to cut them off and drive them into the sea. Now, let's take a look at this map. His name is Lieutenant Gaines, and we're all in the day room of Sea Company, 505th Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division. Okay, the 82nd may be my outfit, but I'm not bragging when I say it's a top-notch division. We train hard because, well, we know what it means to fight hard. And because we're airborne, there's one little added factor. We don't just ride up to where the fighting is. We jump into it. And that's what the man is talking about right now. Another jump. We're gonna jump inside his right flank, cut him off from reinforcements and supplies. We hold our positions until friendly ground troops fight their way in. If and when that happens, the aggressors are licked, and an invasion of the United States is nipped in the bud. Questions? Yes, sir. It was mentioned the aggressor landed by using atomic weapons. Is he gonna use them against us? Are we gonna use them against him? He is, and we are. Artillery will fire shells with simulated atomic heads. One of the basic objectives of this maneuver, Operation Flashburn, is to train troops to overcome atomic attack. Because it makes no difference whether you fight a war with a club, a spear, a rifle, or an atom bomb. Nobody has yet figured out a way to fight a war without an infantry soldier. All these things flying boxcars. Well, they're big enough. Each one of these planes can carry 40 troopers with full equipment. You know, they can say whatever they want about simulated combat. One part always has to be real. And that's the jump. You can't pretend to parachute jump. That you have to do. Well, we're all set, Sergeant. This ought to be a good one. Radio and order? Yes, sir. Okay. Remember when we hit the ground we'll make for the ridge. The umpires are gonna raid us on that. Yeah, well, what I mean is, sir... Well, you know how it is when you set up an airhead. You're behind the enemy lines, you're surrounding. The tendency is to kind of group together. Not against atomic weapons. Dispersion, that's the answer. That and dig in deep. Well, we trained for this. It ought to pay off. There's the pilot. Go ahead, Captain. Thank you, Lieutenant. I'm Captain John. To us, the aircrew, this is just routine. Of course, since you fellas have to jump, it's not so routine to you, but both of us have been through this thing before. Right now, fasten those safety belts and keep them that way until your jumpmaster you're to remain in your seats till you get the order to stand up and hook up for the jump. Now, the flight will last one hour. When you jump, we'll be doing about a hundred knots. In case of emergency, you'll hear two short bell rings. Now, that means we may have trouble. If you hear one long ring, stand up, hook up, and get out. That won't happen, but you can't tell. We'll drop exactly where you're supposed to be. Happy landing. There's plenty of time to get nervous during the flight. The jump itself is on your mind. And then, like any infantry soldier, the combat angle presents that nervous anticipation. There are guys who tell me they relive their entire lives on the flight. Well, I wouldn't know. I usually call asleep. I fell asleep this time. I woke up when the Lieutenant dug me in the ribs. It was a four-minute warning. Time to stand up and hook up. Just about ready for the jump. I lit a cigarette, took a few puffs, and doused it in the butt can. Then I started the word down the line. What's out? What's out? What's out? Ready? Stand up. I had to climb past the cable over my right shoulder since I'm going out the right door. Safety fork and a quick release box. Reserve chute. Hope I don't need you, baby. GP bag, weapons container. Yeah, that's Henderson slapping me to save my backpacks in order. Lieutenant's. Okay, he said. Stand off, my equipment check. Hey! I said okay. Okay. Three okay. Two okay. Okay. Yes, everybody. 2,000. 3,000. 4,000. Thank the good Lord. It opened. It's funny you never dare to think it won't open. But somehow you're always surprised when it does. And it looks good too. Open full. Enjoy this part of it, Farley. This is that feathery floating that nobody knows about who hasn't jumped. Hey, the ground is coming up fast. We must have been a little lowered and I figured. That looks straight to the front, kid. Knees slightly bent. Pose to the ground. Just relax. Get out of this. Grab your carbine and find the lieutenant. Well, how was your jump, sir? Beautiful, yours? Mine too. All right, let's get set up before we're put out of the ballgame. Follow me. Like pretty little kid's balloons, the shoots came floating down. And each man as he hit the ground, snapped off his shoot and picked up his position with his squad. We made our way down to the base of the hill and started digging our foxholes. This was farm country. Off to the right we could see tiny buildings. Farmers would be