 This is your Cavalcade commentator, Walter Houston. Next Friday marks the beginning of America's fourth year at war. At this time, the future looks bright, but the war is not over yet. We still have long months of bitter fighting ahead, and the men in uniform at the rare moments when they can need to relax. This evening, our Cavalcade play deals with a branch of the American Red Cross, which helps these men to find relaxation. Donut Girl, written by Edith Sommer, is based upon factual material supplied by Annette Robbins, a Red Cross worker, recently returned from the South Pacific. Donut Girl is the personal record of Patricia Holland, a Chicago girl who found herself at a jungle air base somewhere in New Guinea. Pat Holland will be portrayed by the star of the Metro-Golden-Air picture. Marriage is a private affair, a star who is one of Hollywood's brightest and loveliest Lana Turner. It was almost two years ago when Pat Holland arrived in New Guinea, burdened with luggage and rosy illusions. Well, she's back home now, and yesterday she received a letter from a friend. A letter asking a question which, but the letter was addressed to Pat, and this is her story. The letter full of exclamation points and gashes was from Florence. You see, Florence has just joined the Red Cross, and she wants to know how it is in New Guinea. She wants to know what working there is like. Well, it's a little hard to answer, but I can tell you what it was like for me. Of course, things are much different now. But when I came there two years ago, there were only eight of us Red Cross gals, and now there are hundreds. Things were pretty rugged then, just getting organized. I didn't realize it, of course, and I stepped off the plane feeling like Lady Bountiful with my feet in the mud and my head in the stars. I remember how I felt as a plane with me as its only passenger came in for a landing. The plane stopped on the airstrip. OK, OK, come on out, Lady, this way. I'm Patricia Holland of the Red Cross. It's... Welcome to New Guinea, Miss. Give me your luggage. Well, that's it in a plane. Tell me. Holy smoke! Hey, Joe, hold up a minute. I gotta get this junk out of here first. Excuse me, but I don't seem to see... Is anybody from the Red Cross around? Sorry? Oh, but I'm Pat Holland, and... Let's get her to the shed. OK, Joe, we're all around now. Well, hasn't anybody asked about me? Nope. Oh, what do I do now? Come on, Joe, swing her to the left. Thank you, pardon me. Oh, oh, oh, Lieutenant. Yes, sir. Oh, Lieutenant, I'm Pat Holland with the Red Cross, and I've just flown from America, and... Well, what's the matter? Are all those suitcases yours? But they're only five. Five? OK, come on, I'll drive you over to your headquarters. Oh, it's a jeep. Oh, what fun. No, no, wait a minute, don't help me. I can get him myself. OK, but aren't you forgetting something? I am? What? You're the Red Cross, aren't you? Yes, of course. And you came out here to work? That's right. And how about toting your own luggage? Come on, it won't hurt you. They're only five. Glad to have you with us, Miss Holland. While you remain in this area, there are naturally several regulations you must follow. You must keep your head covered while under the sun, and you must keep your legs covered at all times. I beg your pardon? Mosquitoes. Oh. Of course, we expect you to do your full share of the work. Work's not easy, but then you knew that when you joined up. There are many things to be done, but club mobiles to meet the fliers. Well, after sitting for three hours at headquarters, the Red Cross director finally interviewed me. By then I was beginning to feel that I was about as welcome as the Black Plague. And then I met Anne Peppley. Anne was my supervisor, and the first girl I met in New Guinea. I said to her, I said, Hello, I'm Pat. Hello, Pat. How much do you weigh? Why? And the scrub floors? Well, no, but... You will. Sandwiches? Hmm? Can you make sandwiches? Oh, oh, sure. You see what I mean? Oh, and we need about 500 by 01300. Oh, now wait a minute. What's the matter? Are you afraid of work? No, I'm not afraid of work. See, what's the matter with you people anyway? I come here all the way from America, and I don't know why, but I feel like I was a chap or something. I land in the plane and nobody meets me. I get to headquarters and sit in the boiling heat for three hours, and nobody talks to me. I'm tired and I'm hot and nobody cares. What are you running here anyway? A private