 Today the latest weapons coupled with the fighting skill of the American soldier stand 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 there are many heartwarming stories about the men who have devoted their lives to God but none is more moving than that of father Flanagan and Boys Town come with us now to Boys Town Nebraska and to their 353rd military police company he ain't heavy father he's my brother father Flanagan's boys home Boys Town a monument to one man's conviction that there are no bad boys located just outside of Omaha Nebraska Boys Town is a miniature model community which provides a haven for more than a thousand homeless abandoned or neglected boys here is a helping hand for those in drastic need with more than 60 buildings spread over 900 acres of Nebraska's rolling countryside today Boys Town has the facilities to provide the care and guidance its young citizens must have it gives each boy a good education and the opportunity to learn a trade it offers a healthy active environment which encourages normal growth this is a community of the boys for the boys and by the boys twice each year they elect from their own ranks on mayor for councilmen and all the other town officials running their own town is part of their education in this handsome modern trade school is a typical example the boys who attend classes here acquire skills by which one day they may earn their living at the same time they make many useful items for their community even while they are learning to use these tools almost all of the work required at Boys Town is done by the boys themselves young or old each one contributes according to his talent and ability pitching in and doing the different jobs needed to keep the town going builds a spirit of teamwork in the town's garage the boys do many simple repair jobs themselves but there is also a trained mechanic on duty to help them master the more complicated aspects of the internal combustion engine each boy has the opportunity to work in the area of his choice in the radio television lab engineers of tomorrow study electronics and at the same time keep their own radios and television sets in good repair these are some young bakers they assist in preparing the daily ration of bread but their real delight is in the buns the cakes and the pies so dear to any boys heart feeding a thousand growing boys is no easy matter to provide the enormous amounts of milk cream butter and beef needed for so many young appetites Boys Town has its own farm here youngsters who may one day have farms of their own can cut their agricultural teeth for those who are interested there is a beef club a branch of the 4-H clubs and a variety of farm activities including preparing entries for local fairs the boys are paid for all the work they do the money going into a fund which they receive upon graduation for other benefits from this work it teaches the boys about the land and its animals the hard physical labor helps build strong bodies and the apprentice farmers learn how to handle heavy machinery the farm is run partially on an experimental basis allowing the boys to try out new ideas of their own while some of these youngsters may never be on a farm again the knowledge they gain here will not be wasted wherever they may go and of course Boys Town isn't all study and work every boy is encouraged to have a hobby to express his creative interests in addition to this arts and crafts center there is a dramatic club the famous Boys Town choir and many other self-expression groups for having fun should be part of any normal boys luck the boys also help manufacture models of the famous Boys Town symbol these miniature statues are highly prized by visitors since young bodies need fresh air and exercise there is always plenty of both one of the great advantages of being raised in the country is that there is always room for pets most children love animals and here almost every boy has a pet of one kind or another some say there are as many dogs as boys at the home one tradition passed on from class to class is catching gophers the boys know what they're doing as you can see in their own barbershop the boys give more than a thousand haircuts every week a neat tidy appearance is required at Boys Town particularly at Sunday church services for although this is a non-sectarian institution each boy must follow the religion of his choice faith and achievement moves side by side school work play and religion forming well rounded lives based on philosophy and character despite their youth most of these boys are serious minded they have already met and conquered more difficult problems than most American boys their age when they finally leave Boys Town these youngsters will be mature and ready to face life each year on graduation day the 18 year olds leave the home all of them know that they are eligible for military service as young students of democracy and good citizens they realize that this is an obligation they owe to their country when in 1955 the National Reserve Act was passed by Congress many boys requested that the home secure additional information for them about the Army Reserve program the boys who graduated in 1955 were too old to take part in the reserve program while still at Boys Town but the younger boys those who remain behind were still eligible for the program in physiology to help the patient's defense mechanism combat the crippling effects of burns new drugs and new methods are continually being investigated in biochemistry a multitude of blood tests each day help correct blood deficiencies that follow burning in the radio isotope section here the true nature of the body's response to severe burning is being brought into sharper focus advances in patient care include pioneering in the use of exposure in burn wound treatment and in methods for using donors skin grafts to save the lives of severely burned patients only skin grafted from the patient himself or his identical twin will be retained permanently on the wounds but grafts from other bodies temporarily close the open wounds and serve approximately 30 days by this time the patient has improved sufficiently to withstand the cutting of grafts from his own body he has shown photographic proof of his bettering condition his improvement then becomes rapid and his morale keeps pace working with the army doctors a skilled dietitian prepares the special diets needed by burn patients highly trained chefs prepare and serve them in this case a liquid meal is required containing the food elements which will help most in healing the burn wounds and speeding the patient's recovery from the ravages of his injury but the mission of the unit embraces not only patient care and research it also includes teaching classes consist of medical men from all the armed services Air Force trainees serve and study for three months and a Navy surgeon is detailed annually for one year of learning and operating care for the emotional life of the patient is part of his treatment and cure his relatives and friends are welcomed for their presence is medicine for his morale no matter what his religion the patient is encouraged to find in it the faith to sustain him through his confines the patient to is made to feel that the hospital gladly receives his home folks as part of his restoration to help he is encouraged to keep in touch with them recognizing that burns are the most devastating and frightening of injuries the Protestant women of San Antonio have organized not only to comfort patients but also those who come to visit them working with their chaplain they bring religious faith to the burn victims and diverting activities to their saddened relatives San Antonio's historic shrine the Alamo interests and relaxes the visitors over it flies the lone star flag and at the entrance the Alamo 1718 mission fortress shrine cradle of Texas Liberty so visitors forget their tensions and their more cheerful mood cheers and helps the patients an example of burn treatment