 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 to bring you this story. As proudly we hail the United States Army's Infantry. Our story is entitled, Paid Info. This is the story of a soldier who had to live by his own coat of honor. As proudly we hail the fighting men of the United States Army's Infantry. Our first act curtain will rise in just one moment, but first, you know in the world of music, the melody plus a good arrangement and a good performer most often determines a song's success. In the drama, well, there the plays a thing, plus of course good actors to deliver the lines. And in whatever occupation you choose, training and teamwork are the reasons for success. If you're a young man of service age, you can be trained for success in the course of your choice by enrolling now in your United States Army's new Reserve for You training program. There are over 100 courses to choose from. In such fields as radar, guided missiles, automotive maintenance and the medical services. But these are only a few and if you act now, you can make your application and rest assured that you have a class space set aside in your name. If you're a high school graduate, we suggest you investigate this outstanding opportunity right away. So for complete information, you visit your nearest United States Army Recruiting Station, team up with the Army, and you team up with success. And now your Army presents the proudly we hail production paid in full. November 11, Veterans Day. A big day everywhere. Speeches, parades, walk down the main street of any town big or little and you'll see them, the veterans. But there are some things that you won't see and in the long run, these are the things that are important. At least to guys like me and the three that are sitting with me here in the Veterans Club of our town. In a half an hour, the parade is due to begin. For us four, it'll be the 10th one. And over the years, they've been pretty much the same. The jokes about how our uniforms are getting smaller and how the route of March seems to be getting longer each year. But this one, this one is going to be different to each of us. Do you guys remember that day in 43 we joined up? Well, I was just thinking, if you hadn't all come into the shop to get a haircut at the same time, we mightn't have ended up in the same outfit together. That's Tony Mattio. He's got a barber shop on Main Street. When he gives you a haircut, you don't even feel it. He's got a touch so light. And that's the kind of a touch he had on the trigger of our machine gun when he was first gunner. Sure, Tony, but I think we had our minds made up before we came in there that day. At least I had. I wanted to see more of the world than I could from behind the bars of a teller's case. Al Hunter runs the national savings bank here in town. Got a head on him at school as a head of iceberg lettuce. And that's what he needed and had when he was second gunner. Yeah, Al, I guess we all did. But if Lou here hadn't said he was going to enlist, it wouldn't have turned out like it did. George Thompson. In those days, a telegraph key man for Western Union. Later on, number three man in my squad. Yeah, we owe a lot to you, Lou. The biggest thing that ever happened to us. Yours truly, Lou Brent. I got my own grocery store right around the corner. But then I had something I was far more proud of. My own machine gun squad in one of the greatest outfits in the history of the Army. The seventh regiment of the third division. We were all proud then and we still are. And as we sit here, the memories come back as they always do. But today there's a special one that we're all thinking about. For today is a kind of a reunion. You sure you'll get here in time for the parade, George? That's what the Y said. He'll be on the 10-15 train. Boy, I'll be glad to see him again. I wonder if he's changed much. You're talking about Jim and with good reason. For Jim represents something to us now. Something that's got to do with an important part of four men's lives. Started back in 44 when he joined up with our regiment in Italy. We'd been pretty busy some months before that fighting our way up the Italian mainland to Rome. And at that time we were a bit of a whacked in a small town near Naples. As usual after a campaign like that, we had a lot of reorganizing to do and Jim turned out to be part of that reorganizing. As I found out when I reported to our platoon leader's tent one fine sunny Italian day. Morning, Sergeant Brent. Good morning, sir. You wanted to see me? Sure did. How's your squad doing? Well, I'll tell you, Lieutenant, I think they're beginning to get a little restless. We've been doing so much moving lately. I guess they can't get used to standing still. Long, but it'll take time to re-equip and organize. That's what I wanted to talk to you about. You're short one man, right? Yes, sir, jeep driver. I've just been talking to the first sergeant. He tells me there's a shipment of replacements arriving this afternoon. I'll check over their MOS's and send you a driver. Yeah, about what time will that be? Be ready to receive them at 1,500 hours, okay? Okay, Lieutenant, with open arms. But when 1,500 hours rolled around, we didn't greet our new driver with open arms. Rather with open mouths. Hey, Lou. Yeah, yeah, George, what is... That's a good question. I wish I knew the answer. Come on, George, what's eating you? Well, there's