war? Peanut butter. What? Make those sandwiches with peanut butter. Oh, all right. I will make them with peanut butter. All the sandwiches you want. And I'll scrub the floors and wash the windows and make the beds and clean the kitchen and... and I'll do all these things. But there's one thing I won't do. What's that? Well, everybody's got to clean his own bathtub ring. Ha-ha, what bathtub? Open out the door. Only there wasn't any door, because the headquarters building was just a thatched hut. I pushed along the jungle path toward the barracks. My heart was so heavy and my eyes were full of tears, and I was mad and I was lonely, and... and then it happened. Man, ain't that new girl pretty? Oh, thank you. Thank you very much. Oh, thanks. Thank you. They settled down to a routine then. A routine of work and sweat. It wasn't bad, though. It really wasn't. The cold reception I received on my arrival wasn't directed at me personally. They didn't resent me. You see, for Red Cross Gals, the ticket of admission to the Theatre of War is work. And at first it looked like I was trying to get in on a free pass. There were so few of us there, only eight and so much to be done. So much. Well, anyway, for the first few weeks, I spent my time being the maid of all works. That is, until the day I was in the Red Cross Club stacking donuts for the club mobile with the rest of the girls when the telephone rang. That's Pat, will you? Okay, sure. Hello, Pat Holland here. This is Lieutenant Crowley. Flight of B-25 bombers returning from strike. All planes accounted for. ETA 1500. Okay, Lieutenant, that's well. Somebody will be there. Right. The planes are returning from the mission. They'll be in at three o'clock. Okay, you ready, Pat? Oh, sure, the donuts are stacked and the juices in the wagon. No, I mean you. Are you set? Me? What for? Oh, didn't I tell you you're going with me today? You mean in the club mobile, out to meet the flyers? That's right. Oh, but... It doesn't matter, don't you want to go? Want to? Oh, my gosh, sure. Yes, of course, but... But what? Well, I've been meaning to tell you, Pat. All the rest of us? Well, we think you've done a good job. Thanks, Anne. It's been pretty tough, I know. But you see, the seven of us came out for the Red Cross, and we were the first to come to New Guinea. And then when you came... I was an intruder, huh? Not exactly, but we had to be sure you were willing to work as hard as the rest of us. Listen, Anne. Oh, please. Come on, let's go. No, wait a minute. It doesn't matter. It's a 175th row. But how do you know? Oh, after a while, you'll get so you can tell every plane in the Air Force just for the sound of its motor. Where are the donuts? Oh, right here. I'd pile them all up. Better get them out to the club mobile. Or in the coffee. Come on, Pat. It takes about 10 minutes to get to the airstrip, and our boys will be along any minute now. Well, honey, don't just stand there. Let's go. Wait a minute, Anne. What's the matter for Heaven's sake? Well, I... I don't know exactly. You're going to the club mobile ship. Well, no, you're going instead of that. I know. That's what I mean. You see, ever since I joined the Red Cross, I kept thinking about when I'd meet the missions. I'd think of sweating it out with the ground crews waiting for the planes to come in. And I'd think about how I'd talk to the pilots and, you know, laugh with them. Things like that. But now what? I'm scared. Come on, Pat. Let's get the stuff in the club mobile. Here we go. Oh, gosh, Anne. No kidding. I've been waiting for this. I got here. I thought I... See, what's the matter with this thing anyway? Does it take long to get to the airstrip? How about 10 minutes? Well, it won't take us that long. Anne. Anne, the battalion's dead. But it can't be. I... Pat. It's only turning on the ignition. Oh, Anne. I'm really excited. Well, this time we're really off. Oh, Anne. We went backwards. So we did. This time, instead of reverse, put it in first half. Yeah, maybe it would help. Well, OK, Anne. This time, I guarantee, we're really off. Fruit juice donuts. Oh, but why don't they come? They'll come. Oh, great, haven't you? Sure, for heaven's sake, but this is... Same thing. This is just boys, Pat. 20, 21 years old, most of them. Just talk to them, joke with them, help them relax so they can be interrogated by air intelligence. What's that for? Well, intelligence officers question the crew so they can learn of possible enemy losses, new