 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 Sergeant James Mansfield. Should we be faced with an emergency in the future, a ready reserve may mean the difference between defeat and victory. The whole plan for reserve training is made possible by the Armed Forces Reserve Act. And whether you are a civilian reservist or a soldier on active duty, the Reserve Act definitely affects you. To best explain, we'll tell you the story of Corporal Greg Bennett, who was recently released from active duty. Please make me thoughtful. Sure, they bring me business too, a fair to the wedding reception or the station or somewhere. But it isn't every day my fairs the bride and groom. No, not every day. So this wedding is kind of special. It makes me extra thoughtful, wondering how I got to be where I am and how things turned out the way they did. And the more I wonder the less I know the answer. To find it, I guess I'd have to go back quite a piece, back to when I was in the Army. Seems to me that was when it all really started. No sergeants, no formation and no drill. Our minds were on other things, home, families, jobs. We were practically civilians. I turned in all my stuff, and the next time I looked at a gun, there was going to be a pheasant at the other end of it. That afternoon, a lecture. Another lecture. The Army can't even let you go home without telling you how. Most of you have done your two years more or less. You may think you've had it. But all of your lives, you'll have the duty and the right of free men to bear arms in the defense of your country. The Congress passed a law in 1951 declaring that everybody who joins any of the military services owes eight years of service to this nation. Right now, that legal obligation is two years of active service followed by six years in the reserves. This country's in a tough spot right now. If war comes, it'll come without warning. We'll have to depend upon people who are already trained and ready to fight. And that means you. Now I know how you feel. You're getting out, and you're glad to get out. That major must have been a mind reader. And I don't blame you. I felt the same way after the last war. But here I am. I stayed in the reserve. I joined an active unit of the Army Reserves. Yeah, but not as a corporal. I was called to active duty when my country needed me. I wasn't alone. There were thousands like me. There had to be. Inside of a month, the first of us reserves got to where the shooting was. In a few weeks now, I'll be separated again. Like you, I'll be glad to get out. But in time, I'll begin thinking about the Army. And then bragging about it. I speak to yourself, major. Anyway, I'd like you to think about joining an active unit of the Army Reserve to put in your required reserve service. You can also meet your reserve obligation by serving in the National Guard. Pretty soon you'll be getting some literature from the Army Reserve. Do me a favor, will you? Read it. At least, don't throw it away. He sure picked the wrong day to talk about it, and the wrong guys to tell it to him. You'll find the reserve a better deal all around than it ever was before. Both for you and for the country. Nice fellow, the major. Quite a message, too. He put his heart into it. But me? I was thinking about some money I had coming to me. I had a good idea of what I was going to do with it. That money was going to make a down payment on independence for me. No more orders. I'd be my own boss working for myself. Late that afternoon, we were heading for the station. Took a short cut across the parade ground. Even so, that did something to us. It was nice work. I hardly thought about the Army, except to be glad I was out of it. Until one day I got a letter from the Army Reserve. National defense? My problem was home defense. I took a quick gander at it, started to tear it up, and then I remembered what the major had said. Do me a favor, will you? At least, don't throw it away. I didn't. But I did the next best thing. I put it in with the rest of my Army junk, where to be safe for years. I walked around on automobile road, used cars all over the place. That Army check ought to cover the down payment on one of them. I spotted a clean-looking job that had made me a darn good cab. The Bennett Cab Company. Girl Millie helped me with the sign. And for good luck, she was my first fare. So I was in business for myself, my own boss. No more orders to take. Station, make it snappy, and don't take the long way around. Yes, sir. I forgot to tell you, Bill Frederick's got his orders. They called me back. Just like Bill to get sucked into a deal like that. Oh, that's his tough luck. I'll get you a spot, and it's a good one. Wow. Say, how'd you fix it to stay out? Well, it's easy. I get a trick knee. Big pardon? My