 picture. An official report produced for the armed forces and the American people. Now to show you part of the big picture, here is Sergeant Stuart Queen. The more things change, the more they remain the same. The old saying holds true even in this nuclear age. The ground soldier and the small infantry unit remain as important as ever. Indeed, more so. Since they will fight in more widely dispersed or mobile units, they must be more self-sufficient, more self-reliant than ever. In other words, the ground soldier has got to be a better infantryman than he ever was. And the squad, an even more effective combat team than before. The answer to this need is training. Training and more training. And one day's training is pretty much like the next. Hard and rigorous. Keep the men at a top pitch of combat readiness. Who will take a fairly typical day to tell the story of a squad? Only this squad is a little special. They are infantry elite paratroopers, and they have one of the hottest missions of any men in uniform. They are in the vanguard of the United States 7th Army in Germany. They are on round the clock alert to repel attack from the Communist East. And by their example of readiness to deter the enemy from launching such an attack, our story of a squad, however, has a quiet beginning. Oh, a very quiet beginning. Sorry. When Irving Berlin wrote that song about, oh, how I hate to get up in the morning, he must have had me in mind. I'm one of the guys in this squad, and I can tell you it's tough even for a paratrooper to drag his bones out of bed. I'll bet all soldiers have had that problem, even the old Greek and Roman warriors. I wonder what Julius Caesar's first sergeant used to say to get his men out of the sack. Come on, fellas. Snap out of it. You're supposed to be all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, raring to go. Come on now. Wake up. That picture ought to help. It's a real pretty eye-opener. Or is it? No, sir. You wouldn't believe looking at them in the morning that this is the runnanness, jumpin'ess, marchin'ess, fightin'ess bunch of men in Uncle Sam's army. Don't let the slow-motion fool you. These boys are crackerjack paratroopers. You'll never see anybody go into action faster than these guys when the call comes. I know this squad since I'm one of them myself, and there just isn't any better anywhere. Man for man, jump for jump. We're pretty good at making beds, too. Yeah. Regular hospital style. Even better. But don't get the idea we think we're perfect in every way. We've got one of those guys who's always runnin' out of razor blades, too. But no kid, everything we do, we try to get in the habit of doing well. Even to making beds in the morning. Make no mistake about it. Good housekeeping is part of good soldiering, especially in this outfit. And when it comes to shinin' up those jump boots, we keep the shoe polish industry rich and thriving. Oh, you're gonna see a lot of this. I've introduced you to the boys and said a kind word about them. I think it's time you met our boss, squad leader, Sergeant Marks. You can tell our sergeant was born to command. He's the only one among us who gets up like he really wanted to. An old pro, Sergeant Marks. A quiet kind of guy, but a real soldier. Around a long time, knows all the answers. There had to be a couple of troopers left who were slow getting on the ball. As I was saying, Marks is a quiet man, but a few words of criticism from him can hit a guy like a 50-ton tank. Coffee sure looks mighty good. The personal service is for Sergeant Polder, one of our company non-coms. Married non-commissioned officers who live off post with their families have to rise and shine a lot earlier than we do to get to the post on time. In the barracks, inspection time. Quite a change in the atmosphere, huh? These boys look sharp, ready to go. Oh, my error. This trooper forgot to put on his cap and signature, so he's getting a gentle reminder from the inspecting officer. Misery warrants company. Another lad who goofed. His haircuts getting a little fuzzy. Maybe this seems like nitpicking, but keeping shop on little personal details like how you line up the stuff in your locker makes it easier to keep shop on bigger, more important things. Now we're getting down to business. Briefing sessions coming up on the day's problem. An airborne drop on a simulated attack. The squad leaders come in for the details on their particular missions. That's Lieutenant Bean, our platoon leader, giving out the info. There's no second time around on these airborne drops. They've got to click the first time up, and the squad leaders must have complete understanding of the mission. Nothing left to chance. They must nail down each detail of the operation, but that's natural with these guys. It's a habit built in. Every one of them is a hardened soldier, and one of the surefire qualifications of an old pro is thorough preparation in advance of the mission. Things are really beginning to jump now or on the ground, that is, when the men draw their chutes. No slow motion here. Everyone wants to get the job done. Putting on a parachute is one of the times when the habit of being fussy about little things pays off. Here's where we use the buddy system, the paratroopers version of do unto others as you would have others do unto you. Maybe I'm just a soft boiled egg at heart, but I always get a kick watching troopers. All combat loaded, board