 Proudly we hail. 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 for your Army and your Air Force to bring you this story as Proudly we hail the United States Army. Our story is entitled The Big Blow. Proudly we hail the flexible efficiency of the United States Army's alert preparedness that at home and abroad, in peacetime and during war, reduces the impact of disaster for civilians and the military alike. Our first act curtain will rise in just a moment, but first... Say young fellow, if you want to be the sort of man that others look up to you, you'll get there fast if you can qualify to join the Army. You'll see a change from the very moment you put on the uniform of a United States soldier. You'll not only stand straighter and taller, you'll walk with the sure tread of a man who knows where he's going. Your training in the Army will give you the confidence of a man with an important job to do. Of course you have to pass the mental and the physical examinations in order to get in this oldest military service in our country, but once you're in, you're on the way up. So visit your local United States Army and United States Air Force recruiting station. There's a recruiter there who'll be very glad to tell you all about what's in it for you when you join the United States Army. And now your Army and your Air Force present the proudly we hail production, The Big Blow. November 25th, 1950, a Saturday morning, Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, home of the United States Army Signal Corps. If the fastest you can go, there's no weather for speed. You can say that again. What were you doing in the supply room? Checking out another blanket. Thought I'd never find you. It's all about, Prem. It's a big hurry. General Lanahan has alerted the entire post. Everybody has to report to his station. It's on the public address system. Did you hear it? Oh, I much had the door closed. Kind of an emergency is it? Nobody said, but it must be because of the storm. The radio said it was a hurricane. Does Vince know about it? How could anybody with eyes and ears not know about a hurricane? Oh, I mean about the alert. He took off two hours to go to the Spring Lake Hospital to give blood. You know that. I thought maybe he'd gotten sick. But he hasn't. A high soldier, the general, isn't going to be impressed that you were checking out an extra blanket when he sounded an alert. It wasn't officially labeled a hurricane. But to the people who lived through it, the difference wasn't noticeable. Winds of 70 and 80 miles an hour lashed Monmouth County. Rain drove against the frail, seashore cottages in bungalows. In South Amboy, citizens forced to evacuate their homes crowded into the high school. In Seabright, the police feared panic. In Spring Lake, the hospital staff was on edge. Dr. Fitch? Yes? I'm Private Vince Sebold, a soldier from Fort Monmouth with A-B-R-H negative type blood. I'll let you know if we need you, Private. Yeah, but Doc, this storm and all, I should get back to the post. Can't you let me know if there's any point in my staying Iran? It was good of you to volunteer, Private Sebold. Hospitals have to rely on volunteer donors, particularly when rare types of blood are needed. I'm sorry if I was brusque, but Mrs. Peters is being wheeled into the delivery room now. Where's her husband? Can't you use his blood? He's dead. She's a widow. Oh, as far as I know now, we will need you. But I won't be certain for, uh, oh, ten minutes to half an hour. If you're worried about getting back, why don't you phone Fort Monmouth? I did. And? Couldn't get through. The phone is out of order. The lines must be done. Relax as much as you can, Mrs. Peters, although new mothers never believe that babies are born safely every day. I'll try, Doctor. Where's that soldier, nurse? I sent the orderly to get him. We're going to give the transfusion, I told you. You might need Mrs. Peters. It's perfectly painless. You'll feel much stronger after you've had it. Miss Gill, did you get any candles? Yes, Doctor. I must admit, these sudden Jersey storms give the daylights out of me. There's always the chance that the power will go out. Candles won't help if we need the incubated, Doctor. Or an oxygen tent. I know, I was thinking the same thing. This baby will be a premature birth. Well, all we can do is hope, I guess. Anyway, here's our soldier. Take your jacket off, Sable, and roll up your left sleeve. Mrs. Peters, this is Private Sable. He has the same type of blood you do and came all the way over from Fort Monmouth to help us. Very kind of you to come. How you do, ma'am? Just lie down here in this next cot, Sable. Yeah. Have you given blood before? Yes, sir. Now, don't you worry, ma'am, a transfusion is as simple as falling off a log. I'm not worried. Corporal Freeman, Private Blake reporting for duty, Captain. Get out of your wet gear then, Prima, you take the switchboard and tell Golden to get some breakfast. Yes, sir. All right, I'm Blake. They'll make a check against the rest of who's here and stick with me. Eww. All right, Golden Boy. Let a man take over. You have a date with the chef. Message center, Corporal Prima. Just a minute, please. Captain. Oh, there you are. South Amboy wants 100 cots and 200 blankets. Find out what they want and say we'll dispatch them immediately then get me dog company supply room. What do you want them said, South Amboy? Right, they're practically on their way. Here's dog company, Captain. South Amboy wants them at Hoffman High