a guy outside. Says he's assigned to our squad. Oh, he's here? Well, why didn't you tell me in the first place? Yeah, but Lou, where do you see him? What's the matter? You got two heads? Boy, we better get back in action, but soon this layoff is doing things to you. When I stepped outside my tent, I couldn't see him at first. My whole squad was gathered around him. Okay, you guys, you mind if I get through here? They stepped aside and let me through. At first glance, there wasn't anything outstanding about him, except for one thing, and that was enough to make me take a second gander. He was dark complexioned with a long, hooked nose and dark brown eyes, and I knew right away that he was an Indian. Now, there's nothing unusual in that. I come across a lot of them in the Army. But it was his hair. Underneath his overseas cap, it ran around his head in two long braids. All he needed was a feather sticking in it, and he could have stepped right out of one of those paintings of the Old West. Dig that crazy haircut, Sergeant. Yeah, pipe down, Tony. Hello, soldier. I'm Sergeant Brent. Come on to my tent. We'll have a talk. Okay, you guys, get back to that care and cleaning. The show's over. Right in, right in here, soldier. Ah, so now I'm gonna take the load off. Now tell me, what's your name? Private Jim Longhair. Longhair? Figures. You a Jeep driver? Yes. This is the squad that's just what we need. You wouldn't think so from the way the squad acted just now, but this is the best outfit in the whole Army. You're now in the 7th Regiment of the 3rd Division, and I guess you heard plenty about it. Yes, Sergeant, I have. This is the regiment I always wanted to be with the 7th. Yeah, you and a lot of other guys. Now, it's come a long way, but there's still a long way to go yet. And once the squad gets used to you and you and them, everything will be okay. Sergeant, I know my MOS is Jeep driver, but I was wondering, I'd like to be in the gun squad. Ammo, carrier, waterman, anything. I've got to get into action. You've got to get... Yeah, well, you'll see action all right. Any questions? No, thanks, Sergeant. Yeah, wait a minute, I got one. How come you got this far in the Army without anyone making you get your hair cut? I got special permission to keep it this way. Yeah, well, look, the guys might kid you about it at first, so don't let it throw you. Just don't get sore about it, and they'll ease off. They're all good guys, okay? Okay, Sergeant. That was our first look at Jim. And for a couple of days after that, we were kept busy training, and I didn't see too much of him. But one evening, while we were having a little gin-rummy session in my tent... That's your deal, Lou. Okay. Say, Tony, how's the new guy coming along here? Him? Boy, you don't even know he's around. He's like a clam, never says nothing. Boy, he's driving me nuts. Well, how's that? Every time I look at that crop of hair, my scissors finger gets so itchy. Oh, boy, what I could do to that if he'd only let me. That'll be the day. Nobody's gonna cut that hair. Yeah, don't worry about it, Tony. It's not just scissors finger that's important. It's that trigger finger. Hey, what is that? Sounds like thunder. There ain't no thunder. Deal me out. I'll take a look, see. I stepped outside, and after listening a moment, I saw that the noise was coming from my squad's tent. What's going on in here? Oh, hi, Lou. Hey, come here a minute. Take a look. Yeah, sure, George, but it's kind of... Hey, what is this? Drums, Sarge. Drums? Looks like a couple of buckets to me. Yeah, sure, they're buckets. But see, long hair stretched some buckskin across the tops of them. Buckskin? Yes, Sarge. It's what my uncle used on his drums. I brought some with me. He's been telling me all about the kind of signals they use in the old days, and I've been teaching him the Morse code. You know something? There ain't that much difference. Once a Western Union man always won, huh, George? Occupational disease, Lou. He knows half the alphabet already. Show him long hair. I'll take your word for it. Say, Jim, what outfit are you from? Outfit? Yeah, you know, the tribe. Oh, I'm a Sioux. Yeah, listen to this, Lou. His great-grandfather. No, George, don't tell him. Why not? What's it, a secret or something? No, no, it's personal. Well, I don't see what you're worried about. I think it's something to be proud of. You ever hear of sitting bull, Lou? Well, sure. I've seen movies about him. Well, he was long hair's great-grandfather. No, kid. I'm... I'm sorry, Sarge. Yes, sir. Well, what the heck for? He was a big-time chief. Say, that makes you a chief, too, huh? No. There are many descendants from him, but I have his blood in my veins. I told you not to tell anyone else, George. Give me those drums. I will go to bed now. Long hair was only a short guy, slightly on the plump side. When he turned away from us and stalked off to his cut, his eyes flashing in anger, he seemed six inches taller. But even though I didn't know it then, he was a lot bigger than that, a lot. However, I did know that we had hit a sore spot with him. But why I couldn't figure out? I told George to lay off and not to spill it to any of the other fellas about his great-grandfather, and I went back to my tent. One day, about a week later, our platoon leader called us non-coms together for a meeting. As you know, men, we've just about completed our job of