 to Germany, from Alaska to Puerto Rico. All over the world, the United States Army is on the alert to defend our 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 Stuart Queen. With this issue of the Big Picture, we begin a series of special reports for the next six weeks. We will inspect the continental armies of the United States. We'll be conducted on a guided tour of their principal units and installations. In these first-person reports, we'll learn of their missions and see just how they are being fulfilled. All Americans are vitally interested in the defense of their country, but if you live in the northeastern portion of America, it is only natural that you be particularly interested in the army which is based in that section, the First Army. Our story today is First Army. We'll roam through the eight states which are included in its territory. See and hear what it is doing. Talk to the soldiers who are keeping it at top strength. First stop is America's largest city, where Lieutenant John Mortimer is waiting to pick us up for a guided tour of First Army. Our story begins at the battery of the tip of Lower Manhattan. You board a ferry for Governor's Island headquarters of the First Army. Groups of soldiers and army civilians are making the trip too. They're on their way to work at a post which has a long and honored history in America's defense efforts. As we roll up to the bow of the boat, we can see Governor's Island across the short strip of water in New York Harbor. The Statue of Liberty, symbol of freedom, is in constant view during the six-minute ride. Then the ferry noses into its slip. An MP welcomes you officially to Fort Jay, and you get your first look at the place which was bought back in 1637 for two ax heads, a string of beads, and a handful of nails. It was a key spot in Washington's defense against the British in the Revolutionary War. Old Cannon dot the landscape, and Castle William was a model bastion for the shore defenses in its day. These fortifications were built at the beginning of the 19th century, and a military prisoner chiseled this scene, the original seal of the old war department. The moat, drawbridge, and sally port are interesting historical relics from those early days of our Republic when private citizens helped the army to build battlements such as these. The man entrusted with the responsibility for fulfilling the mission of First Army lives here. And now to the General's office. This Lieutenant General withers A. Burris, commanding General of First United States Army. Welcome to the First Army. Sir, just what is First Army? First Army is a continental army. That is, its job is here in the United States. Its territory extends from the northern borders of Maine to the southern borders of New Jersey, and includes all of the New England states as well as New York and New Jersey. And what is the job of First Army, General? Its big job is to accept men and women into the army and train them to be soldiers. We send them when and where they are needed, receive them when they get back, and return them to civil life when their tour is ended. That's one job. We train and support the National Guard and the Army reserves. We care for and support virtually all the Army installations in our area, whether they belong to First Army or to some other branch of the military establishment. And last but not least, First Army is kept ready for any disaster, riot or emergency in this area where armed force might be necessary. This, as you know, could be right in your hometown. You have learned of the mission of the First Army from its leader. Now for a look at it in action. First stop is about a mile away, back to downtown Manhattan. This doorway at 39 Whitehall is a familiar sight to many men in uniform. More soldiers enter the service here at the main induction station than at any other spot in the country. About 100 men a day go through here. Here is where the best medical service in the world begins. Results of the physical examination are evaluated. Fine. That looks okay. You're physically qualified for the armed forces. But an important moment is yet to come. You men are about to be inducted into the Army of the United States as I call your name. Take one step forward. The step in itself constitutes your formal induction into the Army of the United States. You need make no statement as I call your name. Take one step forward. Kramer Harvey, Gerdas Gerhard, Polar Stock Burton, Solow Bernard, Fisher Frank, Bull John. You men have now been inducted into the Army of the United States. Each and every one of you is now a member of the Army and amenable to all rules and regulations as well as the Articles of War. In the military as in civilian life you have certain rules and regulations which govern your conduct as individuals. In the military they are known as Articles of War. These articles are numerous. There are 140 of them. In detail when you get to Fort Dix. Now there are full fledged soldiers in the Army of the United States and on their way to their new Army home, Fort Dix, 73 miles away. Things move swiftly here at Fort Dix like a well oiled machine. More than 150,000 soldiers have had basic and specialized training at this reception center in the last six years. Let's see what kind of an impression it makes on a new arrival. How's it fit there, soldier? How long have you been in the service? This is my second day. Your second day? Were you just been in about 48 hours then? How do you like it? I like it very much, thank you. First Army does its best to correctly mold a man into a soldier. They give him a uniform that fits. And an interview to place him in the job he's best fitted for. Are you on a 50 to 51? Yes. Past the OCS test? Your hobbies? You have any? Yes, carpenter. You speak any foreign languages? No, sir. What, you're active in high school or college? Yes, I play basketball. Then the toughening and training begin. It is during this basic training that a man learns about his best friend in the Army, the M1 rifle. You say, low crouched, I do not want you to bend down on this man. And something for which there is no substitute is the sound of bullets whizzing overhead and the necessity for keeping close to the ground. We wondered what kind of impact this made on a man going through fire for the first time. How was it, soldier? Oh, it was pretty tough, but it's worth it in the long run. Well, you think you could do it in combat if it were necessary? Yes, I think I could. Well, be sure and keep your head down. Thanks a lot. Thank you, sir. Many skills are needed to maintain a well-trained Army. On a typical day at Fort