 the latest weapons coupled with the fighting skill of the American soldier stands ready on the alert all over the world to defend this 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 Stewart Queen for 10 years United States Army forces shared the occupation of Austria with British French and Russian units for most of those 10 years the Western powers made repeated attempts to end that occupation to make Austria once again a free and independent nation always we were thwarted by the Russian command finally in the spring of 1955 influenced by the prevailing spirit of Geneva the Russians agreed the following September American forces evacuated Austria for new NATO assignments in Italy they left behind many friends and many pleasant memories let's visit Austria on the eve of the evacuation it is the last week in September 1955 in the American zone of Austria it is the last week that there will be an American zone in Austria after more than 10 years of occupation the American Army is pulling out in the city of Salzburg it is business as usual in the last 20 years the Austrian people have witnessed German Italian Russian French British and American troops on their soil living under a foreign occupation has become the normal way of life an Austrian housewife shops for her dinner as she has done every day for many years this is the old world the impersonal supermarket is not yet taken over from the friendly grocer and today perhaps she shops with greater care for there will be guests for dinner old friends from the American occupation an army soldier and his wife and child tomorrow they'll be leaving Americans are coming to spend their last evening in Austria at the home of this Austrian family where they have spent so many pleasant evenings in the past American soldier and his wife could be spending their last night enjoying the gay cafe life in Salzburg but somehow it seems more fitting to be here with these people who have made them feel at home so many miles away from home as the Austrian housewife accomplishes the last minute dinner chores her husband reminisces about the past you weren't among them but I remember when the Americans first came to Austria the Russians came to it seemed a happy time for Austria the war was over we could begin to erase the scars of battle take down the war-torn buildings make way for the new you could begin to build once more for the future we were told that we would be treated as a liberated country and not a content enemy but soon we found our land divided up into zones of occupation that every day grew more and more permanent in nature whenever I think about it I am thankful that I lived in the American zone I remember the Marshall plan and MSA I remember how you helped us to rebuild our country our industry and our power systems your people spent a great deal of their money helping us we won't forget it without your help these factories would have had a difficult time getting started again these men would not have had these jobs we know that you try to bring the occupation to an end many times you and the French and the British it was always the Russians refused yes the Russians were the worst for them the occupation meant only payment of reparations almost all of the usable machinery in the Soviet zone was dismantled and shipped back to Russia to strengthen their economy and weaken ours Vienna our capital was in the Russian zone of occupation it was treated just like Berlin cut up among the allies with a very hot and international zone administered by all occupying powers British French Russian and American together I remember when I was in Vienna I saw the occupation machinery at work it all seemed very harmonious to the casual onlooker the cooperation between the West and Russia was almost too perfect but my friends in Vienna tell me that underneath it all there were certain tensions spying and counter spying for instance was a pretty common activity we are not unhappy that Yana is no longer the headquarters for foreign military operations I was in Vienna again when the Soviets transferred command of the patrol over to the Americans for the last time this change of command has been going on now for 10 years it was a common occurrence yet this particular ceremony was watched with more than average interest this was the last time the command would change over to foreign hands the next police in Vienna would be Austrian the American MP officer performed this last inspection with the usual snap and smartness we Austrians felt glad this was the last time the Russian military band would march with such pump and show this was the last time that Russian troops would strut through Kaiser Franz Jose Plaza but it was also the last time that the Americans would be in Vienna too we are never happy to have foreign troops on our soil yet in a way we will be sorry to see you go we have made many friends among the soldiers of your army you have been with us over 10 years we have learned to understand what another I hope that you will remain our good friends and that some of you will come back and visit us one day as the families enjoy their meal the American soldier describes the evacuation procedure out at camp rotor we've been working overtime getting ready for the big move to Italy cosmoline it's a lot easier to put on that it is to take off as any soldier can tell you but it protects the weapon and that's most important especially when you are shipping them by the thousands a lot of us had been in Austria a long time you collect things when you settle down and all these personal possessions had to be