 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 for your Army and your Air Force to bring you this story as Proudly we hail the WAF, Women in the Air Force. Our story is entitled Courage and Determination, a true and inspiring story of WAF Gloria May Barnard, whose great heart and fighting spirit conquered a dread disease and acquired a foothold on the future. Our first act curtain will rise in just a moment, but first... Here's a most important message for young women listening to this radio program. If you are between the ages of 18 and 34 and qualify, you can prove that this is a woman's world too. How? By enlisting in the WAF, Women in the Air Force. By joining right now when you're needed most and when the opportunities for advancement are greatest, you will be serving your country well and yourself too. You will have opportunities for some of the finest technical training in the world, training which will serve you well should you elect to return to civilian life. But most of all, you will have the inner satisfaction of knowing that you are serving your country when the need is urgent. Do your part in keeping America strong. Visit your local United States Army and United States Air Force Recruiting Station and enlist in the WAF, Women in the Air Force. Do it now. And now your Army and your Air Force present the proudly we hail production, Courage and Determination. What is it, Doctor? Can't you tell me what's wrong? First you must tell me, Gloria, just how your side feels. I don't know. Sort of funny. You're not telling me I... Well, this morning it felt funny. Now there's pain in my whole left side. Headache? Upset stomach? What is it, Doctor Phillips? Can't you tell me what's wrong? That was the beginning of the story. A summer in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, 1947. The rest of the story is a matter of record. I have the records here before me. I'm Master Sergeant Mercedes Bagwell, United States Air Force, assigned to WAF and WAF Recruiting in Newark, New Jersey. I have a personal interest in the story told in these records. The records to be sure are based solely on the open facts in the case. But the case of Gloria May Barnard is more than that. It's difficult to put into words what is hidden in the heart. Courage has its formal definition, but where does it get its meaning? Where but in a heart like that belonging to a 16-year-old girl, visiting her grandparents in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, back in the summer of 1947. The heart fighting back tears as she looked into the face of the doctor she'd known as a child, in a room familiar to, when all the rest that faced her was so unknown. Can't you tell me, Dr. Phillips? Well, there are so many things it could be, Gloria. I wish... It's like the time I broke my collarbone. I knew I had no one to blame but myself, and that silly tire I'd died to an elm tree is a swing, remember? I know you're going to be just as brave about this as you were about that collarbone, even though this time it isn't your fault. A long distance call followed to the home of Gloria's parents in Madison, New Jersey. Mrs. Barnard, this is Dr. Phillips. Dr. Phillips? Oh, in Ohio. How are you, Doctor? I'm phoning from your parents' house. They wish me to put you to the call. Doctor, what is it? Is something wrong? Is it Gloria? I'm afraid so. Yesterday, I wasn't sure what it was. Our left side merely felt funny, she said. Today? There's a pain in her left side. Her shoulder, side and leg are partially paralyzed. Paralysed? Dr. Phillips, what does that mean? Mrs. Barnard, even her right knee has a touch of poliomyelitis, infantile paralysis. I'm glad you were able to get here so quickly. We hardly stopped once, Doctor. Well, I'm happy to tell you that Gloria's case of polio isn't a severe one. The specialists here at the hospital feel she can be moved within a month. We'd like to have her with us. I'd like to stay here and be a burden to my husband's parents. Unless her case takes a turn for the worse, Gloria will be strong enough in three weeks to go east. That's good news. She'll still need care, though, and treatment. Won't she, Doctor? Oh, she can receive excellent care at the New Jersey Orthopaedic Hospital in Orange. That's not so far from home, is it? No, and three weeks isn't so far away, either. Careful now. Oh, we must carry our patient as though she were made of glass. Wait till you see how your father's fixed up the car. There. Look inside. Dad, you've made an ambulance out of it. Way ahead of the times, if you ask me. Made for lying down or sitting up. There'll be clamoring for it in New Jersey when we drive up in front of the hospital. I'm sure no patient ever was delivered in such fine style. Well, how would you like to start the journey? Lying down or sitting up? Oh, lying down, I think. Then I can have those few hours of sitting up while we pass Lake Erie. How do you like this for a place to stop and have our lunch? Oh, just feel those breezes from the lake. Oh, I think this is a fine place. There's a restaurant over there that looks wonderful. New two need some time away from the car. I'm sure they have things to take out. Oh, well, I'm not awfully hungry now. You have your lunch there and bring something back for me, why don't you? But we could all sit on that bench by the lake, darling. Well, suppose I sit there and wait for you. I think I'd like to just look out over the lake for a while. As she sat there looking out over the calm, placid blue of Lake Erie and the white sails floating peacefully along, a feeling took hold of Gloria that could have only one outlet, tears. Tears she'd held back till now. Tears she mustn't let her parents see. Suddenly, someone spoke to her. Someone she hadn't seen draw near. Excuse me, miss, but Lake Erie is a freshwater lake. You're going to change it to salt with all those tears. I don't believe in impossibilities. Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. No, I was rude. I'm sorry. Mind if I sit down? A little while between trains came out to do a little sightseeing. Good way to wear yourself out. I'd like to be tired from walking. Looks like I said the wrong thing again. Look, don't blame the Air Force. Oh, I don't. The Air Force is being very kind. I just hated to see you feeling so... Feeling sorry for myself? Oh, now, don't put it that way. I should feel sorry for the people who really need pity. I know, but how can you when your own problems so doggone big? I used to think that way. I looked around overseas at the towns, crippled now, but being built up again with courage and determination. Courage and determination? Yes. I'm glad I'm going back there. I re-enlisted after the war and I wanted to be a part of the job ahead. The job ahead? Well, that's as much of a speech as I'll make today. Oh, are you going? Yeah, I can just catch my train if I hurry. Good luck. Good luck to you. The airman was gone and somehow good luck to you seemed to glory an inadequate way of saying thank you. Thank you for putting courage and determination in the place of tears for the reminder that there was a job ahead. We're back. How's our passenger? Ready for the ride ahead of us? I don't think she heard us, Richard. What? Gloria, are you feeling ready to start out again? Oh, ready? Yes. Oh, yes. Now I am ready. Along the shores of Lake Erie across Pennsylvania to New Jersey her father drove slowly, steadily. From her improvised birth in the back of the car Gloria watched the world pass by the window upside down. In the back of her mind the vague notion was forming that somehow there were two jobs ahead two jobs somehow related somehow depending one on the other but for now she only knew what one of them was the job that must be accomplished at the New Jersey Orthopedic Hospital where after two weeks there was progress sometimes balanced by setbacks. Dad will be here in a minute, Gloria. Did he stop to talk with the doctor? The doctor said he had something important to tell him. I pretended I didn't know what it was. The doctor is telling him I'm strong enough to walk. Yes, I thought I'd let him hear it officially. He didn't know about the preview I had yesterday. Oh, well, I only stood up for a moment. It was hardly walking. But the doctor said today... I tried moving my leg in bed. It wouldn't move. I tried again and... Gloria, from where you're sitting on the side of the bed try sliding down till your feet touch the floor. Try. All right. I'll try. There. Now you have support with your right leg. Yes. But still no feeling in my left leg. How can I make it move when there's no feeling? It's your father. Come in. Well, I heard the news. Up already. You know, when you were just this high I remember standing just about this far away. That first step you took couldn't have made me any prouder than at this moment. Father... You can walk to me, can't you? Of course I can. Of course I can. Gloria Barnard walked a little every day after that. And daily treatments and physiotherapy strengthened her legs even more. Another seeming setback came in September. On the day Gloria should have been entering her junior year at high school. But Gloria's junior year came to her in the form of tutors. And then in December came a very special day. It's official. You'll be home in time for Christmas, Gloria. Big job ahead, decorating the tree. And there's another big job. Something connected with being able to walk again. I don't know what, but more and more I know there's something I have to do. I guess that wasn't the first time Gloria's mother and father were to stare at her and wonder just what she meant. She'd like to have known herself, but soon she would know. Christmas was the day of Thanksgiving in the Barnard home that year. Gloria's leg, though still weak, had been spared of any paralysis. New years came. And, as was their yearly custom, the family had their New Year's Eve candlelight service together. And their prayers were for all polio victims everywhere. And as Gloria thought of that, she realized their prayers were for people everywhere who needed help. People everywhere. In cities everywhere. Cities crippled now, but building again with courage and determination. I re-enlisted after the war because I wanted to be a part of the job ahead. The job ahead? I know what it is now. I know what it is. I must do. Tell us, Gloria. Tell us, dear. Well, it's all tied in. You see, I have to be strong enough to be accepted in the WAF. The WAF? Yes, the WAF. Women in the Air Force. I have to become strong again so I can be part of the job ahead. The proudly we hail production courage and determination will return in just a moment until the second act. But first? Young