 proudly we hail from New York City where the American stage begins here's 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 our story is entitled goodbye Vienna and this is the story of a farewell that the world will always remember and which a soldier will never forget as proudly we hail the United States Army our first act curtain will rise in just one moment but right here I'd like to talk to all the young gals listening in so tell me gals you can attire to the same old office routine well okay now you can get away from it all join the women's Army Corps you can travel all over the world meet new friends see new places that's right in the women's Army Corps you can escape from the humdrum routine of your present life visit exciting places in your country and the broad make new friends among young men and women all over the world and you'll have plenty of leisure time to enjoy your travels to you see you get a 30-day paid vacation each and every year plus many weekend passes and of course there are always the holidays so why don't you join the whack remember gals you're gonna enjoy life more in the women's Army Corps and now the first act curtain of the proudly we hail production goodbye Vienna our trucks are all loaded lined up ready to go just a few minutes and we'll be leaving all this Vienna was it only four months ago that we came here all I know is a between now and and I don't know whether it's been good or bad two 19-year-old PFCs fresh out of basic training Joe and I on our way to our first permanent assignment headquarters US forces Vienna Austria so this is Austria huh from here it looks good yeah if you like mountains that's not all mountains I see a river ahead there hey I wonder if that's the Dan you let's ask hey Sergeant Clancy what rivers that Daniel looks nice didn't it sure some beautiful scenery around here sure looks nice you see that mountain there a little building on top of it that's a hotel friend of mine owns that pair Gustav Henkel great guy it's kind of small for a hotel all the way you look at it for him it's too big how's that well he's in an out-of-the-way place and he just doesn't get enough guests look you fellas don't mind if I make a sort of a pitch to him pitch for what his hotel I just saw a stumble on it one day when I was taking a little motorcycle trip and brother you can't beat it he's got the best food this side of Vienna and it's a wonderful fishing in those mountain strings around there but best of all the air is like well it'll make a new man out here how can air do anything like that well it's it's it's so dry and clear let me tell you something when I went there I had a post nasal drip and you know how stubborn I could be believe it or not in two days I was rid of it just like that I'll tell you what I'll do sergeant I'm not a drip yet but if I ever become one I'll sure look them up it was one of Joe's jokes and the sergeant took it with good grace however time has a way of changing things what set as a joke sometimes turns out later to be exactly the opposite but for us time was something to be passed and it passed very quickly that day in a matter of minutes our train pulled in and we were reporting in at company headquarters to the first sergeant BFC's Blake in Hoffman that's our sergeant so I see well men were glad to have you here and headquartered his company as you probably know we've been here in Vienna a long time but the way things look now the picture might change and if it does there's going to be much work to be done and a lot of that will be in the message center ever hear of a teletype machine yeah good well since you know how to type it won't take you long to learn their operation or one other thing you're stationed in one of the most beautiful and interesting cities in the world take advantage of as the serge predicted it didn't take long for us to learn our new jobs and handling all those messages that were always coming in over the wires made us feel that we were right in the middle of important events was a lot of work but we followed the sergeant's advice and in our free time try to take in as much as we could of this 2,000 year old city Vienna and here is the Heldenplatz with his statue of Archduke Charles no reports astounding balance in which the whole mass of the statue rests on the high and here in the Minion Rettenkirche you will see the famous Jose copy of the last supper and next I show you the Club Baker's museum historic museum the Bourgh theater Stéphane's Kirche the Start Park and on Sunday morning the Vienna boys choir boy they can really sing can't they take I'll say hey where we go now Joe some of the guys said that restaurant up on that mountain what's it the Kallenberg yeah but it's supposed to serve some tortin that's out of this world want to try some okay by me let's go coffee with whipped cream yet how about I gained 10 pounds since we've been here and me to well you're ready to do some more sight see it look I'll tell you what Ted we can see the whole city from right here let's sight see sitting down huh I don't think I can get up it's okay by me hey hey speaking of sights look at the next table there that's putting it mildly looks like she's alone easy boy easy now she's not alone three five eight kids gosh they couldn't all be hers the kid called a tantra that means that yeah hey Joe I've got an idea up hey kiddies you mind if I take your photograph I am sorry I do not think they wish to have their photographs made why not thank you very much come kinder thank you how do you like that hey you know that's the first civilian ever given us the brush since we've been here who knows maybe she has a reason maybe she did have a reason the rest of that day I kept wondering why she had run off like that with those kids as if we were gonna bite their heads off the next morning the first sergeant came in a message center and I happen to tell him about it you sure you didn't say anything that might have offended me sure I'm sure all I wanted to do is take a picture yeah well Blake you know there could be many reasons these people here have been through a lot annexation war occupation I know why we're here most of them are our friends but maybe they'd like to be on their own I can't really blame them if anyone can understand that should be us I guess so and the way things look they might get their chance pretty soon in the meantime think of yourself as a guest now you better get this message off the Salzburg G3 right away okay such yeah oh hi sorry hello Hoffman any mail for me Joe and no but I got a letter from home and guess why my folks want me to look up some relatives relatives where here in Vienna and I had an uncle of mine you've got an aunt and uncle right here in Vienna why don't you look for him