 weapons coupled with the fighting skill of the American soldier stands ready on the alert all over the world to defend this country view 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 in 1939 the world stood on the brink of war Germany Italy Russia and Japan were already transformed into armed camps England France and the United States were about to learn a new vocabulary Blitzkrieg Stuka Kamikaze and in America our army was woefully unprepared strangled by lack of funds it was small ill equipped and antiquated do you remember when a private's pay was $21 a month yes these were our soldiers in 1939 America's poor relations sometimes without even enough uniforms to go around for during the 30s the army was like the clergyman who had to earn his pay and beg it too there was no money available to replace world war one type clothing and equipment the old overseas cap the bold action springfield rifle many Americans just didn't care I don't want my son in the army European wars don't mean nothing to me our tanks were slow clumsy inadequately armed and inadequately armored while newer tanks had already been tested and approved there were no funds with which to put them into production hitlers mechanized forces were sweeping across Europe and we were training horses while by early 1940 America was starting to come out of the doldrums we were still almost completely unprepared should war come there were more exercises like the carolina maneuvers but the army still did not have the full support of congress or the american people lacking almost every essential of a modern fighting force our military men just had to do the best they could with whatever tools were at hand old equipment was kept in repair and made to run pieces of pipe served as field artillery bags of flour as shell bursts and pieces of wood as machine guns although France fell while the selective service act was debated for 86 days in congress America was starting to wake up did not come until pearl despite these disastrous beginnings thanks to hard work brave men and women and god's help we won the war is determined never to be caught short again in today's big picture we are going to show you first some of the very latest developments in military equipment equipment which is part of your army's plan to remain strong and ready you are going to see planes that fly without pilots machines that can see in the dark and many of the other miracles which are being performed at the army electronic proving grounds in wachuka arizona in the heart of the great southwest lies fort wachuka one of the most modern of all the army's installations here in this desolate country surrounded by empty desert and mountains the army has found an ideal proving grounds for newly developed electronic equipment today more than 8 000 military and civilian personnel are working together testing and improving modern miracles of military science because the army must be prepared to defend against push button warfare every effort is being made to keep abreast of the very latest scientific advances we have come a long way from the wigwag flags used by the army in indian warfare to this tiny transistor powerful miniature devices like this have paved the way for new compact lightweight electronic equipment there she goes the new pilotless plane the drone here's a closer look at this amazing reconnaissance robot recently tested at fort wachuka called the drone it is designed to carry photographic equipment or a tv camera only 15 feet long the radio controlled drone reaches a speed of 220 miles an hour within seconds of takeoff while the drone takes all the risks its pilot remains safely behind in a mobile control not only does the drone save lives but it is inexpensive easy to transport and set up and capable of flying in any weather military observer teams watch as an rp 71 drone conducts a simulated photo reconnaissance mission and this is what the drone sees a clear picture like this would quickly reveal any enemy vehicles or troops from the top of the control van an optical tracking device follows the flight of the drone at the same time radar is also used thus enabling the drone's operator to know and chart its location at all times its mission completed the pilotless plane turns for haul when the drone has returned to its launching site its engine is cut off and a parachute inside released the photos taken by this drone were developed less than an hour after the original launching a dramatic demonstration of military science in action at fort wachuka some photo missions require a human observer light aviation is the army's answer to this problem and every day a special test mission is flown these daily flights begin when the aerial photo interpretation officer first receives a request for reconnaissance for these tests a special camera is used effective anywhere from 500 to 10 000 feet it records what it sees on a 9 inch by 9 inch negative meanwhile the pilot and his photographer are briefed on their objective they are shown what areas must be covered and given the correct altitude at which to fly should this be a night flight the l19 light plane would be equipped with infrared photographic material since the army must be ready for a fluid type of combat light aviation is playing an ever-increasing role in the military's plans on simulated missions of this sort great emphasis is placed on speed it is vital that there be no delay that these flights be accomplished quickly and accurately these young pilots are very skillful for the name wachuka means windy mountain and the up and down drafts found in the area make this tricky flying indeed it's mission completed the l19 returns to the fort wachuka landing strip only 18 minutes have passed from the first request for aerial reconnaissance to the return of the photo team to save a few precious seconds the plane makes a power landing and taxi swiftly to its tie-down space a waiting crewman quickly removes the 30 pound camera from its mounting when the army is satisfied that this system of frontline photography is perfected major combat units will be equipped with teams like this the film is rushed to a mobile laboratory which is only a few yards from the airfield in this portable dark room the prints are quickly developed the finished photographs still wet from the developer are then hurried to the tent of the aerial photo interpreter where they will be closely studied and analyzed in this particular mission only 32 minutes elapsed from the original phone call asking for aerial reconnaissance to the delivery of the finished prints these daily flights enable the army to study its system under all conditions and also to train the men of the photo teams in the signal communications department other experiments are being made remember the old walkie-talkie of world war two well this is the way it has shrunk in less than 12 years smaller lighter and easier to operate this miniature radio has the same capabilities as its larger and bulkier ancestor barely larger than a pack of cigarettes it is being adapted to a variety of uses in the field one small radio has already been built into an infantryman's helmet more and more of these tiny radios are being used by the infantry lives will be saved through better communications when this radio helmet is perfected under battle conditions it will be possible for a forward observer to communicate directly with a squad leader in the rear to inform him of the combat situation ahead other members of the squad can listen with their helmet radios and also be completely informed when the observer reports that an advance is safe the squad