woman, there's a future for you in Air Force Blue. Yes, an important future in the exciting places of the world. Today, the WAF, Women in the Air Force, is rapidly expanding to keep pace with our defense needs. If you're between the ages of 18 and 34 and can qualify, the WAF needs you. America needs you. You will be trained to do an interesting job, a job vital to the needs of our country. For full details about a future for you in Air Force Blue, visit your local United States Army and United States Air Force Recruiting Station today. You are listening to Proudly We Hail. And now we present the second act of courage and determination. We're cut out for her. There was little chance for Gloria to brood on the passage of time. From the moment she made her decision to join the WAF, time flew. And after another summer, she was able to begin her senior year at high school with the rest of her classmates. Another Christmas, then another New Year. And Gloria knew she could wait no longer, that she must know one way or the other what her chances were of becoming a woman in the Air Force. That was the day the family drove to Newark. That was the day Gloria Barnard walked through the door in my office for the first time. Sergeant Bagwell, I'm Gloria May Barnard. I've come because... Because you want to join the women in the Air Force? Yes. Please sit down, won't you, Gloria? Thank you. How old are you, Gloria? Funny, that should be your question. I thought, surely you'd ask me about brace on my leg. You're coming here with that brace on your leg tells me a great deal about the girl I'm talking to. Tells me about your courage. Has the doctor said your leg will get better? Well, he seems to think it will. Maybe by the time you're 18, by the time you've been graduating from high school, he doesn't say. My graduation is in June. Well, my leg has been about the same for four months now. At first, the improvement was noticeable, then not so much, now not at all. That may mean it may never get any better than it is now. You don't know for sure that it won't? I don't know that it will. You've fought quite a battle so far. I think you should continue that fight. Oh, I'll try. I'll try, Sergeant Bagwell. When Gloria left the recruiting office, that brace seemed to weigh more heavily on her leg than it ever had. She said very little during the drive back to Madison. Gloria, dear, you said practically nothing. There's nothing to say. Nothing more to do until the brace is off, if it never comes off. Oh, it will. Darling, you must wish hard enough. I think wishes are like dreams. They never come true. The months passed. The high school graduation day was growing closer. As it approached, Gloria locked herself in her room to practice a simple thing like walking, walking without the brace. There's not much. 16 steps from where I'll be standing to the podium. Stumbling. Gloria paced off the distance, and the buckle steel brace lay on a cushion chair. Halting, stumbling. Gloria was walking. They'll be giving out the diplomas next. I do hope Gloria hasn't exerted herself too much already today. She did seem tired, Evelyn. I'd feel better if she had her brace on. She needed so much not to wear it. She's worked so hard for this day. So hard, so very hard. Student has a diploma. They'll be calling my name soon. It's so easy to walk the length of the stage in return. 16 steps each way. Stumbling. Such a simple thing. Ahern. Mary Ahern. Strange heaviness in my leg. From tiredness, I guess. John. Can I walk the length of the stage? Can I? Barnard. Gloria Barnard. My name. My turn. Can I do it? You must wish hard enough. First step you took. Proudest moment of my life. Like cities, crippled now, rebuilding with courage and determination. Wish hard enough. Proudest moment of my life. Courage and determination. Stumbling. Outfalling. I'm walking up to receive my diploma. Gloria Mae Barnard was ready to walk into my office. The Air Force Recruiting Station in Newark, New Jersey. You passed all the mental and aptitude tests with flying colors. Oh, but the physical. Gloria, I think we've almost convinced the Air Force doctors that your leg is strong enough. Almost. Well, the reports are beginning to look encouraging at any rate, you see. The file on Gloria Barnard goes heavier every day, full of medical statements, medical opinions. Now the waiting begins. When will we know? Oh, we ought to know in a few weeks. Aren't you planning to spend your vacation in Ohio? Well, we go there every year. I suppose we'll be going again. Then you have a wonderful time, and at this end we'll be doing everything weekend. No, I have to go out. We'll leave together. Well, you're picking up all my records. I have a trip to make with them to New York. Oh, there are approvals, recommendations, concurrences, opinions to get. You've never seen so many. All in the case of Gloria May Barnard. The summer in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, promised to be like any other summer until a day came unlike any other day Gloria had ever known. I'm afraid to open it. Mother, is this the same Gloria Barnard whose courage is the talk of Madison, New Jersey? Well, the little things take more courage than the big ones. But it's been forwarded air mail special delivery. You'll have to open it. I suppose I will. Well, what does it say, dear? It's from the recruiting