reorganization. And just about in time, it seems. Why, is something cooking, Lieutenant? Yeah, I think so. Or have a hunch we'll be leaving the sunny climb of Italy pretty soon. Now, that isn't what I wanted to tell you. The CO has a project on. He wants our cooperation. And not another field exercise, I hope. No, Sergeant, this is something a little different. He feels before we take off or wherever we're going, men could do with a little shot in the arm, you know, something to put a cap on the good morale they already have. And that is, what he wants us to put on a show for the company. Uh, you, U.S.O. show? No, no, there aren't any of those in our area. We'll have to try to draw in our own talent. Now, you fellas check with your squads and see if there are any potential Al Jolson's or Betty Grables, uh, I mean Clark Gables. Let me know what you come up with, eh? The show's take place this Saturday night. That's all. Well, I'll move out, talent scouts. I told him right then and there that he'd draw a total blank on my squad. But I went over them in my mind anyway. Al, the only thing he could play a tune on was an adding machine. Tony, he could use a comb, but I knew he couldn't play one. George, he could tap, but only on a telegraph key. Grady, Gordon, nothing. Long hair? Long hair. Sure, why didn't I think of it before? Hey, long hair, come here. Sure, sir. What is it? I want to have a talk with you, and this time I don't want you to get sore. I'm sorry for what's happening, and I got the idea that maybe you could do something with those drums that yours. My drums? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, sort of play them and tell a story along with it. I'm sorry, Sarge, I wouldn't want to. Not after what happened last week. They start asking questions, questions I don't want to answer. That's too bad. It's going to be their last shot at any kind of entertainment for a while. It might have done them a lot of good. You're going into action? Yeah. Why didn't you say so? Sure, sure, I'll do something for them. I'll be glad to. Well, life can be full of surprises even for a sergeant in the army. I never saw a guy change his mind so quick. But when the show came off that Saturday night, I was even more surprised. As amateur shows go, I guess it was all right. There was a makeshift stage set up like an amphitheater in some hills, but it wasn't until the last act came on, Jim Long here, that they really saw something they'd never forget. It was dark by that time and the stage was lit by some truck headlights. The band gave a fanfare and then Jim came out. Only it wasn't Jim. Holy smokes, Lou. Look at him. I looked and I saw. I've been to a lot of places and I've done a lot of things. I've never seen anything like what I saw then in the next few minutes. And in the light of what happened later, it was something I'll never forget. Never. You're listening to the proudly we hail production paid in full and we will return in just one moment for our second act. Here's an important announcement for capable and ambitious young women. There are many fine career openings in the Women's Army Corps. If you're between 18 and 34, a high school graduate single and qualified, the Women's Army Corps offers you an important, interesting future while serving your country. You visit your nearest United States Army recruiting station now. Get all the details. You're listening to proudly we hail and now we present the second act of paid in full. When Jim Long here came out on the stage with his drums that night, I could have sworn he stepped right out of a Wild West movie. His body was smeared all kinds of colors. His long black hair hung down the back of his neck in a single braid and in it was stuck a long feather. He sat down the drums and he began beating them softly at first and then getting louder and faster. Then all of a sudden he threw back his head and let it yelp out of him. It was a yelp that set shivers up and down my spine. And while the drummer and the band picked up the rhythm, Jim suddenly jumped up with a rifle in one hand and a G.I. Axe in the other and started into hopping and jumping and sort of skipping around in a circle. It was a weird sight, especially to us who knew him. This quiet little guy was transformed into a howling savage but he was so serious and ferocious about it that he somehow caught us in the spell and when he made one last leap and fell to the floor exhausted, we in the audience were so wrapped up that we didn't do anything for a moment. But then, ever Jim was trying to do had got across. But it wasn't until later, in the squad tent that we found out what he was trying to do. Boy, you sure look a lot different now, Jim. I'll say you had me worried there for a while long. I thought, tree, we're going to end up with somebody's scalp. Was that some kind of a special ritual you did, Jim? Yes, it is what the suit dance whenever they go on the war path. When you told me we would soon go into action, I thought maybe it'd be sort of appropriate. A war dance, huh? Well, I hope some of that spirit rubbed off on you guys. Speaking of spirits, Jim, my great-granddad, old sitting bull would be mighty proud to have seen you just now, huh? Listen, Tony, and this goes for all of you. The spirit of my great-grandfather has gone to his hunting grounds, and as far as I'm concerned, he's going to stay there. Now, do me a favor and lay off about