before I didn't know I had any here well you know how it is my folks came from Europe and I've got so many aunts and uncles and cousins scattered around that I was never able to keep track of them didn't they ever write sure to my folks but I never paid much attention to their letters where they live well the last address was 21 Silbergasse that was back in 1938 38 you mean that's the last time you heard from them yeah well they stopped writing them you want to look for him tonight Joe if I was planning to mind if I tag along I was just gonna ask you two heads are better than one looking back now it's easy to see that we could have used a lot more hits but at that time well it didn't seem like much of a problem all we had to do was find 21 Silbergasse here it is 21 Silbergasse thanks driver here you thank my now wow some house well they must be loaded it's a regular estate let's give it a try huh today I got a kind of funny feeling what are you scared of they're your relatives yeah but a house like yeah and is that is it do a mister and Mrs. Gustav Hoffman live here Hoffman hi I'm sorry you have the Vong address well this is 21 Silbergasse isn't it yeah but is it young two American soldiers madame is there anything I can do for you well I don't know I'm looking for my aunt and uncle mr. and Mrs. Gustav Hoffman oh I am sorry but they do not live here anymore well then they did once yes but that was a long time ago would you happen to know where they are now I'm afraid I do not but I do know where they moved to from here you see their forwarding address was left behind when they when they now let me think yes yes and the number 45 madame I have forwarded the mail there thank you young well thanks a lot ma'am I guess we better be going won't you have some coffee before you go well no thanks it's getting kind of late maybe I can still find them this evening I hope so I hope so well we didn't find them that evening or the next or the next it took us about three weeks three weeks of chasing from one address to another we felt like real private eyes during this time our clues led us gradually from the best part of town to the other side of the tracks was like following in the footsteps of a family's lives the way I figure they were in the box once and then lost their money from the looks of this neighborhood must have ended up broke maybe that's why they didn't write to you that's a good point probably too proud and maybe we'll get the answer here store on the ground floor there's a hallway let's go up okay try this door here come down from 21 silver gossip pardon me lady could you tell us if a mister and mrs. Hoffman live here no did they ever no well do you know where they are now maybe I know how a door to door salesman feels well Joe it looks like we've come to the end of the line I wonder why she acted like that it was almost as if she was afraid or something who knows don't forget this is an international city sure but still she acted as if we're so that my mother in gaping what what'd you give you a picture of a girl must be about 12 years old pretty little kid hey look at this on the back 1938 why this must be your cousin I'll bet you anything hey let's get back up there won't answer Joe I've got a feeling what do you mean I can't explain it but there's something about this photograph come on let's get out of here you're listening to the proudly we have production goodbye Vienna and we will return in just one moment for our second act but first young man let's talk about your future and America's future they're important to each other you know and to you today your United States Army is charged with a vital responsibility and to meet this responsibility the army is rapidly expanding its forces they have a job for you a job that must be done by men of courage you can get full details of how you may best serve your future and your country's future by a visit to your nearest United States Army recruiting station remember team up with the army and you team up with success and now the second act curtain of the proudly we have production goodbye Vienna sitting here in Vienna and the truck waiting for the company to pull out I can hardly believe that it was only three months ago since it happened you can see from here the Collenberg mountain the white building on top of it the Collenberg restaurant was May 15th the Sunday the day after we were given the photo of the girl Joe and I had got into the habit of spending our Sunday mornings there mainly because of the coffee and the whipped cream and the view we might as well relax and enjoy it probably won't be able to much longer why how come the treaty the signing it today Austria is as of this moment an independent nation that's right and that means we'll have about three months to move out I guess I'll be sorry to go this is a nice town and it is another coffee waiter please hey look Ted there's that girl and her kids what girl you know the one who wouldn't let you take a picture oh well don't worry I'm not gonna ask what's the matter you tell us something wrong nothing wrong just did you hear that why did you hear what that kid called her Gerda well sure so what this is what take a look at this photo and then look at her the girl there can't you see the resemblance I'm sorry this is a 12 year old girl and that's a well well that's a grown one listen this picture was taken in 1938 yeah you're right now turn over the picture Gerda see Gerda Hoffman the first name is the same you would remind me of something well I forgot her name well I didn't quite and I'm gonna find out right now pardon me miss Hoffman yeah that is your name isn't it Gerda Hoffman yeah but how did you hey Joe come here miss Hoffman meet PFC Joe Hoffman you are Hoffman that's right miss Hoffman answer me one question did you or your family ever live at 21 Silbergas in 1938 yeah we did okay Joe take over this is really something Gerda well your father and my father are brothers you and I we're cousins while Joe and Gerda caught up with the lost years I took over the kids and bought them some candy and cakes I learned from them that Gerda wasn't really their aunt but a social worker at the orphanage from which these kids came they were crazy about Gerda but that was something they didn't have to tell me from the little I'd seen of her I knew that that kind of feeling about there wouldn't be too hard to come by for or anyone the relatives Joe was looking for were dead killed by the Nazis during the following weeks Gerda took Joe and me around to show us to the end of very few tourists or visitors ever get to know I guess it's like meetings between people you might think you know somebody but find out what the real man is it'll take his wife or mother or child it was like that with Gerda