knee. I heard it playing squash. How's that again? My knee. Hey, what's the gag? Didn't you know? I don't hear too good. Funny. Not to me they weren't. I'd like to let my old top kick have a crack at those two. It'll be one buck, right there. Okay, there you are, bud. And, uh, that's for you. I guess it takes all kinds to make a world good and bad. I remember another fair. Corner for Scythe and Adams, please. Yes, ma'am. You were in the army once, weren't you? Yes, ma'am. How'd you know? I guess from your jacket. Were you in the infantry? Yes, ma'am. Combat infantry. A nephew of mine, he drove a tank. That's a good outfit. Tough, though. He always said it was the best? They all say that. That's right. Thank you, ma'am. Oh, your nephew. Is he out now? He's out now. You may have known him. Don Ames of Elm Street. Yes, I knew him. Don Ames. A kid from Elm Street. Yeah, it takes all kinds. Made me wonder where I fit in the picture. And then I thought of the stuff the reserve sent me. This country's in a tough spot right now. I can't hear till good. A good deal for you and for the country. And there it was, right where I put it. I figured I ought to look into it. Probably I wouldn't buy it, though. Captain, this country means as much to me as the next guy, but well, I've got to think about myself, not stick my neck out. Has it occurred to you your neck's out right now? What do you mean? Well, just this. When you enlisted or were drafted or were commissioned... I was drafted. In any case, from that moment, you owed this country a total of eight years military service. Eight years? I thought it was two. Well, eight years total, including time in the reserve. Well, then I'm in the reserve now, whether I like it or not. Right. And it's up to you what you make of it. Now, what choice have I got? Plenty. Being in the reserve can either be an obligation or an opportunity. Here's what I mean. Now, you've had two years of active duty. That leaves six to go. Now, here's where you are right now. In the ready reserve at large, you're doing nothing. You're getting nothing. No training. No opportunity for advancement. No retirement. No pay. And for six years, you're subject to call in a national emergency proclaimed by the president. What's that, like in Korea? Like in Korea. Now, here's the other way, the opportunity. If you join a reserve unit and train with it, you can cut your time in the ready reserve to three years, then request transfer to the standby reserve for the remainder of the time. Well, what does that get me? It still takes me six years. First, you get all these benefits. You get training. You get opportunity for advancement. You get retirement benefits. And a full day's army pay for each training period. Now, the pay isn't much, but... Well, maybe not, but a little extra money would come in handy right now. But the greatest advantage to you is this. For the first three years of the six years you're in the reserve, you're subject to call to active duty in an emergency proclaimed by the president. Now, after successfully completing three years in the ready reserve, you can request transfer to the standby reserve where you can only be called by Congress. Well, what's the difference? Who called you Congress or the president? A big difference. You see, if Congress proclaims a national emergency, that's not another Korea. That's war, all out war. And if that happens, everybody will be in it anyway. Well, I hadn't thought of that. Yes, if there is another all out war, anyone knows that a trained soldier has a better chance. Besides, a lot of reserve training is good in civilian life. Well, that's what they told me in the army. I was a weapons man. What use can I put that to now? But what are you doing now? I'm driving a cab. Well, look, here's what I'd suggest. See, which reminds me, the afternoon expresses due. I better get out of the station. Look, Captain, this sounds okay, but well, I'm not sure I can spare the time. I'll think about it. Goodbye, Captain, and thanks. Not at all. Drop in again. But I didn't get to the station that afternoon. Engine trouble. Just barely managed to make it to the garage. Joe Oliver took a look at it. That's it. Just like that, what was it? Next year was too late. It'll be okay now. Hey, for a cabby, you don't know much about engines. I just drive them. Aren't you lucky? I repair them. And incidentally, that'll be a dollar. Hey, why don't you learn? In the long run, you could save plenty. You mean go back to school again? No, you're a GI, ain't you? Yeah, so? So the army teaches engines, and lots more in the reserve. In ordinance, I suppose. I was infantry. That doesn't mean you can't change. You can pick what unit you want, like mine. Automotive maintenance. I'll write you up a bit. I'll write you