 Proudly, we hail. 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 program as Proudly we hail the United States Air Force. Today's story is a simple one that proves the results of self-discipline coupled with hard work. The means to that proof? An Air Force Sergeant, his wife, and his teenage daughter. The story is titled, The Hickory Stick. And our curtain will rise in just a moment. But first, are you a service veteran? Then listen carefully. This message is for you. You may be qualified to enlist in the United States Air Force in a grade that will surprise you. If you possess one of the critical skills needed to keep America's air defense strong, the Air Force offers you an opportunity to put those skills to work to your best advantage and at a higher grade and higher pay than you may realize. The Air Force needs experience and know-how gained in all the armed forces. And thanks to the recent Career Incentive Act, you can put your service gain skills to work to your best advantage by returning to the armed forces as a member of the Air Force team. Write or visit your Air Force recruiter for the special prior service man's folder. It will give you full details on the advantage of returning to the service as an airman. You will see why today and tomorrow you are better off in the United States Air Force. And now your Air Force presents the proudly we hail production, The Hickory Stick. Joe, it's beautiful. That's all I can say. Don't thank me. Thank the Air Force. Mommy, you brought that one-potted geranium all the way from Loring. And did you look up on that lot on the corner? I'm blushing. Oh, there must be 500 geraniums growing wild there. Well, I've treasured that one geranium for five years. Now, I don't care if there are a million geraniums growing on that here. Oh, Mother. That's a 52? Yeah, that's a 52. It's a lot different than a 36, isn't it, Daddy? Like night and day, Joe. There are eight jet engines in those swept-back wings. A plane like that really puts us into the jet age. Oh, it looks big. Oh, it is. Yet everyone says it's more stable, more controllable, and more responsive than a 47. Well, we should be learning a lot more about them in these next 10 weeks. And how does it feel to be going back to school, old man? Oh, now, how easy they are. Let's have a little respect for the sergeant who is the head of this household. Daddy, do you know what I'm going to buy you? I'm going to get you one of those little pencil boxes you used to buy for me. You mind. You mind. Your man is too young, lady. You're going to have your own problems with school. Oh, Joe will do all right. It's never pleasant to transfer at mid-semester, but Mr. Johnson said he wrote a letter to the principal here at Merced telling about you and forwarding your records. Oh, Mom, he shouldn't have done that. Well, Joe, why not? Your junior year has been your best so far, and Dad and I would hate to have you spoil it. We'd like you to go on to college. Look, I hate to change the subject, but love is the sunshine is. I don't think it's enough to sustain me one moment more. I'm hungry. Oh, dear, I forgot. It's way past lunchtime. You've got to have enough calories to move some furniture for me this afternoon. You're going to tire me out, so I won't have enough energy to go to class on Monday. Oh, come on, Mom, I'm starved, too. I'll help. Well, I can't stand these groans. Give me five minutes, and I'll have a lunch and fit for kings and princesses. Oh, sandwiches again. Curse the luck. Come on, please. First of all, let me say welcome to Castle Air Force Base. I'm Captain Myers with the 47th Combat Crew Training Squadron. It'll be my job, along with the men in my unit, to help you make the transition from 36s to 52s. It won't be an easy task. In the following 10 weeks, we're going to blend academics, simulator work, and actual flight practice into something that should be a pretty palatable dish for most of you. But by the time you're through, I'm sure that most of you will be wishing for a bit less book work and a bit more flying time. And we here at Castle couldn't agree with you more. But remember one thing. Each operational plane hour costs in the neighborhood of $10,000. Now, as we sit here and chin about it, 10 weeks seems like a long time, especially since most of you men already know how to operate the various special equipment that a 52 has. But I think you're in for a shock when you begin to see how quickly these 10 weeks go by. In order to keep pace, it'll take a lot of familiarity with a lot of new gear. I won't kid you. It's going to be tough on some of you, especially those who haven't cracked