given servicemen's dependence as little Joyce West here swathed in bandages under the bed covering and being comforted during her ordeal she was cruelly burned and neck body and thighs here is Joyce today on the left cured and happy after her horrifying experience her injuries a few years ago would have meant certain death if atomic warfare is ever visited upon our country with its inferno of searing flame the experience gained in the surgical research unit will contribute greatly to care of burn casualties and their rehabilitation with its methods for rapid and effective burn therapy lives will be saved suffering will be minimized at a time when they are most helpless and most hopeless the surgical research unit comes to comfort and heal the serviceman and his family in Lincoln's words to care for him who shall have born the battle and the serviceman and his family received this highest type of specialized medical skill at a time when nothing less will suffice to relieve suffering and save lives now our big picture cameras focus on what for them is an unusual subject another camera the army's new lightweight portable television camera this camera is an example of just one more step forward in your army's technological search for new equipment to do a better job in less time at 4th Monmouth combat television takes another big step into the future as many of the signal core prepared to demonstrate the army's new fully portable TV camera the battery powered transmitter weighs 47 pounds the camera only eight from each field camera an image flashes to the monitor Jeep where the desired picture can be selected for viewing the electronic scout teams move out completely free from the cumbersome cables which heretofore limited their mobility the teams are composed of two men a cameraman and a rifleman who also carries a handy talky radio for communication with the monitor Jeep in demonstrating the capabilities of the new camera the teams focus on prominent terrain features such as this dam the word is passed and back at the monitor Jeep a key is punched flashing what the camera sees onto the screen another button calls up the image of a traffic artery which is being covered by a second camera team another team waits by a railroad to add its visual report to the others from the Jeep the electronic roll call goes out and is answered by images from each camera team in its turn with the portable transmitter camera proven practicality military leaders can look forward to the day when field commanders will receive instantaneous television reports on field conditions while they are developing from his electronic reconnaissance patrols in the second week at Fort Carson the company entered more advanced training after several preliminary field exercises came a 12 mile march to an overnight bivouac in a sharp military manner the troops prepared to move out some of the boys were not sure that they could manage the full field backs for when the rifles were slung each boy was carrying over 70 pounds of rifle tentage equipment maskeer extra clothing candles soap and chocolate bars the start was easy packs high on their shoulders and a quick brisk pace in the gray light of early morning it was cool and the mountains were covered with mist 12 miles had seemed long before the hike began but with a steady pace marching 50 minutes and resting 10 the company finally reached its destination after dropping their heavy equipment at the bivouac area the boys quickly found a place to freshen up before the field problems were to begin however the army had scheduled something else both as a sample of another aspect of field living and in preparation for the strenuous work that lay ahead religious services were held the boys were accustomed to daily prayers at boys town it impressed them that even here religion was not forgotten and the services gave them a spiritual uplift again the army was not so very different from boys town after mass the work began under the heat of a bright noonday sun the boys pitched their cap and learned the first job of an infantryman dig a foxhole for while they are part of an mp company every boy must know basic infantry techniques camouflage and concealment came next together with instruction in infantry tactics and the proper use of terrain by this time marching from class to class seemed natural the boys were delighted with the field training combat veterans of world war two told them war stories to illustrate the lectures tactics was the favorite subject after the lectures a special field problem was set up the company simulated an attack against a hypothetical enemy keeping their heads down and their weapons up they crawled forward towards the enemy's position practicing what they had been taught as the company moved up individual squad leaders directed their men in short spurts the young soldiers rushed forward while others covered their advance with mock gunfire as the boys crept ahead this simulated attack captured their imaginations and they played their roles to the hilt throughout the problem the cadre quickly corrected any errors some snaked forward others lunged in the quick movements so traditional to the infantry they took advantage of the terrain crawling quietly through concealed areas out of enemy sight finally as they neared their objective one by one they swept forward individual aggressiveness in the attack was high these field exercises were the highlight of the boys summer training two weeks of intensive discipline and instruction had transformed them from green trainees into well-disciplined willing soldiers and it had helped the boys themselves when the bivouac was over and the long march back to camp was begun the boys were proud of their accomplishments and a spree decor was high how they marched with the easy rhythm of the infantry soldiers shoulders relaxed in the long swinging stride every boy had proven himself to be physically fit capable and disciplined on their last day at fort carcin a final inspection was made of the company by an army officer from post headquarters he found a neat sharp military unit in addition he found that every boy had mastered the classroom instruction in the principles of military police work young soldiers but soldiers nevertheless when the inspection was over the company was congratulated on the fine job it had done during its two weeks at the post summer camp was finished now came the long ride home the trip back was a happy one inside the bus the boys joked and sang with the faintly nostalgic air of old soldiers they reminisced about their training the drilling the field problems the wonders of the colorado countryside when the bus finally arrived at boys town and they saw the many familiar sights it was good to be back there was still one final formation hardened veterans of the battle of fort carcin piled out of the bus and quickly fell into ranks the boys of boys town good citizens good soldiers in a gentle breach of military discipline father wegener passed among the boys greeting each one and welcoming him back father wegener is proud of the 353rd as he said recently i am grateful to the united states army reserve unit for making this program possible at boys town and i convey my deepest thanks to the fine outstanding officers of the army reserve who have given their time in training our boys and will have helped them in so many ways god bless them as well as our boys the boys of father flanagan's boys home part of america's ready reserve young citizens of whom the nation may well be proud over america small groups of men are working together in army reserve units these small groups added together make up the american army make up america now this is sergeant steward queen inviting you to be with us again next week for another look at 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 army 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 for the best equipped the best trained the best fighting team in the world today the united states army