tactics, new equipment, things like that. Happens after every mission. That's our job, see, to get the boys to relax so they can talk. Say, you don't think that... Well, hi, Bill. Pat, this is Bill and his chief of the ground crew for the Grease Lightning. Hi, Pat. Hello. Ground crew for the what? The Grease Lightning. Ain't you ever heard of it? That's the best blaster to port in the whole Air Force. You knew, huh? This is the first time Pat sweated out a strike. Take it easy, kid. This is the toughest part. They're a little late, aren't they? Yeah, we just got a report that one of them got it over the target. Oh, no. Tough. Which one? No, just hope it wasn't my boys. So I'll just hope it wasn't my guys. Oh, it couldn't be Bill. Not with Rip. Where the skipper? Yeah, that's the way I figured. Now, Ollie's over there, sick on a dog. He sure it's his gang. Had a pre-monition last night. Ollie did. Kept me awake all night with it. That was a shit, though. Yeah, Ollie's sure they got it. Last night he dreamed he'd seen him go down. Well, I... I'll see you later, Anne. All right, Bill. Bill, if you hear anything more, let me know, will you? Yeah, sure. Sure, I will, Anne. See, they sure are all late, aren't they? Listen, Anne, and does it happen often? Plain's going down? Yeah. Yes, Pat, it does. But how can you stand it? Well, sometimes you can't. This is the worst. Not knowing which one. Oh. You see, Pat, sometimes there's a special boy. I know Anne. Mary told me about it. I was right out here on the strip. Just like now. All the planes came in. But he has didn't. We were going to be married. Look, look out there coming. Where? Where? Over there, see? Donna Turner and Donut Girl on the Cavalcade of America brought to you by the DuPont Company for things for better living through chemistry. Red Cross Recreation worker Pat Holland first landed in New Guinea to serve the Fifth Air Force. She felt like Florence Nightingale and Bob Hope and Hedy Lamar all rolled into one. But weeks of scrubbing floors and making sandwiches have helped prepare her for the greatest heartache of them all. Waiting on the airstrip for the men to return from a combat mission. You've heard about Rip Gwear, I guess. Everybody has. Well, I met Rip while I was in New Guinea. That first day I was out on the airstrip in a club will build. His was the first plane in. I remember it was my first plane and I was nervous and scared and I couldn't seem to talk to the boys at all. And, well, the boys just talked to each other about the mission. Hey, listen, I had that zero right in my sights when Donna and my machine gun didn't go and get a plug in it. Yeah, and how about some more bugs? Yeah, come on, Annie, fill it up, will you? Okay, okay, I'm coming. How about you, Tim? Yeah, sure. Listen, man, two zeros are coming from the left. See, Soyose is on the climb upstairs. And that was when I met Rip Gwear. I was standing there feeling pretty useless and out of things when... Hello. Hello. I'm Rip Gwear. And I'm... I know you're scared. You needn't be. Well, it's just that I can't seem to get started. I know. It's my boys. And they're shy, see? They've already hopped up right now. We're going to have a rough time of it. As soon as they get to know you, it'll be all right. Besides, you're too pretty. They can't ignore you for long. Where are you from? Chicago. I... Thanks, Rip. That's okay. What's your name? Pat. You remind me of Emily. Emily? You're my wife. I haven't seen her in three years. Hey, you guys, where's your manners? Jim, Tony, Fred, this is Pat. How are you, Pat? Hey, Tony, Pat's from your hometown. Yeah? No kidding. See, how's Chicago making out? Exactly the same, Tony. The Drake's next to the lake and the weather's next to impossible. Chief Pat, remember Randolph Street? Sure. Ah, boy, that street has memories for me. I remember one day I was walking past Marshall Fields. A girl came up to me and she said, Right out, she said, It wasn't spectacular what Rip did. Oh, but it meant so much. I accepted one of the gang. Funny how important that is to have boys near baby some of them except you as an equal. But then you remember that these aren't just kids. They're men. Brave men who face death casually every day. I was traveling in pretty honored company and it was a swell feeling. Oh, one other thing happened that day. As the bombers came in one by one, Bill, Rip's ground crew sergeant came running up to us. Pat, listen, listen, I was wrong. I was wrong about