 Okay, move out. The American serviceman is trained to work and fight for freedom. Like this soldier, he brings concrete evidence of his friendship wherever he serves. This Navy doctor also knows the value of offering a helping hand. Airmen work with and for local populations wherever they are stationed, as do Marines who work in physical fitness and other community programs. These servicemen all know their specific military jobs. They also know the importance of being a good neighbor, a good military neighbor. Hello, I'm Jason Robards. As some of you know, I'm an actor. Reaching and helping people, that is to say being a good neighbor, is in a sense my business too. Like all actors, I am deeply interested in bringing laughter, enjoyment and meaning into the lives of the people I meet. But I'm not here to talk about actors. I want to tell you about another group of people who, in addition to their other duties, give freely of their time, their energy and their talent in extending friendship, help and goodwill to the people of their community and to communities all over the world. I'm speaking of the men and women of our armed forces, the soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen who are your military neighbors. Military men are good neighbors wherever they serve as members of the free world community. For example, where they stand in defense of freedom at places like the Berlin Wall, the demarcation line in Korea and the Viet Cong infested jungles of Vietnam. They also stand ready to answer any threat that may come from the skies or on the open seas anywhere in the world. I suppose we all know a great deal about the activities and capabilities of our armed forces. But the American serviceman has much to offer in addition to his military contribution. He also serves in peaceful and constructive ways. And I'm not speaking only of heroic or dramatic acts. The serviceman does an important job by just being himself, by working at his job and acting as a good citizen of the community and by raising his family in the best American tradition. A man is also known by the way he worships. In meetings like this Bible class, he worships with his friends and neighbors in an atmosphere of respect and affection. Like any good father, the serviceman recognizes the importance of working with young people. Soldiers at this army post entertain a group of boy scouts, teaching them how to play, work and live together. Working with young people, servicemen recognize specific needs and then design programs to fill those needs. Two Marines in the New York area responded to the special need they found by setting up this physical fitness program for local high school boys. Using the Marine Corps physical fitness test as a standard, they trained and tested the boys and then held competitions. These Marines know how to give. They're good neighbors. There are many ways to serve a community. These army and Navy bands do it by entertaining their neighbors at a sports event. This kind of friendly gesture takes place all over the world. An Air Force Band plays for its neighbors in Iran, the host country. And across the world in a friendship day celebration, Airmen thrill their neighbors with demonstrations of precision flying and parachuting. Parades have a universal appeal and are perhaps the most popular way for people to learn something about their military forces. Bands. Floats. And entertainment like this Army drill team exhibition all combine to create an unforgettable spectacle. This is also true of shows like this rodeo at Camp Pendleton, the Marine Corps base in California. Here we see another picture of how the serviceman relates to his community. Friendship is the result of understanding. A good way to accomplish this is to let your neighbor know who you are and what you are doing. These civilians meet their Navy and are taken on an orientation cruise aboard the USS Lexington. They see how the Navy works as part of the defense team and how the seamen live and work in the world's crisis areas. First-hand knowledge has always proved an excellent road to understanding and friendship. The many-sided story of military servicemen in community relations continues in a different and perhaps more vital area. It occurs daily in the disaster areas of the world. Wherever it happens, wherever the cry for help is uttered, members of the armed forces offer a helping hand. Here, for example, they help the victims of a violent flood in California. And across the world, they answer a similar cry for help from victims of a serious flood in South Vietnam. The needs are similar everywhere. Here in Libya, provisions are made to care for the homeless. And Army medical personnel work to relieve pain and disease. Earthquake victims in San Salvador also learn the value of their military neighbors. The values offered here are food for the hungry and medical assistance. Across the world in a similar disaster, these Yugoslavian peasants look for a way to rebuild their lives and their homes. The road back is long and difficult and they need help. Their military neighbors know the problems and they know how to solve them. Problems that range from saving a life to filling a stomach. The sick, the homeless and the hungry know what it means to need and receive a helping hand. The list of disasters and the need for help grows with each passing day. Here in a sudden and shattering misery that follows in the wake of a collapsing dam in Valuno, Italy. Or the destruction of a bridge by a flash flood that occurred in Tunis. Or in a Montana blizzard that threatened the farms and livestock of the entire community. Hay, dropped from Air Force planes, enabled the starving cattle to survive. In every case, the cry for help was heard and answered. Speed is sometimes the vital factor in offering aid. This Norwegian freighter, the Sandanger, caught fire in San Diego Bay. The Navy responded quickly. Within a matter of minutes, United States Navy firefighting units were on the job. Friendship for children is expressed in pretty much the same way everywhere. These airmen, through their Operation Santa Clause in Alaska, bring toys and gifts to their little Eskimo and Indian neighbors. Christmas is the same the world over and these kids enjoy it the same way ours do. This may not save any lives, but it does instill respect, confidence and affection for their military neighbors that will stay with these children the rest of their lives. Every military unit has its pet good neighbor project. Bringing 11-year-old chrysanthemous apocotsis to the United States from her home in Greece for heart surgery was the way this Air Force unit expressed its friendship. While this will never go down in history