going about their work as usual. You know, that's how it is in war too. People try to live. Of course, these North Carolina people didn't realize that not all of them would be around. Nor would all their buildings be standing if this were real. I just finished digging my hole when I heard Jenkins, a B.A.R., man, call out. Huh? Hey, what's up, Janks? Civilian behind that tree, Sarge. All right, come out of there, you. Oh, excuse me, soldier. I knew there was maneuvers around here, but I didn't think there'd be any soldiers on this hill. Where'd you guys come from? You must have just dropped out of the sky. Mm-hmm. What are you doing here, Mac? Well, I think I got a right to be here. I live here. Well, half a mile down the road, one of my mom's cabs got lost. I'm out of looking for. And next thing you'll be looking for is your CP to tell you outfit paratroops are landed on this hill. Hey, soldier. I don't know what you're talking about, sir. Little fifth column deal we warned about, Sarge. Front hair looks like a farmer. Tops like a farmer. Dresses like a farmer. One little detail off. Them shoes. Pointy toes. Never saw a farmer wear dude's shoes like those, buddy. Not Carolina farmer myself. You'll capture it, buddy. Yeah. Those are the only shoes I could get. I was hoping nobody would notice. What's up, Sergeant? Now we caught a surprise, sir. You're in civilian clothes. You know what's supposed to happen. I get shot. According to the rules of war, yeah. I want to question you. I have no answers for any capitalistic warmonger. That's a sketch. Janks, you and Thompson lead him to a hole. Let him stay there himself. Keep him covered at all times. We'll save him for intelligence. Let's go, buddy. Lieutenant, I have to inform you that these two men leading me away are now dead. Yeah? Nobody searched me here. My two grenades, I just killed myself and you're two troopers. Yeah. That figures. All right, our fault. Okay, good work. I really taught you all the aggressor tricks. Oh, Lieutenant, you haven't seen nothing yet. You are listening to the proudly-we-hailed production Operation Flashburn. We'll return in just a moment for the second act. Career-minded young men and women, now is the time to check on the Army's new Reserve for You technical training program. In it, you can choose from 87 outstanding courses and have a reserved seat in the school you've selected before you enlist. For complete information, visit your nearest United States Army Recruiting Station or put your name in it to R-P-C, Governor's Island, New York for New York. That's R-P-C, Governor's Island, New York for New York. And we'll be very glad to send you no obligation in the mail a free copy of our little booklet called Reserve for You. You are listening to Proudly-We-Hail and now we present the second act of Operation Flashburn. Operation Flashburn was an exercise conducted in the Carolinas. It's supposed that an enemy force had invaded and held a strip of territory running roughly from Georgetown to Wilmington. The aggressor army has been trained and equipped and taught the psychology of an enemy police state force. One of the divisions being used to attack the aggressor army in a move to drive it back to the sea is the 82nd Airborne which has jumped inside the enemy lines and now holds what is called an airhead. An airhead, if we may digress for a moment, is one of the least enviable positions any unit can maintain. It is a position in enemy territory where you are completely surrounded with no place to go and your mission is to hold until your own troops can break through. Our story so far has told of the reactions of Sergeant Farley of Sea Company of the 505th Regiment. Sergeant Farley's company is dug in along a small hill. Like every company, its mission is now elementary. Hold them. Here they come. I'm calling Charlie One. Charlie One. We're being attacked. Looks like a whole battalion. Fire and FBL. We'll call. I'll be right back, Sergeant. I have spread the word. Sir. Sir, they're pulling back. I wonder why. They didn't figure us in this strength, sir. Well, I'm sure we haven't seen the last of them. Now there go the umpires. Probably gonna check our lines and tell us what our casualties are. Well, I'm sure we lost the listening post. I know they were overrun. Well, I'm sure, sir, but the aggressor took a bad beating, too. But tonight is what worries me. We settled down to wait for an attack and we knew it had to come. Even though it was just an exercise for a minute now and then it seemed too real. It's always real when guns are firing, even though they're not firing live ammo. The day crept on with no further action. We had nothing to do and no place to go. The aggressor would have to make the move, and he did, but it wasn't quite the move that we expected. Somewhere out there in the darkness, a truck had pulled up and it sent over a barrage, not a barrage of shells, but