packed up and shipped to new stations wherever they were this little lady made very sure that her possessions were packed properly I've never seen so many tanks as I did at the camp rotor rail head last week one armor is concentrated for transport you begin to realize the terrific firepower that a modern army is capable of loading up a line of flat cars like this was as easy for those tankers as parking the family car is for you or me these tanks had to be tied down good they were going over the Alps and there's a lot of hairpin curves between here and the end of the line meanwhile around the camp itself the last signs of US Army occupation were removed a lot of familiar places to a lot of American soldiers were packed up and shipped to new stations I remember the last retreat parade we held out at rotor both men and units received many honors ward metal was presented to one of the sergeants then we passed in review for the last time on Austrian soil it was kind of sad to see the old regimental colors being folded up for shipment to Camp Darby Italy then old glory herself was rolled up for casing I guess she'll miss Austria too now things really began to move everybody had to go through final processing before they could clear the post medical check currency exchange and customs inspection oh we got the works at the post out to our railroad station it was women and children first I've got leave coming so we didn't have to separate here like a lot of families actually it was only for a few days so pretty much of a picnic atmosphere prevailed this train is headed for Vicenza Italy new experiences for all these army found here a little wetter and dressed in fatigues the combat ready troops of the 350th Infantry Division boarded the train that would take them to their next station the newly formed CTAF command CTAF the Southern European Task Force is set up as a hard-hitting retaliatory force in case of aggression on Europe's southern flank but at the time the guys were just thinking about saying off we just saying to Austria and maybe clowning around a bit the task of moving the American army out of Austria was too much for the railroads alone truck drivers were briefed before a huge map showing the routes of exit for many men and much of the equipment was moved out by truck since early yesterday morning they've been moving out convoy after the MP gate at rotor down the Autobahn across the Brenner pass and into Italy everything moved out then just today the newly formed Austrian army took over Camp rotor I was there this afternoon the place looked like a ghost but believe you have some wonderful facilities there to get your army off to a good start so that it consumes them side by side with other free nations in the defense of Europe and so the Austrian and American friends drink a toast to their continued friendship and as the Americans take their leave both families feel sure that this friendship will continue not just between them as individuals but as nations to a couple of Austria's newest soldiers head for the barracks just vacated by the American army they check the bulletin board to find out just where their new home will be and like new soldiers everywhere they begin to get acquainted with this military way of life they will have a bold new course to set for they will be part of the first army Austria has had since a Dolph Hitler took over the country in 1938 here the Austrian people celebrate the first public display of the new army all of Vienna is out to cheer this strong symbol of their new independence as the troops pass President Kerner and Chancellor Robb and other governmental dignitaries in the reviewing stand the pride of the Austrian people shows on the faces of the spectators for the first time in almost 20 years Austria is a sovereign nation and so today Austria stands as an independent nation it is certain that the Austrian people will remember us as friends and that this friendship will become the basis for a growing rapport between our two freedom loving countries but now let's turn our big picture cameras back home to the nation's capital where a group of army mess cooks are getting a few pointers from some of the best chefs in town people come to Washington for all sorts of reasons statesmen politicians legislators and tourists all have their own special reasons when they are here they usually stay in one of the many fine hotels that are situated all over the city and one thing they are sure to get is fine food prepared by expert chefs and served with mouth-watering appeal and that's why these army mess sergeants have come to Washington to learn the art of attractive food service from those master artists the hotel chefs trading their khakis for kitchen fatigue chef style this trio of army mess sergeants gets right down to work now army Chow is some of the best in the world but in a congested mess hall the eye appeal of each individual serving tends to take second place efficiency is calculated on the number of miles fed per minute without slowing down production your army is now going to try and make each dish as attractive to the eye as it is nourishing to the stomach let's take a look at salads first this lady is an expert with the greenery and all the other good things that go along to make up such mouth-watering morsels like this you could take a tip from her sergeant next let's cut in on the carving session how do you like your roast sliced nice and thin and even all across here's the expert now sergeant you try your hand now more familiar with hotel technique of service the mess sergeants near the end