leader orders his men forward the radio helmet one more way of safeguarding american lives part of an ever improving army bad weather is a major problem to the military the fort wachuka aviation department is now experimenting with a new method of all weather flight control here a miracle is truly being brought the at can a system of seeing in the dark for with this new radar guidance device aircraft will be able to fly under almost any weather conditions at can consists of rows of radar beacons placed below designated air channels a pilot receiving radar signals from the beacons can find his way safely above them even in poor visibility for many months fort wachuka pilots have been conducting test flights with at can under the supervision of aviation specialists each day a flight is made from the local airfield to a forward landing strip on the other side of the mountains although these trips have become routine they are not without an element of danger to complete the illusion of a combat mission the planes are loaded with supplies for the forward field it is a 40 mile flight over jagged mountains to the dirt runway at the kinsie landing strip this specially equipped l20 beaver is a rugged heavy-duty plane which carries far more technical apparatus than its civilian counterparts a is a portable air traffic control van which exercises the same control over military aircraft as does a civilian airport tower over commercial plane mountains coming up and which has a number of uses is employed in good weather as well as bad but it is primarily a foul weather aid one sign of poor conditions ahead is when a plane starts to bounce while still in the clear should the weather change and in this part of the country sudden and drastic changes are often found the control van which acts as a sort of aerial traffic cop will alert the pilots to what they may expect ahead and help them plot their best course it is when a plane lurches into heavy going and the visibility diminishes to close to zero that the pilots rely most on the radar beacons below them meanwhile the air traffic van keeps in touch with the plane until it has cleared the mountains and left the bad weather behind the l20 beaver then lands safely at the kinsie field airstrip at can guidance system is still being tested thanks to the devotion and courage of the men who fly these daily missions the u.s. army pilots one more aspect of fort wachuka where eight thousand men and women are working to find new ways of protecting america this today's army scientists are keeping the american fighting man equipped with the very latest developments of our defense program now we'd like to show you a different aspect of america's defense preparations we take you to the little town of galax virginia just over a hundred years ago a small group of quakers founded a little farming community in southern virginia and named it galax that little community has grown into a bustling prosperous township of seven thousand inhabitants recently galax decided to hold a centennial jubilee to celebrate 100 years of freedom and achievement in america in the preparations for this celebration two representatives of the virginia military district arrived in galax they went directly to the offices of the chamber of commerce captain myles ponderlesic and master sergeant lacey burns explain the purpose of their visit to explore the possibility of forming an army reserve training company in galax myles morgan manager of the chamber of commerce was interested in their suggestion at the weekly luncheon meeting of the chamber of commerce he brought the matter up not only did the other members approve the suggestion but they volunteered to help and formed a committee to assist in the project a county-wide publicity campaign was organized free radio time was made available the galax gazette ran a front page story and provided free advertisements posters were printed and widely displayed captain ponderlesic spoke to local civic organizations and as the drive for the reserve company gathered momentum a recruiting booth was set up on the town's main street wherever they could be of assistance the captain and the sergeant were to be found they visited private homes explaining to the town's young men and to their families the provisions of the reserve act of 1955 they answered questions outlining the obligations and benefits of reserve membership sometimes the most searching questions came from the boys themselves and many came to join there was bill ross farmer bob williams mechanic mac bedsaw salesman walt jennings who served as a captain during world war two john fattis laundryman youngsters and veterans alike joined up in less than two weeks more than five times as many men volunteered as were needed at an informal meeting the new reservists were told more about their unit the 978th quartermaster company of its combat record in normandy and through western europe in world war two these are american men proud to answer their country's call during the next few days the men were processed questionnaires had to be answered army physicals taken and the men fingerprinted of course from the nearby quartermaster depot came uniforms and equipment a full allotment for each man was issued the chamber of commerce offices were overflowing many of the company's activation high-ranking military officials flew into galax senior officer among them was brigadier general philip f lindeman for the first time the men of the 978th were assembled in full uniform the swearing in ceremony began the activation proceedings this ceremony took place only three weeks from the day that captain ponderlessik and sergeant burns arrived in galax the rapid formation of this unit was made possible only by the wholehearted support of all the citizens of galax general lindeman congratulated the men and the town on behalf of president eisenhower and the department of the army he paid tribute to galax as a model community ready and willing to stand behind its country and its government then the company's colors were presented to captain jennings the new company commander the following day the men were called together for their first official military function to march in the centennial parade captain jennings assumed command and inspected his new company this is a small unit made up of the men from only one community but today all over the united states more than 2000 american cities and towns can boast of their own army reserve training companies these men were proud to march in their town's centennial celebration parade began with an honor guard you've all seen military parades before but how many of you have ever seen one like this for this centennial jubilee clothing appeared from attics and fronts some of these garments were actually worn by the original founders of galax a loves a parade but most of all the kids this was marty grah circus day and the fourth of july harsh the men of the galax reserve captain ponderlessik and sergeant burns paid their respects together with thousands of others is the determination of men like these that will keep american democracy safe for they know that freedom is everybody's business and the scientists at fort wichuka are all part of one great team headed to preserving peace through strength working to keep america truly the arsenal of democracy now this is sergeant steward queen inviting you to be with us again next week for 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 army 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 for the best equipped the best trained the best fighting team in the world today the united states army