office Newark, New Jersey. They want to know could I come to Newark on September 13th to take the oath of enlistment as a member of the United States Air Force? Gloria took her 12 weeks of basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. She looked very smart in her trim blue Air Force uniform and she finished near the top of her class. Her first assignment was to Lowry Air Force Base in the mile high city of Denver, Colorado. Because she had shown an aptitude for clerical work, Gloria became a clerk in one of the training detachment headquarters. After a year of this work at Lowry, she was sent to Samson Air Force Base in Geneva, New York, which had been recently opened to meet the training demands of new airmen. At Samson, Gloria became senior clerk in the headquarters of the instructor school, where airmen with special teaching abilities are taught how to mold recent civilian use into members of the Air Force. Oh, what a day. Say, do you think I can ever get airplane identification over to this class I have? Oh, Belle, all new classes seem a little slow at first. They catch on quick. I guess you're right, Gloria, but let's see if you can tell us the difference between our peaks. Oh, I've got work to do. Besides, you've only a couple of minutes to turn in the exams and grades of your morning class. I've got work to do. The job ahead. I like this work here, but I think I can do a better job and one that's just as important, maybe by telling others about the opportunities for women in the service. And so Gloria took more tests. Tests to see if she had an aptitude for talking to people, liking people, being able to present the Air Force story. In short, being a recruiter. Gloria packed her bags and shipped out to Fort Benjamin Harrison in Indiana, the home of the Army Adjutant General School. You see, part of the Army AG school trains soldiers and airmen, wax and waff to be recruiters. Belle, as your instructor in this course on human relations and how they can help you in your future assignments as women recruiters for the Army and the Air Force. Now, this course, short as it is, is mighty serious business. What you tell the young women of America will have a great bearing on their futures and perhaps on the future of this country. Now, sincerity is one of the keynotes in the recruiting field. More than anything else, you yourself must want to be a service woman. Call it personal pride, if you will. Call it pride in your uniform. Be it Army Tope or Air Force Blue. The Jabba Head is a demanding task. Those words seem to follow me. The Jabba Head. First by Lake Erie, then at Lackland, later at Lowery in Samson. Now here at Fort Benjamin Harrison. The Jabba Head. Your Sergeant Bowman, I suppose. They told me in Newark that I should report to you. I'm Sergeant Gloria Barnard, fresh from recruiting school. How do you do? I asked for this assignment, Sergeant Bowman. And I want you to know that I'm glad to be a member of the Army and Air Force Recruiting Station here in Englewood, New Jersey. What did you say your name was? Gloria Barnard. Glad to have you here, Sergeant. We're a small family with a huge territory to cover. Lots of schools, small towns, and we have a program of community activity that keeps us busy a few evenings each week. You like talking with young women, helping to show them some of the opportunities of service life? Oh, yes, I do. Well, we have an appointment in a couple of days to talk to a group of high school seniors. You think you could make a ten-minute talk of interest to young women? I think so. Well, anyway, I'll do my best. Gloria did her part in talking to the high school seniors. She had the personal enthusiasm needed to give her words deeper meaning. And she made a very pretty picture in her Air Force blue uniform standing beside the teacher's desk. There were moments when, as she was talking, she mentally took herself back to her high school days. And when she casually looked up the center aisle in front of where she was standing, about halfway up the aisle, she could remember a steel brace sort of half-hidden beneath a desk, but then again sort of sticking out in the aisle. It takes determination to be a whack for a whack. Our country needs our help. And if we as Americans are determined that it shall be strong, then we can help with a job ahead. And they changed. Why, just a few short years ago, women were completely left out of this man's world. But today, in more and more instances, women are proving that they can assume the role of skilled technicians in positions once thought of as solely for men. Now, a case in point is aviation. Today, in our rapidly expanding Air Force, women are taking their places alongside men as cryptographers, control tower operators, cryptographers and dispatchers. Now, these are but a few of the vital services now being performed by the women in the Air Force. If you were between the ages of 18 and 34 and can qualify, visit your nearest United States Army Air Force Recruiting Station today. Ask about the WAF. Women in the Air Force. They need you now. 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 Bureau for the United States Army and United States Air Force Recruiting Service. This is Kenneth Bangard speaking and inviting you to tune in this same station next week for another interesting story on Proudly We Hail.