the textbook since they left school. Just stick with it. Okay, that's fair warning, and I've wasted enough time. Let's get down to work. Colonel Kathcart, any questions on behalf of your crew? No, men. I guess not, Captain. All right, then let's begin. Now, this is the schedule we will follow in the next couple of months. Jill, that's the schedule we'll follow for the next couple of months. It should allow you to catch up with your class. It'll mean a lot of hard work, and I can believe that report I had from your principal in Maine. This is something you should be able to accomplish with ease. All right, Jill? Yes, Mr. Collins. Your father's in the Air Force, isn't he, Jill? Going through advanced training at the Castle Air Force Base? Yes, sir, he is. We have quite a few children from the base enrolled here. We find they usually do very well. The model of a hard-working father is a pretty good one to follow. Keep your eye on your dad. You can't go wrong. Well, it couldn't be helped. I got hung up on a thorny ballistics problem. Just had to stay at the base and sweat it out. It's tough, you know. It's tougher than I thought it would be. You want some supper? No, thanks, dear. I don't think so. I had a sandwich and some coffee, buddy, the clock. Captain Adams went out and got some chow for the whole crew. You all stay late? Yeah, from the Colonel on down. Well, it's good for your digestion. As we get older, there's too much of a tendency to use our brains less and our stomachs more. You sound just like my grandmother. Where's Jill? Up in her room. Anything wrong? Oh, no, nothing. She just loaded with homework, that's all. But she'd like to see you. I told her you'd drop up and say hello when you came home. Okay. Oh, incidentally, I changed my mind. I will take a cup of coffee. All right, coming up. Is that you, Dad? Yeah, it's me. Boy, what's this? Looks more like an operation disorder than a homework. All this for tonight? Some of it. Oh. It's almost bedtime, you know. Well, I've got to catch up, Dad. I felt like an awful dope today. Oh, you're that far behind? That was a pretty good school we had up there at Loring. Not really, I guess. It's just that I've got to keep up with my daily classwork, too. Well, that shouldn't be too hard. Well, Dad, it's a lot of stuff. There are a few subjects here we hadn't even started on at Loring. This stuff, for example, this algebra. Oh, let me see. Oh, Dad, don't be silly. You couldn't do this. Just a minute. Look here, young lady. It's of none of your adolescence cynicism. Well, hey, let's see. This looks just like the ballistics problem I was working on today at the base. Ha! What do you know I can do this? Oh, Daddy, would you? Joe, your coffee's ready. Oh, Daddy. Well, I've had kind of a long day, Jill. Maybe we both better knock off and get some rest, huh? Tomorrow's another day. Jill, time you're getting ready for bed. It's past 10 and there's school tomorrow. I'll never catch up. Never, never again. Come in, Sergeant Walker. Come in. Yes, sir. Sit down over here. Yes, sir. We've had about three weeks of academics now. In another two, we should be starting our simulator phase. Then we'll be going on to actual flight training in 52s. School work should be pretty well in hand now. You're saying, sir, that I'm not... Wait a minute, before you start berating yourself, what else? I didn't call you in to dress you down or ball you out. That's the furthest thing from my mind. You've been working at this and it isn't easy. Learning is never easy. But then all of a sudden you'll find yourself with a whole body of knowledge. All comes in a rush. Let me give you a hint our psychologist gave me. Ease up. Ease up? Yeah, I'll bet you haven't had your wife out to dinner since you've been here at Merced. Well, no, sir, I haven't. Well, make time. Take your family out and show them some of the scenery. There are cactus blooming just a few miles from here. Do you ever see cactus and bloom? Well, you really think I can spare the time? Well, I've just set a routine for yourself. Study, relaxation. A fairly normal, well-integrated life. I think the knowledge will come easy as pie. All right, sir, I'll give it a try. You sent for me, Mr. Collins? Yes, please come in. Oh, Mrs. Walker, would you close the door behind you? Oh, dear, sounds ominous. No, no, that's not my intention, Mrs. Walker. Please be seated. Thank you. Uh, is Jill, I suppose? I'm afraid so. Her schoolwork? Yes, it's quite serious. I'm going to have to put her back a year unless something quite drastic happens. I can't understand it. Well, Jill's been neglecting her studies. No, she has not that