up a bill. I took Joe's advice. Sergeant Oliver, as I should say. I joined his unit in the reserve. Me, a combat infantryman in ordinance. Who'd believe it. And Joe hardly could. I was so dumb about engines. But pretty soon I began to learn what makes the wheels go round. I was learning too what a lot of maintenance men in ordinance can do for the rest of the army. And those are strong words coming from an old infantryman. But I guess everybody gets to feel that way about the outfit he's in. Of course, an ordinance outfit knows a lot about weapons and vehicles. But there's a lot they could learn about soldiering, infantry style. The latest tactics, the stuff that isn't in the book yet. And the place to get that is from an infantryman. So when I wasn't learning, I was teaching. And all of us in the reserve were learning something else we'd never known before. About what makes the army work. How all the services hang together. Fight together. One evening or another in that armory, you could find about everything that goes to make up an army. Like quartermaster. One night you might see them studying refrigeration with major FIPS. A FIPS appliance company instructing. Or medics. Learning how to take care of a wounded man or an accident victim. That can come in handy for anybody. Anywhere. Any time. They're first lieutenants Dr. Fox. They say he's a good baby doctor. We studied mostly things you can do indoors. Same as they do at various army schools. Like the infantry school at Fort Benning. The signal boys were working with things like radio and telephone. A lot of specialties in that service. Barney Rogan's a friend of mine. He's a PFC bucking for corporal. On his job he's a spicer bucking for electricians mate. Maybe he'll make them both. One of the MP instructors was Fred Bivens from the Traffic Safety Bureau. And his prize pupil? Well that's patrolman Simmel's. Theory? Sure. And Simmel puts it into practice every day directing traffic. A whole lot of reserve training pays off in our regular jobs. And don't doubt it. Wars are won or lost in classrooms like these. Sometimes you'd see Professor Klein Schmidt up from State College talking to the artillery unit about some sort of fire problem. Complicated. But after all we were specialists. Studying under specialists. Getting our know-how from the best men in the business. Sometimes we'd brush up on close order drill. That's good training too. Know how to take orders and give them. At the same time we were learning something about what makes a country like ours hang together. About people pulling together. Working for the same things. Their homes. Their freedom. The things they all believe in. A funny place to learn that. Soldering. But then our soldiers have kept this country what it is through a lot of wars. Between sessions or at the end of the evening we'd get together around the coke machine. It was like old home week. Shooting the breeze with fellows that talk your own language. That have been through the same mill. Kind of a reunion once a week. That bunch could write a history of the army from North Africa right up to Incheon and Taigu. Write a history they didn't have to. History was written over their left pockets. Now some women, our girls and wives and even our mothers may have thought we were spending too much time at the Armory. I know my girl Millie did. But an occasional party did a lot to make the army reserve popular at home. When the women got to know the fellows and one another they felt different about it. I know that's the way it worked with Millie and me. She'd had some reservations about me and the reserve and marriage. But it was at a unit party that she saw the light and I got me a new chief of staff. And that brought up another problem. Sure I'll be your best man when it's gonna be. As soon as I can save some money it's not like I had a steady job. You're complaining. Think this is getting me anywhere? I'd like to be in your shoes. You would. Listen, why not? Let's team up. How about it? Say maybe we... Oh but two guys can't drive a cab. We'd have to have another. Sure. Two, three, four cabs. Is it a deal? Sure thing. Hey but wait a minute. We need money. You ain't got any. I ain't got any. We'll borrow it. Oh yeah, where? Who'd lend us money? Well I don't know gentlemen. From this application I must say that you can't offer much in the way of security. Well you mean we've got to have money before we can borrow it? Well not exactly but I do have to think of our depositors you know. You all right Joe. Let's get out of here. Now wait a minute. Let's not jump to conclusions. You've listed some references here. Do you know them well? Well not very. Mostly they're people we see in the Army Reserve. Oh you both in the Reserve? Oh yes. Well I'm Reserve Officer