what? We didn't lose the plane, they're all in. See, here comes the last one now. All the planes is in. Oh, Bill, that's wonderful. Listen, when Russ's plane rolled down the strip, his ground crew were so happy they cried like babies. They were so afraid about Ali's premonition. But when they saw that plane, no kidding, they just cried, all of them. They all except Ali. He was so happy, he got sick. He ripped us all back from Australia. One about the pair of shoes. Right, here it is. Okay, Bill, you talk me into it. You want a dance fan? Sure, Rip, I'd love to. Would you like to see a picture of my son? Oh, Rip, did it come? Yep, I got it in the mail this morning. Come on out here, Pat. Get over by the light. There it is. Oh, Rip, he's a fine boy. How old is he? He looks just like his dad. Yeah, Emily keeps writing he acts like me, too. She says he's got a lopsided grin. See, you can see it in the picture. It's blood a little, I guess he moved. But if you look closer... Oh, yes, yes, I see it. Oh, jeez, darling. Yeah, Emily says he laughs like me. And he won't eat his eggs. Won't eat his eggs? Nope, can't stand him. But when I get home, oh, no, I guess I won't. I don't like eggs either. Oh, gosh, Pat. You know, I never seen him. Little guy was born just four days after I was shipped overseas. But he knows me. Emily's taken care of that. She had a little picture made from a big one she had. And my boy was a little kid. And he wears it pinned to his jacket like it was a medal or something. And Emily says that whenever he meets somebody, he points to my picture and says, Hey, you, that's my daddy. Why don't I go back and dance, Pat? I'd love to. Gee, boy. Huh? Why are you laughing at me? Me? I never thought of it before, but, well, if I ever have a little girl of my own, I sure hope a little guy like yours has her telephone number. It wasn't that I was in love with Rip. That would be too simple. But I loved him. We all loved him. I don't know why. He was just a dumb-looking 23-year-old kid from Kansas City who had a wife he adored and a baby son he'd never seen. And yet, there was something I don't know, special about him. Every man in the squad wouldn't felt it. They worshipped him. Or they'd have followed him if he had led them into a battle where the odds were a hundred to one against them. Maybe there's an easier way of saying this. Maybe if I said that when Rip walked into her room, suddenly, your heart wouldn't weigh a thing. You'd know what I mean. Well, anyway, that's the way it was. And that's what made that day so unreal, so unbelievable. I was in the Red Cross hut mixing fruit juice. This time, I was alone and was over at the barracks. She and I had been told to stand by to meet a special mission due in any minute. So a couple of others had gone out to take care of our own boys. I was working at the table when I looked out- Come in a minute, will you? It was Bill, the ground crew sergeant. I walked over to the door. I don't believe it for a minute, so it's all right. But this report, see, they came in, they say it's verified. Oh, they've got jerks working up in communications. How do they know it's verified? I don't believe them, Pat. Them happy charlots are fighting a dream war. I don't pay no attention to them. That's what I'm trying to tell you. Look, I don't believe it for a minute, Pat. You don't believe what? Not for a minute, but they say that... They say what? Rip got it over target. They're the bombers in yet, Bill. Yeah, but they don't make no... All of them in Bill. No. Rip's a playmate. My playmate. Listen, Pat, I gotta go now and tell the other guys not to believe it. See, they're gonna get the report now. I gotta tell them not to believe it. Bill! But he's gone. I want it to run after him. I want it to run and yell and... Yes, Lieutenant. A flock of sandwiches and coffee on hand. Estimated time of arrival, 0900. Okay? Hey, do you get it? 0900? Sure, I got it, Lieutenant. That's well. We'll be there. That's the way I learned the main thing in war, teachers. The things don't happen to other people anymore. They happen to you. Of course, you learn other things, too. You learn about words like faith and hope. Words like that. It's funny, but they come to life for you when you're mixed up with a war. And they work for you. I've seen it happen. Again and again, I've seen it happen. And maybe the official report does this. Rip is missing in action. Presumed to be dead. All right, maybe he is. But a whole squadron