I know of. Well, it's the only answer. When Jill came to us, I had great hopes for her. She was behind in some subjects, but well ahead in most of the others. I set what I thought was a very reasonable regimen for her. Believe me, Mrs. Walker, I'm not an advocate of loads of homework. I gave her what I thought was a simple makeup schedule. But now here, now see for yourself. You see, you look at these papers. Now, these are fairly typical of the type of work she's been doing. Mm-hmm. Now, now here, this one. You see, she answers the first five questions correctly and then doodles through the rest of it. Mm-hmm. You notice this one? It's an outstanding example of creative art, but as an indication of how much algebra she's learned, nothing. The rest are pretty much the same. Oh, you can take some with you if you wish. Thank you. Mrs. Walker, I'll leave it to you. What would you do if you were in my place? It's obvious, Mr. Collins. And what can I say? I would like to look into this further, though, before you take any action. Of course. I think she deserves the benefit of any doubt. She's a bright girl. From indications we've had previous to some of this lovingly work, she should be doing very well. I'd like to try and help her come up to that estimate. All right. Let's leave it at that for the time being. See if you can find out what's the matter. I'll keep any action I've planned in abeyance for another month. Now, does that meet with your approval? Thank you, Mr. Collins. You're being very fair. I think if you stay after Jill, there won't be any further problems. She's got lots of good stuff in her. I hate to see it go to waste. Anybody home? What are you doing home so early? Well, that's a fine greeting for a hard-working husband. I want you and Jill to put on your dancing shoes. We're all going out to dinner. You're insane. I've got stuff around the stove. All right. It's nothing that won't improve with age. Now, come on. Get a move on. Jill, my apron. Jill! Come on. Come on. Can't I take my family out to dinner if I want to? Did I hear someone say we were going out to dinner? Well, some of the kids at school say there's a swell place out in the valley that serves... Wait a minute, Jill. And you too, Jill. No, I didn't want to say anything. I thought I'd wait until after dinner, but now it appears the issue has been forced. I was at school today in the principal's office. Oh, anything wrong? Yes. Jill hasn't been keeping up with her schoolwork. Oh, no. Now, Jill, I don't think that's funny. No, I don't either. But, shake, pal. Look, I don't understand, Dad. You're in good company, Jill. I get called into my principal's office today, too. You are listening to the proudly we hail production, The Hickory Stick. We'll return in just a moment for the second act. A word about the Air Force Prior Service Program and the opportunities it offers to all former servicemen. For example, does your current job offer you security, a guaranteed annual wage, 30-day paid vacations, promotion opportunities, and valuable technical training? If it doesn't, visit your nearest Air Force recruiter and check on a career with... Yes, the Air Force provides all of these and more under the Liberalized Prior Service Program. You start out with a grade based on your military skill with choice assignments in the U.S. and overseas. And, if requested, you get a paid 30-day delay to report in... Today and tomorrow, you're better off in the United States Air Force. Now for the second act of the proudly we hail production of... The Hickory Stick. Don't care what the base psychologist says, you have to work first. Now, if you don't work, you're not going to accomplish a thing. That's the trouble with our modern generation. Too much talk and too little application of the Hickory Stick. Oh, Mother. All right, let's not quibble. We'll try it your way, friend. Only a 15-year-old girl was a little large to be putting over one's knee. Oh, Daddy, you wouldn't. You heard your mother. No, Joe, don't be silly. Now, all I'm saying is the situation is not the same with you and Jill. You've been working and studying. Jill's been doodling. Now, when you ease up, there's a certain balance you're looking for with Jill. With Jill, she's been going from nothing to nothing. I just think that unless there's a drastic change of tactics in Jill's case, we're all going to be a very sorry family. Mother, I haven't even had a single date since I've been here. Jill, I think your mother's right. Daddy, I just can't do all that work for one thing, the algebra's too hard. You see what I mean, Joe? Joe, I'd like to take a look at that