their planes, and it's great to be one of them. They're soldiers who know their job. You see it in the casual, but orderly way they climb a board. The easy discipline with which they take their places inside. This is routine to them, but routine because of long experience and hard training. Seating is supervised by Lieutenant Bean, who acts as the jump master with the sergeant Marks assisting. After the takeoff, Lieutenant Bean resumes the routine of checking the men's gear. You just can't play it too safe when these soldiers will be risking their necks. After he's satisfied, he takes his place and makes sure that he too is secure. It won't be long now before we're on target. Don't think these boys aren't keyed up. Even for hardened paratroopers, there's always tension when the drop and action are only moments away. The giant planes carrying a company hit the drop zone right on the nose. And away we go. Geronimo! Out of the shoots, quick. It could be enemy fire zeroing in here. This is where experience really pays off. Everyone is safely down, but before the problem begins, our company commander calls in his officers and non-coms, including aggressors, for a final word to coordinate the different phases. He gives the order for everyone to rejoin his unit. Lieutenant Bean has set up his position under cover in the woods. Sergeant Marks reports that all his men are in the assembly area nearby, awaiting orders. Using a map to guide him, the Lieutenant and Marks orient themselves on their position in the suspected location of aggressor troops. It'll be the mission of Sergeant Marks and his squad to seek out and destroy an aggressor's strong point. Lieutenant Bean reports to the CO, a Charlie company, that everything is going according to schedule. His men are ready to move out. Our squad is glad to see Sergeant Marks return. We're here for action, and waiting around to jump off is the worst part of these rugged field problems. But before we move out, the Sergeant gives us a little pep talk. He reminds us that no matter how fancy weapons get, it's the guy with a rifle who's got to go in there and clinch the deal. The squad is divided into fire teams. Marks makes sure that each one knows exactly what he's supposed to do. These aggressor troops, meanwhile, haven't been losing any time getting ready. They expect an attack. All they don't know where or when, so they've been making thorough preparations for defense. Their machine guns are carefully in place for the most effective field of fire. And when it comes to camouflage, these men know what to do. Aggressor soldiers in other sectors set up barriers with barbed wire. This field problem encompasses more than just our squad, and aggressor forces make it very realistic. Sergeant Marks is determined to use surprise. He knows the danger of underestimating the enemy. He sends out scouts to make contact with the aggressor, while holding back the rest of the squad. Sharp eyes are looking for the enemy from the air, as well as on the ground. A reconnaissance plane keeps watch overhead. The reconnaissance pays off too when one of our scouts spots the presence of the enemy. He gives the signal and takes cover to wait for the squad leader to move up. If you're green at this game, it's very easy to see things that aren't there. But these troopers aren't green. They've been through this before, many times. Bigger's life. An aggressor scout sent out the watch for our approach while maintaining radio contact with the aggressor forces. Sergeant Marks reacts swiftly. He calls for support. He tells the men to move in quietly and capture the aggressor scout. The enemy scout is unaware of this action. Sergeant Marks now is a valuable prisoner. Lieutenant Bean receives word of the capture. He checks the position where it took place on his map and reports to his company commander. Obviously, the enemy is close by. The CO gives the order to go ahead with the attack and moves out to watch the assault at first hand. Again, scouts lead the way to reconnoiter the terrain and probe for the enemy's strong point. Another signal. The scout's trained eye has spotted the enemy. Sergeant Marks moves up to see for himself. He quickly observes the lay of the land, its advantages and disadvantages for the attack. He sends back word that he's going to move in on the enemy. There must always be full information, coordination and control up and down the line. He summons the assistant squad leader for a final briefing. Marks lays out the plan of attack against the aggressor's strong point. The assistant squad leader moves out to tell his men from now on he and they are on their own. Everyone moves forward stealthily, taking full advantage of cover and concealment. Surprise is all important. He'll help bring a quick victory and save casualty. The assistant squad leader gives a signal to his men to move forward and direct the assault. Marching fire to destroy the enemy with a hail of bullet. Rifle grenades are used to neutralize enemy machine gun fire, but the aggressive troops do not fall back. They open up returned fire and resist stubbornly. Pants is relentless. They roll over the defendants, knocking them out with rifle fire and panic. The company commander seeing that the objective has been achieved brings the exercise to a close and recalls the men for a critique. The aggressor casualties come to life. Maybe his act is they're not up to Hollywood standards, but