School. Message center, Corporal Prima. Hold the line a minute, please. Did you put on a call for the Red Cross, Captain? Yeah, give it to me here. This is Captain Ahern at Fort Mon, ma'am. I just wanted to tell you not to hesitate to call on us if we can be of help in any way. I think the entire post has been ordered to stand by. We have cots, blankets, medical supplies, personnel. Oh, that's perfectly all right, ma'am. Thank you. Not a word. Excuse me, Dick. Yeah. Ford is lighting up like a Christmas tree again. Message center, Corporal Prima. How do you feel, soldier? Like I said, as easy as falling off a log. Isn't it, Mrs. Petey? Do your best to lie still and relax, Mrs. Petey. This will pass in a moment. How much blood did she receive, Miss Gill? I needed two pounds. Better cut it off. Yes, doctor. And now should I... Oh, the lights, doctor. And, doctor. And she's in labor already, doctor. Miss Gill, I've got matches here somewhere. Miss Gill, get the candles. Yes, sir. And call Fort Monmouth. Tell them to get emergency power here immediately. Oh, but you said the phone lines were down. Didn't you say, well, I can find a phone that's working, Doc? Here are the candles, doctor. Light them, please. Yeah, I found my matches, Miss Gill. Thank you. Better in the light. Come on, Doc. Get this thing out of here. Come on, Doc. Get this thing off my arm so I can get to a phone. You can't say that. Who says I can't? You just gave nearly two pints of blood. You're supposed to rest a half hour afterward for each time. Then you're supposed to have an incubator or whatever you call it in working order for Mrs. Petey's baby when it's born early. Incubators work off electricity, Doc. Who else have you got to send who knows his way around this countryside? I thought not. Now get this thing off of my arm. Hey, mister, stop! I'll stop this one if I have to lie down in front of it. Hey, emergency! Mister, mister, you've got to take me to a telephone. I don't care what brought you out in the storm. This is very important. You can say the Army commandeered your car. Now please head for the highway fast. Message sent to Corporal Prima. Dick, it's Vince. Okay, Vince, we'll do. Now you get back to the hospital if you can. The boys will pick you up there. Motorpool? It's Captain Ahern. Dispatcher, mobile generator. PE-95 to the Spring Lake Heights Hospital on the double. You sure to mend? I'll have it stopped by here. I can spare you a break. Plenty of rainfall. The winds are plenty poor. Oh, hey, hey driver! Charlie, stop! That's Vince Siebel we just passed. Oh, hey, Vince. Am I glad I saw you. You might have drowned in the road back there. I'll be gladder when we arrive and hook this thing up to the hospital. Oh, what's it to you? Just a frightened lady. I know a young widow that's having a baby. The interval's a much shorter, Doctor. I can confiscate it. Corner, Charlie. Left again. You can see the hospital in the middle of the block. I'll start running the line in. Come on, give me a hand. Will you, Yeomans? The crew's shun-handed. Well, you get back with Charlie then, Dick. Yeomans and I can splice this. We'll holler when we're ready. You. Come on, Charlie. Vince is splicing it now. Let me know if I can help. Turn it over! Here we go, Charlie. The electricity will run, Doctor. Please stand back, Miss Gill. Thank the good faith. Here he is, Miss Gill. Perfect and healthy, so far, anyway. Oh, he's darling. He's also only about four pounds large. Wrap him up as warmly as you can immediately. I have the blankets right here. Dr. Fitch. Yes. Would he be all right? I mean, we should put him in the incubator. Putting him in the incubator will do no good if we have no electricity to run it, Miss Gill. Frankly, I don't know if blankets will do the trick. He used to be fighting for breath, Doctor. Curse all New Jersey storms and... Let me have them. Blankets aren't too tight. Poor little fella. Well, we did all we could. The lights! Oh, thank God for the signal cord, Doctor. Amen to that, Miss Gill. Turn the incubator up to high, Miss Gill, right now. It's a boy and he's going to be all right, you heroes, fella. Well, what do you think we ought to make him take, Charlie? An aspirin or a neck? I'm serious. Mrs. Peter's baby would have died if we'd cut the generator in a minute later. Was it really that close? Sure. Early babies have to get in the incubator right away, the doctor said. And, of course, the incubator wouldn't work until we got the generator going. Charlie kept trying. Caught in the third try. It just seemed like an hour. Oh, hi, Prem. Hi. We found Vince. That's how I noticed. Someone brings you out in Vince's weather. The generator's hooked up and the hospital lights are on. Is everything all right here? No, we're heroes. We saved a baby's life. Everything all right, Vince? It's fine, Prem. Okay. Charlie and Yeoman, you stay here and tend the generator. Vince and Dick, pile him with me. A whole section of seabrights in danger and the captain sent me to get you there on the double to help evacuate the people. You are listening to the proudly-behaved production, The Big Blow, where we turn in just a moment for the second act. Here's something that's strictly about the birds, the whirly birds, that is, otherwise known as helicopters. Yes, sir, the Army's aircraft mechanics who repair the helicopters are among the most important soldiers in the land and all because they're just not enough of them. Their training skills are needed on every post where Army airplanes are flown. If you have the background to qualify as an Army aviation mechanic, now's your chance to line up a good job and a good rating for yourself in the United States Army. Even if you don't have the experience, but just the inclination, the Army will train you. You will be an expert after finishing the Army's highly specialized schools. See your local recruiter about your chances for enlisting as an aviation mechanic in the United States Army. You are listening to proudly-behaved with us today, and now we present the second act of the big blow. All through that November morning and early afternoon, the storm raged on. Six people were killed. 