algebra. No, Daddy? Right now. But, Daddy, I was going to do my hair. No, Joe. You see, Joe? The hickory stick. You know what this is, Sergeant? Well, I would guess that it's a mock-up of the air conditioning and pressure system. That's correct. I'm music not too concerned with this, sir. Our engineering officer made you work this part of our training method, Sergeant. Each crew member is given a general knowledge of all the airplane systems. So I'm glad to get the dope, sir. It'll certainly give me a lot more information on the 52. That's our intention. We try and give you a thorough grounding through duties and then supplement that with as much overall dope on the plane as we can throw at you. Yes, sir. You can see now, Sergeant, why we try to get the academic phase of our training over early. If we hadn't, I think you'd begin to be swamped by now. Sergeant Walker, come in here. There's something I want you to see. Can you spare him a moment, Captain? Certainly, Colonel. I'll come along. Look at that thing. Isn't that the darndest gizmo you've ever seen? I see you've come to our landing gear simulation. I've never seen the likes of it. And why, sir? The B-52 lands crosswind, doesn't it? It's one way of cutting the terrific landing speed. It gives you the queerest feeling. The crosswind gear swivels 20 degrees each direction of all four main gears. You land at a slight angle, giving you the feeling that you're traveling sideways. Well, even in the simulator, it's a weird feeling. I'm used to looking out straight and going straight. That's another reason for the prolonged training. The simulator will get you used to the difference. By the time you're through here, you'll look out slant ways and see the airplanes going straight. It takes a lot of getting used to. Well, I sure hope for a lot more simulator work before I'm through. Colonel, you're going to shoot so many dry landings before we let you at the controls. You're going to be pleading with us for a real plane and a real landing situation. Okay, I'll take your word for it. I better let you two get back to work. I'm going to see if I can break this gizmo to the saddle. You want to check this homework for me? No, I don't think so. Well, that's a change. You've been doing it for two weeks. Now, how do you know it's right? I'm psychic. How'd you like some milk and cookies? Well, sure, Mom. Well, now, don't look so shocked. It's only milk and cookies. Well, you haven't let me take my nose out of a book for two weeks. I'm bound to be a little shocked. Well, we have been a little strict with you, but I think it's helping, don't you? I don't know, Mom. I haven't seen him. I think that's a good sign. Jill, do you think I'm being unnecessarily hard on you? Well, the other girls don't have as much homework as I do. I haven't been to a single dance or basketball game since we came here. The kids think I'm a creep. Darling, believe me, those things will all be forgotten. There's a game tonight. Would you like to go? No one's asked me. Well, Daddy can take you when he gets home. Well, it wouldn't be the same. Jill, hard work and application to task have to pay off. If they didn't, the world would fall apart. I'd better go up and work on tomorrow's assignment. Let me know when Daddy comes home. Okay, Jill. Okay. Hello, darling. You tired out? Nope. Fresh as a daisy. Well, that is a change around here. Hey, you sound as if you've had it. To some extent, why are you so chipper? Well, what is it the kids used to sing? No more classes, no more books, no more teachers, dirty looks. On Monday we start training in a real live 52. Oh, Joe, that's wonderful. Tell you the truth, I never thought I'd make it. But I checked out with flying colors this morning. So, how about it? Do you feel like celebrating? Well, I don't know. I'm in the doghouse. Jill? Exactly. Oh, schoolwork again? No, not completely. I just wish that I could show her a positive result or two from the work she's been putting in, and she has been working. I think she's catching up, but she couldn't be feeling more sorry for herself. Well, I don't blame her completely. No, neither do I. She's a normal, healthy kid. It's just a shame she got off to a bad start. She hasn't been out with boys and girls her own age since we arrived. Oh, she wants to talk to you. Oh, I'll get that. That's probably the base. Hello, Sergeant Walker speaking. Yes? Yes, she lives here. Yes, of course. I'll call her. Just a moment. It's for Jill. It's a boy. Well, call her! Jill! The phone! Who is it? How do I know? You want to talk to Jill? Mom, who is it? Oh, honey, it's somebody on the phone for you. Hello? I don't know. For