of men in New Guinea, a girl and a little boy in Kansas City and I, we don't believe it. We know that somewhere Rip Gwear is alive. That's about all there is to it. I stayed on in New Guinea until about three months ago. When my mother became seriously ill and the Red Cross rushed me back to the States. Mother is fine now, so of course I... What, Pat Child? What are you doing? You'll be late. What? Oh, no, I won't, Mother. I was just sitting here thinking I was going to write Florence a letter. Oh, honey, I wouldn't do that now. You'll miss the train. It'll only take a minute, Mother. See? Look. Dearest Florence, just received your letter and I'm thrilled to death you're going to be a club mobile girl for the Red Cross. The rest of your letter I'll have to answer on board ship. You see, I'm leaving tonight for New Guinea. I'm going back with a new group of Red Cross workers. Meanwhile, lots of luck to you, Pat. Oh, P.S. I just had a hunch. They're looking for you on a ship. Oh, thanks to you, Lana Turner and to all the members of tonight's DuPont Cavalcade. Smoke shells are typical of many different DuPont products that have saved and will continue to save the lives of many army and navy men. By means of colored smoke candles and colored smoke shells that send up clouds of red, orange, yellow, green and violet smoke, lives are saved by identifying our ground forces so that our supporting planes and artillery can distinguish them from the enemy. Since most of these products are made of deep water New Jersey, the DuPont plant there might be called the plant that saves lives. Gain Whitman can tell you about some of the other interesting things they're doing at this plant. Well, Walter, for one thing, they're making neoprene. Neoprene is one of the most important parts in life-saving suits. Neoprene rubber, made at the deep water plant, also goes into flame-resistant jackets for electric cables on ship-borne. The ices for airplane wings and radio balloons used by flyers forced down at sea. Preeon refrigerants manufactured by DuPont at deep water play an important part in a malaria control method that is saving many lives in the tropics. When a small dispenser is opened, carries insecticide into the farthest corners of a tent or room in a few seconds. If a soldier does get malaria, army doctors treat him with atabrine, one ingredient of which is manufactured at the deep water plant. And in a sense, Camper made their saves lives too, because Camper is used in manufacturing the moving picture films that train our crack-shot aerial gunners to shoot first and shoot better. The plant that saves lives is known officially at DuPont as the chamber's works, in honor of Dr. Arthur D. Chambers, who contributed much to its early development. But in peacetime, this 500-acre plant with 750 buildings and 9,000 employees has still another name, the plant that has never stopped growing, because literally, it never has stopped growing in more than 25 years. Men and women who qualify for jobs at this New Jersey plant at the DuPont Company today and the plant is still hiring both men and women, have the best assurance of continuing employment. For when the war is won, the plant that saves lives will turn back into the plant that has never stopped growing, offering interesting, important jobs for long years to come. Men and women growing up with America's age of chemistry, supplying America and the world with an ever-increasing number of DuPont, better things for a better living through chemistry. Now, Walter Houston. Next week, our cavalcade play tells a thrilling story of another war, the war against pain. You meet the men who fought this war and you'll see how the victory they won is helping today to spare the wounded from the agony of surgery. Our star is Brian Dunleavy. I'm sure his performance will thrill you when you hear him in The Conquest of Pain, a next Monday's DuPont cavalcade of America. Thank you and good evening. The music on tonight's cavalcade was composed and conducted by Robert Ambruster. This is Gain Wetman inviting you to tune in next week to The Conquest of Pain starring Brian Dunleavy, brought to you by the E.I. DuPont Dinamoahson Company of Wilmington, Delaware. And think of this. The annual sale of Christmas seals has helped to reduce deaths caused by tuberculosis by 75%. Yet, since Pearl Harbor, TB has killed 145,000 civilians. That's why you should help by buying Christmas seals now. This is the National Broadcasting Company.