of their course final examination for the trio comes with the actual preparation and service of a main course platter just a soup con of sauce and a pinch of parsley and our platter is ready now wouldn't that palpitate your palate looks like this sergeant rates an A plus here's that final exam on its way to the lucky customer when these three graduate chefs get back to their posts believe me soldier there will be a touch of glamour in KP it's a long way from the fine hotels of Washington to the steaming jungles of the Panama Canal zone but down there is the next place we are going to visit the jungle warfare training center it is far away from everything on purpose for its mission is to train American soldiers to live and fight in the toughest tropical terrain found anywhere in the world this is operation jungle gym that's jungle down there the jungle warfare training center of the United States Army located on the Chargers River in the Panama Canal zone the helicopter pilot drops us off at the battery Mackenzie landing site we're going to get off here to see just what's going on and what established in 1953 the jungle warfare training center the JWTC occupies an irregular plot of land on the Atlantic side of the isthmus the terrain includes every kind of tropical growth likely to be encountered by the United States armed forces anywhere in the world these jungle warfare students are learning how to make themselves comfortable using only materials generally found in the tropics they make a shelter for themselves stakes lashed together with a tough vine make a raised sleeping platform Robinson Caruso style a roof of ponchos covered with palm fronds and you're all set for a nap but there is no time for napping here for next comes the most important course of all jungle navigation it is here that you learn to make your way from one place in the jungle to another here in the bleachers you get the fundamentals the house and why is and what's to do soon enough you get the practical experience these are your tools machetes axes brush hooks and two-man saws if it sounds like simple equipment it is the hard part comes when you put it all to work this is jungle navigation trail breaking through tropical forest and swamp land the vegetation is so thick that you can't make a move without a machete axes and saws and shovels come in for a workout to when the trail is completed the job is only half done because there's going to be a helicopter landing site right here at the end of the trail more jungle comes crashing down it's so hot and humid that you break into a sweat just breathing at a time like this there is nothing quite like a slug of old H2O this man is stripping the bark off of a big tree the white underside will make a marker that will be visible to the helicopter pilot hundreds of feet in the air laid out in the form of the tee at the center of the landing site this is the only runway he will get with their ability to land almost anywhere like this the helicopter has put a third dimension into jungle warfare now instead of going through it's often quicker and easier to go over but as of right now large numbers of men and their equipment must still move over the earth's surface and because movement through the jungle is so confined mines and booby traps have become most effective weapons their use is but another course given here at the jungle warfare training center now members of the class practice booby trapping an aggressor trail vegetation is so lush and growth so rapid that mines and traps can easily become a flood mother nature will quickly cover up any marks left by man any aggressor attempting to use this trail would find his movement slow and dangerous here the students have marked out on any tank minefield the white tape will stay up until the whole area has been mined and a notation to that effect been made on everybody's map in the jungle if you can't get around in the air the next best bet is the water a couple of students start off on a stream reconnaissance problem the rest of the class follows along next in line while the instructor keeps track of three or four classes at once with a powerboat when the soldier has successfully completed jungle navigation both on land and water he is ready for instruction in small unit tactics in the half light of the jungle floor camouflage is particularly effective these men are from the 11th Airborne Division in May and June of 1955 they came here to participate in a five-week jungle training exercise exercise jungle gym many officers from friendly foreign nations came also as observers this is the objective a small strip of land on the Atlantic coast at the center is an unimpressive looking hill but it commands the overland approaches to the aggressor main base umpires watch as the aggressor personnel take up their defensive positions having just hacked their way through the jungle friendly forces assault their objective in a rush exercise jungle gym comes to an end but the jungle warfare training center continues to produce jungle-wise soldiers for your army for any emergency history and evacuation the cook's tour of washington and operation jungle gym diverse incidents in the life of your army yet all related to one mission the defense of freedom this is sergeant steward queen inviting you to be with us again next week for another look at your army in action on the big picture 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 core pictorial center presented by the United States Army in cooperation with this station you too 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