60,000 homes were left without electricity. Property damage ran into the millions. It was one of the costliest disasters in the history of New Jersey. In the middle of it, dispatching a power unit here and 100 cuts there, hurrying 20-strong-to-long branch and 50-strong-to-Keensburg were busier than Private Vince Sable. After rushing a mobile generator to the Spring Lake Hospital, which saved the life of Mrs. Peter's premature baby, Vince and his fellow signalman headed by Jeep toward Seabright, where scores of American families were helplessly marooned. Isn't there anything we can do, James? Well, can you think of anything? Oh, I'm sorry, Martha. I shouldn't have spoken that way. Are you sure? Lucy, we told you you can't go out. Can I just look? From the window. Lucy, why don't you play with your dolls and look at one of your picture books? You're starting to say, Martha. I would just wondering again if it wouldn't be wise to try and get across the street to the randles. Their house is stone-shaped. It's too great a risk, Martha. Come here to the window. See, the street's nearly three feet underwater. We could wait across it all right if that were all. But watch. Suppose a tree like that one spoke something like that came hurtling by. It would decapitate one of us. Well, Lucy, it means... Well, it means to get hurt badly, dear. But we can stay here, James. The walls are shaking, and I'm sure the roof will blow off. The water's almost up to the floor. We have to stay. Until when? Until the police or the military or our neighbors or somebody come to get us in a boat. But how will they know to come? We can't phone. The phone went dead early this morning. We can't blink the lights. We haven't any lights. A shelf? A person's voice wouldn't carry 50 feet in his wind. Then we have to trust... Trust what? The humanity of mankind. Oh, I wish I had your faith, James. I wish I had your faith. Rain so heavy I can't read the road sign. You're headed right. Push her along, can't you, Cream? Look if I go any faster, she won't hold the road. What's the hurry, then? I know this country. A lot of the cottages and sea bright where we're headed are nothing but wooden shacks. They blow down in storms like these. This morning he saved a baby's life. This afternoon he wants to save a town. Anything else? Maybe this sounds silly, but I want to get back to the hospital and see Mrs. Peters and her baby. She has no way to take care of her. She didn't seem old enough or strong enough to be having a baby. Nobody can prevent a storm, Dick. I mean, the trouble that goes with a storm. Well, it's a lack of communication that fouls things up. We have everything necessary to prevent trouble, but we can't use it if we don't know where it's needed. Like, like the Spring Lake Hospital. Nobody knew it needed a power unit till Vince commandeered a car and got to work phone. Wouldn't radio help? Well, it does. The police called us by short wave. Just before I left, the post opened K-2 USA. What's that? It's the Fort Monmouth Station in the military amateur radio system. Signal Corps has an arrangement with radio hams all over the country to give and send messages and emergencies. Yeah, but even that doesn't help the average householder in a storm area. His set won't work if the electricity's out. And he couldn't transmit over it even if it did. Well, the frame here is sea bright. And there's our duck and weasel. Looks like they've been waiting for us. In Army Lingo, a duck isn't a bird and a weasel isn't an animal. They're both amphibious vehicles, strange but wonderful products of man's ingenuity that can travel in equal safety on dry land and on water. At Seabright, New Jersey on November 25, 1950, the Army amphibians proved to be not only wonderful, but also life-saving. Hey, there's someone waving over there at the right frame. Yeah, I see him. Where's Vince? He's in the back, covering the ones we've already picked up with blankets and chairing them up. How many we got, Dick? I'm afraid to take my eyes off my steering to turn around and count. Uh, 22. That's 22 evacuees. You and Vince and I make a whole load of 25. Ah. Well, here we are. And no! And no! Stay there! Stay where you are until we come for you! Come out from their houses through this mess on their own. Over you go, Dick. Yeah, I'm over. Come on, Vince. Private Blake and Sable have some rescuing to do. Martha, get hold of yourself. But it's so undignified. Standing on the furniture of our own home because... because our living room floor is a foot-deep in water. Wouldn't it be better upstairs, Dad? I'm afraid of flying glass, Lucy. Two windows have already blown out. But what are we going to do? Are we just going to stand here like this, and our skirts until the water rises over our head? I've told you 20 times, Martha. Someone must be out in boats or something looking for people like