as a great feat of diplomacy, it was a warm humanitarian act that inspired gratitude and friendship in the still beating heart of a little girl and in the minds and hearts of her people. The average American serviceman has a natural talent for good community relations. He is an easygoing, good-natured guy with a strong sense of humanity. Part of his American heritage is to offer a helping hand when and where it is needed. Good community relations is more than just helping or giving. It also includes learning something about your neighbors. Here in Spain, they learn the fundamentals of the national sport, bullfighting. The knowledge of the language and customs of the people opens doors to better understanding and warmer friendship. It takes no great effort to meet and get to know the local population. Their attitudes and their way of life. To encourage good public relations, military installations throughout the world sponsor Armed Forces Day celebrations. The soldiers at this army post in Japan greet and entertain their friends in the best American tradition. Activities vary according to the social, cultural and economic interests of the country. Part of this Portuguese-American Armed Forces Day celebration is held at a local agricultural station. Air Force officers present pure-bred livestock to the Portuguese in order to help them develop new and more efficient animal husbandry methods. They also advise on new and more productive farming techniques. Another act of friendship. An act of practical worth that assists the growing agricultural economy. Problems differ in other parts of the world. Farmers in places like Thailand are in constant struggle against insects and pests that attack and would destroy their crops. They are helped by specially fitted Air Force planes that are used to spray the fields with insecticide. Another simple act of humanity with a very practical result. Delivering needed food to remote and inaccessible areas is another important Air Force activity. This is particularly important in places like the jungle areas of Southeast Asia. In a thousand different ways and in a thousand different situations, American servicemen help local populations raise their standard of living and build strong, independent communities. Mapping, surveying and planning land use helps the people of emerging nations to achieve these goals. Water is a precious commodity in any community. An adequate supply of fresh, pure water is always greatly appreciated. In drought-stricken areas like this remote South Vietnamese village, it can mean the difference between life and death. Neighbors like these army troops sometimes provide that difference. Medical assistance is desperately needed everywhere and is perhaps the most grateful it received of all our good neighbor efforts. It is offered all over the world and in a variety of ways. Project Concerned, the Navy's Floating Clinic, is a particularly successful effort. Army doctors and nurses bringing their medical skill and affectionate concern to this remote Korean island is another. Navy physicians and their assistants work hard to find a cure for trachoma. A serious problem here in Taiwan as well as other parts of the world. Time, energy and a variety of resources are all used to improve the health and well-being of our friendly allies. This medical team in the Philippines also works to achieve that purpose. Education is another sure road to a better life. Men of our armed forces teach not only medical technology, but a wide range of subjects that include English, agriculture, sanitary engineering and many mechanical skills. By and large, the military community relations programs have been successful throughout the world. I've seen a great deal of this work and I know how effective it can be. Effective in the relief of suffering in the raising of living standards and in the making of friends. But there are other types of community relations that have also made deep and lasting impressions on our neighbors, both at home and abroad. Sport is also a fine road to understanding. Our military athletes, along with those of 34 other nations, participate in sports competitions, conducted by the Conce International du Sport Militaire, or as it is commonly known, SISM. The official maxim of SISM expresses the organization's point of view. Sport means peace. Sport is the opposite of war. Sport is international and sport brings nations closer together. Special SISM contests are designed for each military group. These include the military pentathlon, the aeronautical pentathlon, and the naval pentathlon. Sport is truly a road to friendship and a power for peace. Perhaps the most meaningful community relations are the spontaneous. Simple extensions of friendship and love to another human being. These orphans in the Dominican Republic need and deserve that kind of love and friendship. And they get it. So do these children in a German orphan asylum. American servicemen always get a kick out of throwing a party for the small fry. The price of admission here is a healthy appetite. An appetite for ice cream, soda, candy, and affection. There's nothing of world-shaking importance that takes place at these parties, but they do produce the sound of laughter and a new note of hope in the world. One of the most heartwarming human relations stories I know deals with the Air Force operation ICITE in Japan. Airmen of the 6989th Security Squadron collected money and financed the program. They provided surgery for the blind and the creation of a much-needed eye bank, once condemned to a life of darkness. These people were given for the first time a chance to move back into the light. To the present time, more than 30 people have had their sight restored because of operation ICITE. There are many ways to say thank you. A brand new pair of smiling eyes is one of the best. Religion is a universal language. It allows all kinds of people to communicate with one another and to rise above the differences that would separate them. These servicemen who join this pilgrimage to the shrine at Lourdes use this language in a dialogue with their neighbors. A dialogue that reinforces friendship and a mutual desire for peace among men. This too is being a good neighbor. Sometimes we Americans have an odd attitude toward our armed forces. We honor and respect them in time of war or national emergency. In between we tend to take them for granted, even forget them. I think it's time we learn something about our military neighbors, who they are and what they do. In addition to his value as a fighter in the cause of freedom, the American serviceman has many things. He is eyes for the blind, strength for the weak, and a shield for the defenseless.