Dix, you see evidence of many kinds of schooling, men on their way to cooking class. Learning to maintain vehicles. Communications by radio. Or climbing a pole. These men are members of the 716th Military Police Battalion. Like most outfits on this post, they function as a training unit. But they also have another purpose. That is to stand as the first Army ready reserve. They're ready in case of disaster. This type of training has to their ability to cope with any situation in a local or national emergency. We consulted Colonel Moody, commander of the 716th about their mission. But just how does your unit function, Colonel? The 716th Military Police Battalion has the mission to perform internal security measures and provide general military police service in the zone of the interior or in a communication zone overseas. Well, now, if there was a disaster in New York City, how long would it take your battalion to get in action? It would take us approximately four hours to get our men and equipment ready to move. Well, let's hope that occasion never arises. Thank you. We leave Fort Dix, First Army's huge training center, devoted to schooling and training thousands of military personnel. Our next stop, 43 miles to the east, to Fort Mammoth, the great signal center in the First Army area. Almost as important to an Army as guns and the men to shoot them are rapid communications and the well-trained specialists to keep the messages moving. Fort Mammoth has grown as the Army's need for advanced methods of communications has grown. But more than miracles of communications have come from its laboratories. Barring devices and apparatus, too secret to mention, have been developed here for use by ammunition experts and bomb designers. We're traveling now toward the main post along Memorial Drive, named for commemorative plaques placed here in tribute to signal corps personnel who died gallantly in the defense of their country. And we turn off to see something which is not usually thought of in these days of electronic miracles. Yes, those are pigeon coops. Are pigeons still useful in the Army, Sergeant? Yes, sir. There's still being used right now in Korea. We've shipped over 200 to Korea this operation, these operations. Well, now, this must be one of your pet birds here. Oh, yes, this is G.I. Joe. This is one of the most famous birds in military history. He is credited with saving the lives of a thousand Buddhist soldiers at Columbia Vetchily in Italy. And he was decorated by the British government, the Lord Mayor of London, awarded him the Dickin Medal for gallantry. Well, how old is G.I. Joe? Sir, Joe is 11 years old. He was asked in 1942. I see. Well, this is very interesting. Thank you so much. All right, sir. To keep communications that can pass all levels of command messages, soldiers have to be well trained and drilled. It is here at the signal school that such training is given. Every post has a place of worship, but Fort Mama's Captain Morielli is a man known throughout the army, and we thought we'd stop for a few words with him. Captain Morielli, when a man gets in uniform, does he tend to neglect his religious obligations at all? On the contrary, we feel that a man is not neglecting his religious obligations when he gets in the army. In fact, they may be strengthened. We feel that on this post in particular, and in the army in general, the very fact that army attendance in army chapels is believed to exceed the attendance in civilian communities of comparable size is an indication of the spiritual interest that these men have. For example, recently, we were able to beautify part of our chapel as a result of contributions. That is, we used contributions from our men to add various things to the chapel. And that, too, to us is an indication of the interest that our men have in spiritual affairs. Well, you certainly have a very nice chapel here. Nice to chat with you, chaplain. Thank you. But the big story at Fort Mama is behind closed, well-guarded doors, where army experts build weird and wonderful devices with a clear purpose in mind to keep our army powerful in war and peace. The work here at Fort Mama is giving great impetus to the modern miracle that is the world of the electron. It is here that the eyes and ears of the army are corrected for the best sight and sound that can be achieved. Next stop for the big picture camera is Massachusetts and Fort Devons. This is the home of the 278th Regimental Infantry Combat Team, an important First Army unit which is kept at combat readiness. These tanks of the regiment's tank company are in line preparing for today's training. That's Captain John M. Gasky, tank company commander who is briefing his men on the problem ahead. Now, this afternoon we'll run off this attack problem again. Third platoon, you lead out. Second platoon next and then first platoon. Going down the road in that order, one of the things we're going to be watchful for this afternoon... Word has come. The enemy is sighted in the powerful new M-48 patent tank swing into action. They're on their way, not to fight exactly, but to learn how to fight. This tank has received a simulated direct hit and there's been a casualty. The tank is pulled off to the side and while the radio calls for a medic evacuation team, the injured man gets First Aid. And almost before he can realize it, he hears the welcome noise of the whirly bird. This was a common sight in Korea where 16,000 injured men were rushed by helicopter to regimental collecting companies or mobile army surgical hospitals within minutes after being hit. This is the way lives are saved in battle and this is one of the places where men learn how to do it. But now let's look at one of the most unique of the many training activities here at Fort Devons. The language unit. The only school of its kind in the army where men learn to read, write and speak English. This is my... These soldiers, some from Poland, Hungary, Romania, Estonia, Latvia, Ukraine, Czechoslovakia and Russia are in the United States Army and are learning how to speak, read and write English here at Fort Devons. They joined willingly and they've made good soldiers. This is Mr. Adams, director of the school. Mr. Adams, what motivates these men to join the American Army? Well, the reasons are many, but I believe fundamentally it is to fight against communism. And what might be another reason? Well, they have the opportunity to become citizens, you see. Well, how do they do that? At the end of five years, they're eligible to start in citizenship procedure. Well, after five years in the American Army, they can get their