goodness' sake, answer it. Don't keep the boy waiting. Boy? Go on, answer it. Hello? This is Jill Walker. Who is this, please? Jimmy? Jimmy Brogan? In social studies? Oh, sure! I remember now. Jimmy Brogan in social studies. You remember Jimmy Brogan in social studies. Jill, be quiet. Well, I don't know, Jimmy. I'd have to ask my mother and father. Mom, it's Jimmy Brogan. He's the cute boy who sits behind me in social studies. A group of the kids are going to the game, and he wants to take me. Now, slow down. I think it'll be all right as long as you're not home too late. My mother says it's all right, Jimmy. Okay. I'll see you in about an hour. They're going to pick me up in about an hour. I'll wear my great tweed skirt and my black sweater. Oh, gee, I wish I'd washed my hair. Fran, do you think it was wise to let her go? Right now, Joe. Yes, I do think so. But next week in the cold, clear light of her homework, I don't know. Stand by for practice firing. Gunner acknowledged. Gunner to AC, Wilco. Another practice run to work in. Let's take a radar bomb scoring run on Los Angeles and see if we can kick up yesterday's score a bit. Those chilly Air Force depot boys are really hot. Well, we have to have some standard to go by, and their scoring, our runs, is both an almost perfect in-flight training routine. We make the bombing runs, they track us. And then, well, then we'll fly a navigation leg with both observers taking part. We'll let one observer get us a celestial fix, and the other can simultaneously get us a radar fix. How about some more landings? You read my mind, sir. We'll return to San Joaquin local flying area and do some instrument flying. We might also try a couple of ILS and GCA approaches today. While those are proceeding, we can have some ECM practice and some theoretical gunnery. We'll keep the whole crew busy. That's a good system. Should one training phase abort, we've always got another one to turn to. Okay, then, Captain, let's get cutting. Aircraft commander to gunner. Stand by. Oh, Miss Walker, would you commit to my office for a moment? Well, I've got a class, Mr. Collins. I'll see that you're not late. All right, sir. I've been wanting to talk to you for a week now. Me, Mr. Collins? I was going to say something at the school dance last night, but you seemed to be having such a good time. That was the broken boy, wasn't it? Yes, sir. Nice boy. Very nice boy. Jill, I just wanted to tell you how nicely you're doing. Keep up the good work. I had to talk with your homeroom teacher yesterday, and we're going to discontinue the extra work. I know your parents will be pleased. Oh, yes, sir. Fine. Now, you'd best be getting out of your class. And, oh, Jill, one last word. You remember I once told you to keep your eye on your dad? Well, your mother told me how I confused things a bit with that advice. That still doesn't nullify the fact that it's good advice. But do me a favor. Check him at work. Not at play. Okay, Mr. Collins. Mission for us to be here today. His crew is being designated as combat ready. Oh, gee. Dad must be proud. He almost burst his breast uniform telling me about it this morning. But I still can't understand why he wants us here this morning. I should be in school. He called Mr. Collins himself. Oh, here he comes now. Ask him. Dad? Did you tell her? Not a word. She was getting highly suspicious, I must admit. Jill, how would you like to christen the Hickory stick? I don't understand. Look over there. Alongside the hangar. Oh, it's for you, V-52. And, oh, there's Mr. Collins and Colonel Calfcart and Captain Adams and then Major Wecus and Jimmy Brogan. Oh, well, Dad, I couldn't. Yes, you couldn't. Come on, sweetheart. We're all waiting for you. We've got a lot of things in mind for the Hickory stick and we want to get her off to a good start. Well, okay, Daddy, okay. Today and tomorrow, you're better off in the United States Air Force. Right now, plenty of former service men are discovering the truth of that slogan. They are taking a look at the new advantages available under the Air Force's liberalized re-enlistment policy and they're signing up for a profitable, interesting tour of duty with the Air Force team. So remember, veterans, regardless of your former service or how long you've been in civilian life, you'll do well to find out about the new liberalized re-enlistment policy of the United States Air Force. Talk it over now with your nearest Air Force recruiter. 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 Air Force. This is Ralph Roland inviting you to tune in this same station next week for another interesting story on Proudly We Hail.