one of sound. Hello, fellas from C Company. How are you tonight? Tired, huh? Been a long, hot day ahead. Sight war, Sergeant, and that voice. I've heard that voice before. Well, there's hot chow and plenty of it over here. We're having a dance tonight. We have some real head chicks. And the crazy line out there and some hole in the ground. Hey, how are all the bugs and mosquitoes? Oh, what's it all about? What are you fighting for? Do you know? Do you really know? We've come over here to liberate you. Liberate you from the warmongers who've been enslaving you. We've come here as brothers and sisters. You've been misled. You shouldn't fight us. You should welcome us. Say, do you know this is Saturday night? You know what we should all be doing on Saturday night? I'm dancing. Remember when you used to go dancing? Bet you and your girl really cut up a few rugs to this one. Yeah, now I know. What do you know, Sergeant? That girl. She must be the one who worked in the ice cream parlor. Oh, what a voice. Yeah. What a voice. You know, you may think to yourself, who does this dame think she's kidding? Well, don't you kid yourself. After some rough days, weeks, months in combat, a voice like that does things. It's a voice that you can hear every day back home. And it kind of eats into you. It's all part of the new style of warfare. Work on the mind. Control the mind. And you control the man. They can't the mortars find that truck. They're better. That girl is worth a regiment. Hey, save yourselves. Think of you for those who love you. Save yourselves now. Does this kind of thing really work? Well, it's an intangible. Who knows what it can do to a guy's subconscious? After a while, the music and the voice went away. I tried to imagine what it would have meant that we'd been in here for real. And then suddenly, the darkness was lit by a brilliant, blueish amber light. Hey, hey, what's that, Lieutenant? The aggressor must have set up powerful searchlights a couple of miles back. They're beaming them out the clouds. The rays are bouncing back and lighting us up. Charlie Five. Charlie Five. Attack, moving up on your front. Hold them. Reinforcement's on the way. Give them everything. The searchlights. They got the searchlights. Oh, my last clip, sir. Sir, there go the empires. They're waving their hands. The aggressors are beating back. We held them. We held. Yes, sir. I guess we did. Well, that takes care of this invasion, doesn't it? Yeah, I guess it does. This make-believe deal. There's no real enemy. The Carolina coast hasn't really been invaded. No atom bombs were dropped on Georgetown and Wilmington. Thousands of people aren't dead. It's just peaceful countryside. But when you're firing the guns, it's so easy to see the other picture. Hi there. Hi. You remember me? Yes, sir. Played chocolate ice cream, Sergeant? Yeah, I guess so, with the works. I read about the maneuvers and the patrons. I'll bet you're happy they're over. Well, I caught your act two weeks ago. It was terrific. Oh. Yeah, I recognized your voice. Yeah. Well, they talked me into it. I'm telling you, I was never so scared in all my life. Boy, I knew what I was doing there a while. Well, how did it happen? Well, some colonel went over to the radio station and asked the director for a girl with a certain kind of voice. The director recommended me. Oh, how did it feel? Oh, kind of weird. The colonel explained what it was all about. Of course, I was glad to help in the training exercise. But you know, what crossed my mind? I said to myself, suppose this colonel wasn't in the U.S. Army. Suppose, like he said, Wilmington was really captured. Suppose this was really an enemy officer not asking me but telling me. Well, what would you have done? Well, Sergeant, I could be a big heroine. But who knows what they can do to people? I guess you never know what you'll really do until it happens. Yeah, that's right. Hey, you know, it's a nice town you got here. We like it. I like it more than ever now. Oh, did the maneuver... I mean, Operation Flashburn prove anything? Yeah. Yeah, I guess it did. It proved we were ready. Now, here's an important message for young men who are high school graduates. Never before in history has there been such a need and such an opportunity to serve your country and yourself as there is today in the United States Army. If you're qualified, there are careers open for you in radio, radar, weather, communications, and many, many other fields. So pay a visit to your nearest United States Army recruiting station without delay and get full details. This has been another program on Proudly We Hail, presented transcribed in cooperation with this station. Proudly We Hail is produced by the Recruiting Publicity Center in New York for the United States Army. This is Mark Hamilton speaking, inviting you to tune in this same station next week for another interesting story on Proudly We Hail.