us. Oh, you just say that to cheer me up. I say it because this is a civilized country. Everyone knows the cottage is down here at Flimsy. A storm like this isn't exactly a secret, you know. Oh, Daddy, I see Mr. Randall on his porch. Well, he should stay inside. Wave to him, Lucy, so we'll know we're all right. I'll... Where, Lucy? See? Yeah. Yeah, it's one of the armies of Fibians. I think the kind they call a duck. Oh, I can see it too now. Oh, James, Lucy. Don't be silly, child. It is, Daddy. It is. It is. I'll go up on the roof. I'll go out there and wave something. But, James, the broken glass, the wind... I'll wave my shirt. I'll wave my hat. Nobody's going to leave my family like ground rats in a trap. You better head back to the truck's pane. I think we've got them all. We've been up and down every street out here. We're overloaded now. I'd hate to skip anybody. This is the roughest I've ever seen. How can we skip anybody if we're covered every street? Yeah, I guess you're right. Put on your hat, Dick. I'm going to swing this thing around. I can't get it out of my head that we might have missed somebody. Just to play safe. Ask one of the evacuees. If there's any area around here we didn't cover. You don't have to ask an evacuee. Hey, what brings you forward, Vince? I've been shouting at you, but I guess the wind's too strong. There's an elbow of seaside drive way down by the water that you missed. Last time I was down here two years ago, at least two families were living there. I had a hunch we weren't through. But if we go back, it'll postpone your rendezvous with Mrs. Peter. Stop talking so much and push this thing along toward seaside drive. I'm sorry, Lucy. Daddy must be awfully cold up in the room. Mummy must have been crazy to let Daddy bring us out here in November. That duck or whatever Daddy said it was will come back. I know, Lucy. When the storm will stop because we don't like it. I know. Gotta hold on. I gotta stay here till I see the duck again. I gotta be ready to wave this shirt when I see the duck. Vince, we can't stay out here forever. Yeah, go on, Prem. Go on to the end of the street. All right, but just this street. I'm going to lie down, Lucy. Mummy! I've got a headache, dear. But, Mummy, it's coming back. I'll be back for you. I can walk with you. You better wait here till I get your Mrs. and Kit out. Soldier. Girl. God bless you. I'm overwhelmed. It's the only word I can use. Overwhelmed. It's almost as though the military and civilian authorities have been practicing for a disaster just like this. Well, in a sense they have, or at least the military has. Any good military post is prepared for almost anything. James, look around you. Lucy, you too. This is something you should always remember. I will, Mummy. Cots and blankets all over the auditorium. Well, more than enough for everybody, while there must be 200 of them. They were sent here by the Army from Fort Monmouth, Mrs. Queens. They also supplied those lights because the Army rushed over one of its mobile generators. I know because I saw it on the way in. Oh, hi, Prem. Hi, Vince. You can add that half the communities in Monmouth County are being lit by signal core units right now. I finally got through to Captain Ahurn and he said every P-95 power unit on the post is in use. How are your patients, Vince? Ask them yourself. Oh, we're fine. Is there anything I can do to help? No, thank you. The evacuation of Seabright has been completed. The wind has died down. The rain has stopped. The Queens' family says it's fine. Sable, there's only one thing left for you to do. Yes, Sergeant? Take my jeep. Get over to Spring Lake as fast as you can and see how Mrs. Peters and that little life you saved are doing. Get going now, here. Fertishing electricity to the Spring Lake Hospital and evacuating more than 700 residents of Seabright were only two of the assignments given the Army men of Fort Monmouth on that wild November day in 1950. The storm was severe and it would have been vastly more damaging had Fort Monmouth not been nearby and alerted. The Army posts supplied 850 cuts, 1,750 blankets, and 10 power units to 10 suffering New Jersey communities. Eight officers and 104 enlisted men participated in the community work. At Fort Monmouth itself, ranking officers remained on duty continuously for 39 consecutive hours. The Army's work in the Monmouth County storm in 1950 was another example of Army preparedness easing a civilian disaster. A man with money to invest doesn't splurge it wildly on the first thing he sees. Now, if he's wise, he looks around and then decides on a solid stock, one with a past history that's always been progressive, a stock with a real future. All right, let's say you're a young man, a high school graduate. You want to invest yourself in the best future? Well, the United States Army offers you the best opportunity for your investment. Your dividends will be high as you become a part of the world's greatest Army. In travel, in schools, in scientific advancement and technology, you will reap the reward of your investment. And even more satisfying, our country will share in a mutual benefit. Visit your local recruiting station today. Invest wisely in your future with the United States Army. 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 for the United States Army and United States Air Force Recruiting Service. This is Kenneth Banghart speaking and inviting you to tune in this same station next week for another interesting story on Proudly We Hail.