citizenship. Yes, they can. Can we talk to one of these men? Where are you from? From Estonia. And why did you join the American Army? Well, would you ever go back to that country? No. Well, good luck to you. The history of Fort Devons goes all the way back to 1657 when a British army major founded a small settlement here. Fort Devons itself was established in 1917 and has been an important army post ever since. We now leave Fort Devons and proceed to the Boston Army base where our big picture camera takes us on a tour of a meat processing plant in operation. All food used in the army is carefully inspected by army personnel. The veterinary corps inspects all foods of animal origin, such as these beef carcasses. Most of this meat will go overseas to military personnel stationed there. This is Lieutenant Colonel George H. Sackley, who's chief of veterinary activities in the Boston area. Colonel, what are you inspecting here? We're inspecting each beef carcass to determine whether it's the proper grade of the army contract. And those are pretty rigid specifications I gathered. Yes, indeed. Each carcass must be inspected for the fat covering, for the conformation of the carcass and for the quality of the meat. What is the next step after the inspection? After this is completed, we move to the boning room. Can we watch that operation? Yes, indeed. During this operation, all the meat going into the boning room is weighed. We do this to make sure that the army is getting all parts of the carcass that they're entitled to. This operation is the cutting table. All these cuts are inspected to make sure that they're properly trimmed. All the fat that is supposed to be taken off is taken off. And at the end of this operation, the cuts are ready for packing. Here we are making the hamburger component, our ground beef. All of the trimmings and so forth, which are not used for cuts, are put through two grinds. First, a rough grind, and second, a fine grind. And then they are packaged. That's right, they're then packaged and are ready for freezing. And then go overseas. That's correct. And soon it's on its way, all packaged, on its way to mess halls and mess kits, the world over. Now the big picture camera swings back to New Jersey and Camp Kilmer, and it's on its way to either send off or welcome back the army's very important persons. In this case, soldiers are returning from overseas. Six feet out in the center of the car. For some of these men, one part of their military service is ending. They are at Camp Kilmer for transfer from active duty after two years of service. They'll soon become part of the ready reserve in their home states, and available for further service in the event of a national emergency. That man passes through. Here a man is informed of his remaining obligations to his government and of his government's obligations to him. An important part of the transfer process is the counseling interview. Here a soldier gets information about insurance, employment, and any number of problems affecting his veteran status. From six to nine thousand men go through here each month, each of them receiving careful screening of their records, a complete physical, and final pay. That man is going to the reserve, but Camp Kilmer is also a point of departure for overseas duty. Camp Kilmer is the army stationery on the east coast. It not only collects and moves men out, it prepares them for the job ahead. That's the task of an old soldier like Sergeant First Class Frank Thomas. What do you tell a man who's on his way overseas? What we of the overseas orientation team tell them takes approximately three hours. We remind them that they're on their way to Europe, where they will face new duties and further training. We also tell them that the countries that they're going to see will be of a different sorts than America. We remind them that the fact that they are American ambassadors and what the people of the foreign countries see with them will reflect directly upon America. So from there we give them a short course on what the people will be like that they're living among. And what's the next step after that? The next step is to wait for available space on a ship. And then they're ready to go? That's correct. Thank you, Sergeant. And this Sergeant is starting another phase in a long career. How many times have you been through Camp Kilmer, Sergeant? Three times. And where are you going now? Back to my outfit. One-seventh of a second after the regiment, in Germany. Well, how many years have you made for you with this re-enlistment? Thirteen. We'll have a happy voyage. Thank you. Processing these men through here is a big job. That's a bit of Camp Kilmer's mission as part of the First Army. If you were to leave here on your way overseas, your next stop would be the New York Port of Embarkation. A vast project of the Army is the shipment of equipment and personnel to overseas installations. Here at the largest domestic transportation core terminal in the country, the Army has handled some 7 million measurement tons of cargo and over 500,000 passengers. Embarking and debarking new and front points all over the world. Almost daily, American troops leave this port for their overseas assignments. This ship is taking replacements to Europe. Our visit to First Army ends where it began in New York Harbor. From a tiny island, First Army controls a huge, complex military machine spread over eight strategically important Northeastern states. Operated by thousands of full-time soldiers and civilian specialists, dedicated to America's greatest task, the fight for freedom. And that's the wind-up on First Army. We'll soon be on our way with a big picture camera to Second Army where we'll see you next week. That's the story of First Army. One of the six armies ever vigilant within the continental limits of the United States. We've learned of its mission from its commander and spoken to officers and men who are helping to keep it functioning in readiness. This has been the first of a special series of on-the-spot reports, as seen through the eye of the big picture camera. Next week, our camera lens will be pointing in the direction of another segment of our vast continental force, the Second Army. Once again, our guide will be Lieutenant John Mortimer. Now, this is Sergeant Stuart Queen inviting you to tune in 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 Corps Pictorial Center, presented by the U.S. Army in cooperation with this station. You can be an important part of the Big Picture. You can proudly serve with the best equipped, the best trained, and the world today, the United States Army.