him. Oh, what for? What's eating you anyway? I have my reasons. Maybe I'll tell you someday. If it happens what I'm hoping will happen. Good night. Right then and there, a hazy idea began to form in my mind as to what was bothering him. But it stayed hazy because, as the lieutenant had predicted, things began to happen, and I had other things to think about. A couple of nights later, our outfit disembarked for the southern coast of France to take part in the invasion. From there, we fought our way up the Rhone Valley to Alsace-Lorraine. We covered a lot of ground, and on May 5, we started covering it fast. By about the middle of April, we were busting out all over the central part of Germany. But it wasn't all a pushover. There were some tough nuts to crack, and my squad had their share of them. It wasn't until the 15th, though, that we got into one that brought a lot of things to light. As I said, we were moving pretty fast, and on that day, it turned out that me and my squad were moving too fast. Earlier that afternoon, we had set out in our jeep and trailer to join a rifle company in a village on the Rhone Valley. Hey, Sarge, there's a village down there in the valley. Is that it? I don't know, Tony. There's a sign up ahead. What does it say? Three kilometers to Bishive. Well, that ain't it. Why don't I take a look at my map here? Oh, how on earth did we get here? We're way off. Yeah. Hey, see, Sarge, we took the wrong fork back there. Yeah, turn her around, Jim. What a ditch. What I... spit the dust out of my mouth. I crawled back up on the road. Hey, anybody hurt? No, no, I'm... I'm okay, Lou. Okay, nothing wrong here. We must have hit a mine. Boy, we are sure lucky to all get out of that okay. I'm sorry, Sarge, my fault, I guess. How could you know, Jim? Come on, we gotta get out of here. How? The jeep's ruined. So, George, how about you hoofing it back until you run into somebody with a radio and let the company know where we are? We'll go on down to the village and wait there in one of the houses, okay? Okay, Sarge, we'll see you soon. All right, you guys, let's get the gun in the ammo and your blanket rolls. We might be needing them. We made our way down to the town, careful at first. But it was deserted, so we picked out a house and betted down on the floor in our blankets. I figured we might as well get some shut-eye until they came to get us. I was lying there in the corner trying to find a soft spot on my pack that I was using for a pillow. Jim Longhair, who was rolled up in his blanket next to me. Sarge. Yeah, Jim. I really pulled a boner today. I should have stayed on the road. Oh, forget it, boy. I can. And there's some other things I can't forget. Listen, Sarge, I've been doing some thinking. Since I've been with the squad, they've really treated me well. I guess I haven't showed much gratitude. Oh, who wants you to? Well, I think I owe you an explanation. About what? About me. Well, I acted like I did when I first joined up with you all. You remember, I told you my great-grandfather was sitting below. Oh, that? Yeah. And you thought it was something I should be proud of. I'm not. You... you've heard of Custer's last stand, haven't you? Why, sure. I guess everybody has. Don't you know what regiment that company of Custer was from? The Seventh. The Seventh? Oh, yes. The blood of the Seventh was on his hands. And since I am his descendant, it is on my hands, too. From the time I was a kid, I've always wanted to wipe it clean somehow. That's why I requested I be assigned to the Seventh when I joined up. Somebody must have listened because I'm here. Well, what are you worried about? Let's say my great-grandfather went out and robbed a bank. Does that mean I have to pay the money back to the bank today? Ah, of course not. This is different, Sarge. There's a difference between a bank robbery and a massacre. A massacre? Hey, Sarge! Where's the Sarge? Here I am. What's up, Tony? Down the road. There's a bunch of soldiers marching in. I don't think so. They're coming from the other direction. You guys stand by. Let's take a look. While we watched an officer on a motorcycle drove slowly past the house. And I guess it was his sixth sense of something because he gave the house the once over and then turned around and came back. He got off a cycle and came into the house, his hand on his holster. We could see him through a crack in the trap doors and he jumped down suspiciously. But as he turned to go out again, satisfied, Jim suddenly pulled back the trap door and jumped down right on top of him. Come on, you guys! I got him! He jumped down and in a minute he was our prisoner. His hands and feet tied. Sarge, let's find out where those tanks are going. Any of you guys got one of them at GI German English Handbooks? Here's one, Lou. The rest of you keep an eye out that window there in case they come looking for him. Now, Oberleutnant, I want some answers fast. I'll answer every one of my questions with a sneer. Finally, after about 15 minutes of this... Hey, Sarge! Longhair told me to tell you to go out of the room and let him in here by himself. He wants to try something. Okay, but tell him to snap it up. We might have some tall traveling to do. Okay, Jim, whenever you're ready. I went into the next room with the other guys and in a moment I knew what Jim was up to. Fixed up like he was the night of the show, he was dancing around the bug-eyed