she was a child of Vienna like Vienna charming and lovable the kind of sad too I remember one day well this was soon after Joe had found himself a nice little girl who was showing in the sights and I found myself spending a lot of time with good alone how'd you like operator part well dig that big ferris wheel say great I want to go for a ride in it no thanks you go ahead if you want to wouldn't be any fun without you and I'm beginning to think that there's not much that would be let's sit down on this bunch of minute okay all right oh this is a beautiful night you might think this is corny but I I I never knew what the word beautiful meant until I met you you are sweet Ted you're laughing at me no I am not I love because I felt happy and I have not felt like that in a long time I know you know yes I was the first time I've ever heard you laugh since I've known you and your eyes there's a shadow deep down within them you've had plenty of reason but you've got to drive that shadow away and let let me help you you have helped it all you know I think I have I remember the first day I saw you the day I wanted to take your photo I remember I was quite abrupt with you that's the word all right I'm sorry Ted but it was your uniform a uniform who's a matter with it nothing it I suppose I am silly but I have a prejudice against uniforms of any kind they remind me of those of those days when my parents there's a difference between those in this one I know I know but you do understand don't you yes I do maybe I better take you home now all right Ted all right it was only natural that she felt the way she did but I wanted to snap her out of it I had to because I'd never met a girl like her before I wanted the meeting to last a long long time on the way home that night I made a date to take her to the opera the next weekend however when Saturday came she didn't show up for our date when I checked at her apartment she wasn't there either all kinds of thoughts went through my mind but on a hunch I decided to go down the orphanage where she worked during the day she was there all right oh Ted I'm sorry about tonight but I could not make it what is it you look so excited it's it's the children come listen by their door what's the matter with them hoping off I think you call it the doctor says it's an epidemic it will be difficult to cure so you see I must stay with them sure of course look good is there anything I can do nothing here Ted maybe hope a little after listening to those kids for a while I knew it would take more than hope to help them recover and it turned out I was right the next few weeks they're cough hung on sorry to hear about it Ted they just can't seem to knock it out of them yeah I had it when I was a kid for weeks they finally had to take me out west somewhere I think was in the Rockies cleared it up in no time hey wait a minute the Rockies yeah well what's the matter that sergeant on the train coming to Vienna what he said about that hotel up there in the mountains do you do you happen to remember the name of it no but I remember the sergeant's name it was Clancy how can you forget a name like that you're my boy Joe where's the phone it didn't take me long to locate Clancy he gave me the address of the hotel and I got the owner on the phone right away fine how much will it cost for two weeks 8,400 okay make arrangements to accommodate 30 beginning a week from today hundred shillings is three hundred twenty three dollars and three hundred twenty three smackers is well three hundred twenty three smackers it's a lot of coinblake I know sergeant but here's the way I figured it we got about 260 men in the company 261 261 well if each one of them could donate about a buck and a quarter ahead it would just about cover it yeah look I tell you what I'll talk it over with the CEO maybe something will happen something happened all right within one day after the CEO started it off by donating ten dollars the first sergeant collected three hundred fifty dollars and on Sunday morning the bundled up children were loaded into buses ready to start out on their journey to the little hotel in the Tyrolian Alps they are so excited Ted they sure are hope it does him some good oh I'm sure it will Ted all this that you have done for them it it's wonderful really thank the men in the company they did it not me hey you better get in there they're starting out yes you are you are a very good man a very good man I've agreed to sing I see you in two weeks yeah goodbye girder that was the beginning of Operation Woping Cuff and when they returned after two weeks the kids had recovered completely thanks to the clear mountain there during those two weeks though I done some thinking finally made up my mind on my first date with Gerta after the kids return yes Ted you and your fellow soldiers have a place in our children's hearts and in mine can I be sure of that of course I have a place in your heart what Ted not oh you yes I'm crazy about you no no let me finish we're not gonna be around much longer and about a month all occupation troops will be gone from Austria there's not much time left so you've got to know I love you and I want to marry you very sweet of you but you don't love me dead I I like you I like you very much but don't you see you are 19 years old I am almost 30 doesn't matter to me maybe not now but later no dead it your life is still ahead of you you must live it without me I see but dead thank you oh now you are the one who is sad that must not be come we are in the greater Ted I will ride the Ferris wheel with you we must have had ten rides on the Ferris wheel that evening but I couldn't convince her that I was right and now D-Day departure day last night I said goodbye to Gerta what was it she said when you remember Vienna remember me that's all she wanted I shall go to I shall always here we go streets are crowded with people wave to them Ted wave to them it's goodbye goodbye good 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 150 courses to choose from in such fields as radar guided missiles automotive maintenance and the medical services but well 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 so if you're a high school graduate we suggest you investigate this outstanding opportunity right away for complete information you visit your nearest United States Army recruiting station remember fellas team up with the Army and you team up with success this has been another program on proudly we hail presented transcribed in cooperation with this radio station proudly we hail is produced by the recruiting publicity center in New York for the United States Army and this is Richard Hayes speaking inviting you to tune in the same station next week for another interesting story on proudly we hail