myself. Suppose you let me speak to some of these people. I'll let you know in a day or two. Okay that sounds fine. What are we going to do about camp Joe? I don't know I guess we'll just put the hacks and mothballs for a couple of weeks. What and miss out on two weeks of summer business? Either that or miss out on camp. Yeah but business comes first doesn't it? You can't live for two weeks on reserve pay. Maybe just one of us could go. See that's an idea. Even better why not one of us go and then the other. You think they'd let us? I bet we could arrange it that way. No harm in asking. All the things we'd studied evenings at the Armory for the year past. It's quite a show. Cities and towns like mine from a whole state or several states doing about everything that's done in the Army. Maybe some of them call it a sacrifice or a chore or a burden. Sure it takes you away from home. You leave your job or your business. Maybe you even lose part of your vacation. They even cost you money. But somehow they manage it. Most employers try to work it out so the fellows can manage to go to camp. After all they have just as much at stake in this country as any of their employees. And if an employer makes up the difference in pay that's just good business. And good citizenship. Maybe some fellows take it on the chin a little like Joe and me. But the thing is they do it. And you don't see any goal-breaking in the way they go about it. They're proud of what they're doing. Americans don't talk much about patriotism. They just do something about it. There are things you can only half say about pride in your service, in your unit. I guess we've all tried to say it in our own words one time or another. You got to eat Joe. You can't travel on empty stomach. Nope. And this is the best fed man's army in the world. There's one thing I don't want to hear again and that is this man's army. I wish they'd turn off those machine guns. War is one thing, but I'd hate to tell my grandchildren how I got shot in peace time and where. That's us engineers. First we build these roads and then the artillery and the tanks tear them up. Then we build them again. There's good training for when we may have to do it in combat. This measure of recruits sure need a training. And where can they get it better than from guys like us that have been there. My own hospital give a lot to have a nursing and technical staff like this for even one week out of the year. God must have loved the infantry. He made so many of us. Well, we can gripe all we like, but nobody ever won a war without foot soldiers. Yeah, there are things you feel you can't put into words much as you try. But for me, I felt it most the last day of camp at review. We were sharp, trim, all spit and polish. We were tough, tired and proud. Somewhere out there is the minister of my church. The banker that Joe and I owe 400 bucks to. Barney Rogan, Petroman Simmels, Professor Klein Schmidt and a lot of others. And I was one of them. About the 400th from the left. I sort of wished that major from separation center could have seen us that day. But he was probably off at some other camp somewhere, marching, training, teaching. In that year, we'd spent a lot of evenings learning. We'd drawn a little pay. We'd kept our jobs and our businesses going. We'd done a little extra duty, double duty, as citizens and as soldiers. We'd learned a lot about what makes this country tick, what makes it free, what makes it strong. For me, it had been a good year. I'd come a long way in a lot of ways. I was sorry camp was ending. And at the same time, glad to be going home again. Because you see, I had a date. An important date at a church in my hometown. With bells ringing from me and my girl and the organ playing our wedding march. Same church, same bells, same music. No wonder weddings make me thoughtful. And Joe was our best man. Yeah, things worked out good for me. A new friend, a partner in a new business, and a partner for life. How did it all turn out so good for me? I don't know. I've done what I thought I ought to do for me, for my country. I guess that's the most and the least you can do. Maybe that's the answer. That's the story of Greg Bennett, an active member of the ORC. As long as men are called to the army through selective service, the ORC will increase in numbers. As we brought out in our story, all selectees upon release are automatically transferred to the reserve. They are subject to recall for 15 days active duty training each year. Most employers know that in helping these men to fulfill their reserve obligations, they are making an important contribution and strengthening the defense of our country. 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 U.S. 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.