German Louis with his axe and rifle. And by the time he was finished, he told his life history if we wanted it. But all we wanted was where that armored column was going. And we got it. But there was still something to do yet. Hey, how are we going to get this dope to the regiments, Sarge? I guess somebody off to bird-dog it out of here. No, I got it all figured. I had it when I jumped him. Look, George ought to be back with the company by now and headed this way, right? Right. And he knows the Morse code. And so do I. Now I'm going to try something again. What, another war dance? Grab a couple of chairs there and come on out with me to the backyard, you see. We followed him out in a minute. He had a fire going. Now bring me that shoulder half. Oh, I get it. Smoke signals. Right. And I'll bet this is the first time they were ever done in the Morse code. I suppose I should have stopped him because I knew there was about one chance in a million that something like this had worked. But I knew Jim had more than one reason for doing it. And if it was going to help him get rid of that notion about his great-grandfather, I wasn't going to stop him. So while he and Tony manipulated the shoulder half over the fire, I got the rest of the squad set up in position with a gun in case the armored column started coming back. About 15 minutes later, it was a fire fight off in the distance and we knew something was happening. And in about half an hour, we knew what. Hey, Sarge, look what's coming. Down the road running for their lives were the same Germans that went up the road before. We trained the gun on them and corralled them in the yard. By the time our company came in, we must have had half the armored column without their armor, prisons. In a few minutes, our platoon lieutenant with George and his Jeep rolled into the yard. Hey, congratulations, Sergeant Brent. Thanks, lieutenant. Say, would you come over here a minute before you talk to the squad? I'd like to ask you something. Oh, okay, Sarge. Shoot. Did you and George see any smoke signals? Smoke signals? What are you talking about? Yeah, that's okay. I'll explain later. Just do me a favor now. When you see long hair, tell them you did and that it was that which tipped you off the armored column was coming. Sure, Sergeant Brent. Well, the regiment knew they were coming since yesterday. We were all ready for it. Yeah, yeah, I figured that. But don't you and George tell Jim, okay, sir? Sure. When we went back to the squad, Jim wasn't there. He had gone back into the house with Tony. I went in and found him sitting there. Hey, Sarge, take a look. Well, what are you doing to Jim with them scissors, Tony? You told me to do it, Sarge. That's right. About what I told you before, Sarge, well, that's one of the things I swore to do when I made up to the seventh for my ancestor. It's no more Jim long hair. From now on, just call me GI Jim. Well, as you know, the war ended in a couple more weeks. But during that time, I found out something about Jim's story that had puzzled me. We were the seventh regiment, all right, but ours is an eighth regiment. And the regiment that Custer belonged to was the seventh cavalry regiment. But that was another thing I didn't tell Jim, and you configured war. Well, it's just about ten years since then, and me and George and Tony are sitting here in the club waiting. I guess he isn't gonna make it. Yeah, maybe we better get started getting ready for the parade. Hey, there he is! Jim! Hey, Jim! Hey, Jim! Jim, are you so nervous? He runs down from the psychosomatic garbage. They're the hollows and the slabs in the back, but there's no time for more than that. In a few moments, we'll be marching down Main Street side-by-side for middle-aged civilians whose uniforms grew too small for them and one soldier who grew to fit his and paid a debt that he thought he hadn't paid it in full. Ask most anyone what they want out of life and the great majority of the answers can be born out of just one word. That one word is happiness. Well, now happiness is a lot of different things to a lot of different people, but basically, I guess you might say that it's the achievement of your goals to be happy as you live in the lines and in whatever occupation you choose. Training is the key to success. If you're a young man of service, you can get free training worth thousands of dollars by enrolling now in your United States Army's enrolling now in the United States Army's new technical training. Under this plan, you can enter the course of your choice and be trained in such interesting fields as x-ray operation, photography, automotive maintenance, and communications. In all, there are over 100 courses to choose from. So, for complete information on how you can benefit from this program, you visit your local United States Army Recruiting Station. If you're a high school graduate, we suggest you invest in this program. This has been another program on proudly-behaved presented by the United States Army in the United States Army's new technical training. This has been another program on proudly-behaved proudly-behaved presented by prescribed in cooperation with this radio station. Proudly-behaved is produced by the Recruiting Publicity Center for the United States Army, and this is Richard Hayes speaking. I'm inviting you to tune in to the same station next week for another interesting story on proudly-behaved