they've done a mighty useful job. It's plain from the comments of the CEO that vital lessons have been learned. This was only an exercise, but an exercise with the highest stakes. The lessons that were learned in today's problem, the added sureness of plan and an execute movement, may account for the difference between victory and defeat on a battlefield. It's all over now and the men relax, realizing suddenly how tired they are. There'll be trucks along soon to take us back to Barracks, but first there's a well-earned pause for refreshment. A good old cup of hot coffee. Our field problem may be over, but not our work day. It's cleanup time back in a barracks. Weapons first. Everything combat ready. Just in case the next call isn't a field problem, but the real thing. Nothing escapes our sergeant's gimlet eye. Just a little carbon on the operating rod, but it's gotta go. Keep adding traces of carbon like this, and you're heading for a dangerous malfunction. Even old timers slip up occasionally. Sometimes when you think you know all the answers, you get careless. And in this business, being careless once may be one time too many. So Sergeant Marks keeps checking all of us, all the time. He never lets up. I don't know where he gets all the energy or patience, but he does. And when he teaches you something that sticks, without pounding it in either, that's because you have confidence that he knows what he's talking about. This outfit prides itself on trimness. It doesn't need prodden to look at its very best, with a few exceptions, that is. This is the lad who was reminded this morning by the inspecting officer that his hair wasn't trimmed close enough. The Volensierer Hörgischnittenabmeinher, Vigavolisch. Yeah, trim it close, and I mean very close. No, there isn't much privacy in a paratroop squad room. Not much chance for individuality and dress either. So these rugged individuals make up for it by being extra neat and sharp. And by polishing and polishing those jump boots till they'll shine on a dark night. Yeah, there's something about a paratrooper, boys and girls. Something special, even in a way they put on their caps. Here comes Sergeant Marks checking your wristwatch. Time to fall off for retreat now. This is a solemn ceremony. It comes as a timely reminder every day that our squad is only a small part of a mighty big operation. Finally, rest for the weary and a good full meal. Good, top notch. It has to be, but East Troopers gripes it ring out loud and clear. And there's no pick me up like a letter from home, especially when there's a laugh or two inside. But one trooper for whom the work day is never over is Sergeant Marks. He may be reading this paper in a non-coms mess. But when one of his men sits down to rehash today's problem, Marks is always ready to talk it over. In the service club at a day room, there's plenty of diversion during off-duty hours, shuffleboard for instance, pool, very nice break, ping pong, all the recreational equipments in full use. There are facilities for everything, including letter writing, hide plan and plain relaxing. Of course, there's always an ambitious lad who wants to improve himself. This soldier is working on his armed forces correspondence course. These courses teach everything, except how to stretch a month's pay. Here, there's a very well-stocked library too, with everything you'd want and a way of reading matter. It's a popular place in which to taper off a long day, even if you're not a bookworm. Some of the fellows like to take it easy in a barracks. And music appreciation is a popular pastime for some. Looks like one guitar just leads to another, even off the post. That's our married non-com, back with his family. This is his personal squad. It's a cozy picture of domestic life, just the kind you can see every evening from Maine to California. Only this is thousands of miles away in Germany. But several of his buddies haven't exactly got domesticity on their minds, if you see what I mean. Well, man doesn't live by bread alone, and she is pretty. Question is, has she got a friend? Leave it at these boys to find out. And then there's the beard that made Germany famous before Milwaukee, and sampling it is none other than Sergeant Marks. Relaxing at last. That's a boy, Sergeant. Pro's it. Isn't that soldier one of the scouts in today's problem? Every day must come to an end. And this has been a long, hard day for our airborne squad. And for this lad, it appears it's been a little too long and a little too hard. Well, his buddies will help him get to bed. Lights out. For every squad, everywhere. There comes at long last a sweet and solemn sound, signifying that its story for the day is finished. The story of a squad told through the full cycle of a day's hard training and an evening's easy relaxation. Americans in uniform on the job, tough, keen soldiers. Off duty, easygoing young men seeking fun and relaxation in the casual, relaxed manner of young Americans anywhere. Yet held together, all of them by the invisible tie of a spree, by the powerful bond of confidence in each other, by faith in the vital importance of their mission, and their ability to carry it out. Now this is Sergeant Stuart Queen, your host for The Big Picture. The Big Picture is an official report for the armed forces and the American people. Produced by the Army Pictorial Center. Presented by the Department of the Army in cooperation with this station.