 from Korea 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 James Mansfield. Welcome to the big picture. Today, we bring you the story of another famous infantry division, the Seventh. Fighting its way across the South Pacific, from Quagelain to Leyte, and finally Okinawa. It brought the war to the front door of Japan. Later in the program, Colonel Quinn will review for you some of the elements necessary to effect an infantry operation So now for more about the program, we take you to the office of Colonel William W. Quinn. How do you do, ladies and gentlemen? On our last program, we were extremely fortunate to have with us Mr. Doug Larson of Scripps Howard and Sergeant Francis Porter of the United States Army, both noted the war correspondence in Korea. I'm sure that those of you who saw the program are convinced that, as I am, that press coverage of a combat unit increases its combat effectiveness and efficiency. There are other elements that have to do with this combat efficiency and effectiveness, and I'd like to discuss them with you later. But right now, let's look in on the Seventh United States Division. Seventh Scrape and the Seventh Down Black on red. The shoulder patch of the Seventh Infantry Division. My outfit. They call us the Hourglass Division. You can see why. There's something else about an hourglass that fits the Seventh. It's got sand in it. They say a guy with fighting guts has sand in his claw. The Seventh has sand in his claw, right? We proved that for certain. But in the fall of 42, the sand was mostly in our hair. We'd been training in California, and when Ramo began playing foxy in Africa, we got introduced to camel climate. When we left the desert training center, we needed a bath. We got it. Amphibious training off the California coast. Then it was up to Frisco for the Mediterranean cruise. But Africa was not our destination. Ramo was scampering for Tunis, and we were needed elsewhere. We shipped out in April of 43. The convoy went through the Golden Gate, took a sharp right turn, and aimed for the North Star. Ahead was Alaska, the Aleutians, and the Jap. Hirohito's little men had pried open the back door to America, and were crawling over the Arctic Bridge, taking Kiska and Attu. We were supposed to slam that back door and lock it. Attu was first. Way out on the bitter end of the Aleutian Fog Factory. That every man carried a one-each hollow feeling in the pit of his stomach on that trip to the beach. Our division commander was General Brown. The hourglass was turned. The sand was running through. The seventh had gone to war. We didn't know much about Attu. Most of the places on it were named later for our heroes. But the plan called for the main force to land on Blue Beach and push up Massacre Valley to Jarman Pass, where they'd meet the northern force working down from Red Beach above Holtz Bay. Then, together, we'd go after the enemy around their main camp at Chachagov Harbor. The first wave got ashore at Blue Beach without any trouble. They moved up Massacre Valley. Other waves followed, lugging their equipment by hand over the snow and tundra. The northern force sneaked ashore at Red Beach, hauled their gear up a 20-foot cliff, and started around Holtz Bay. The artillery worked over the snowy hills. The fight had begun. The Japs were dug in high up on the mountains, and the elevators weren't running. The main force got the Jarman Pass the first day. A week later, it was still there. But the northern force had been fighting their way along Holtz Bay, and that put us on both sides of the pass, so the Japs took off to the east. We joined our line then and chased them over Robinson Ridge, and Serrana Nose, and Fish Ridge, and threw Levacy Pass into a tight, hard pocket around Chachagov. We began to learn about war, how it feels to get hit, and how frozen feet can be just as bad. We learned the price of victory. We learned about heroism, private Joe Martinez, for advancing alone to inspire his battalion, the Medal of Honor, posthumously. We learned about banzai charges. One night, 500 screaming Japs threw a flying wedge down Jimfish Valley. We cleaned up the mess, moved into Chachagov, and the battle was over. After 19 days and 2,300 enemy dead. This was the first American soil retaken from the Jap Invader. The back door to America was closed and bolted. We said goodbye to the Northern Lights then, and headed south, but we didn't go home. The next stop, Hawaii. A little fun, chance to thaw out, and practice on lending craft of a different sort. Then some training that was guaranteed to teach you or else. We wanted this training, believe it or not, because on our tour we'd learned what any Boy Scout can tell you. It pays to be prepared. But Uncle Sam was busy shopping for Pacific real estate at the end of 43, and some unwanted tenants had to be evicted, so the 7th Division packed its duffel and headed out to take possession. The address, Quajalan Atoll, in the Marshall Islands. We had the southern loop of the Atoll, including the island of Quajalan. With the preliminary soften up aimed at the main island, we pulled a sneak play to the weak side. On D-Day and the night before, we sent forces to capture the lightly defended Outer Islands. The strategy worked so well that the whole invasion was later called a near-perfect operation. By afternoon, we had commanded the channel into the central lagoon, and our artillery was setting up on Carson Island, getting the range on Quajalan. D-Day plus 1, February 1st of 44, we turned our attention to Quajalan, a strip of coral shaped like a banana. The artillery could help us from Carson. We were landing from the seaside on the southern tip. The island was divided up the middle. Two regiments were assigned. Each regiment got half a banana and three days to peel it. At dawn, the Navy, the artillery in the 7th Air Force started dumping explosives on that little island until we thought it would sink. For the second time, the hourglass was turned. The 7th Division was moving in force. The Amtracks bumped over the coral reef and headed for shore. The Navy moved their fire then, but the artillery kept shooting until we wondered if they'd been told about the landing. That was the plan. We crossed the beach right through the smoke. The artillery shells walked down the island three steps ahead of us. It was supposed to be jungle warfare, but the jungle had gone with the wind of the heavy bombardment. It was battle in 1,000 acres of city dump. In every pile of rubbish, a possible sniper. It was like taking pins out of a new shirt. There was always one left to stick you in the back. Tanks had rough going in the beat-up terrain. We crossed the airstrip and saw why this stepping stone was needed for our road back to the Philippines. We didn't do all this without getting hurt, but our casualties were light. Prisoners were few, mostly Korean laborers at Marshall Islands. While two regiments of the division were cleaning up Kwajalein, the other regiment and the recon troop were picking off the other islands in our sector. At the end, we had more than a dozen islands, and the Emperor had lost the first bit of his pre-war stock of Pacific bases. General Corlett led the 7th in this fight. Before we left, we said goodbye to some buddies. Been a busy week. We went back to Hawaii for some more training. And a parade we didn't mind at all for the Chief. General Arnold took over the division in Hawaii. That's him standing by the car. We had two fights under our wet belts, and we felt sharp. We even managed to look sharp. Maybe we were. Listen to this. Officers and men of the 7th Division, I've heard much what the 7th Division has done. We're all proud of the 7th in what it has done and what it is doing. Another reason why I give you all the good luck in the world. But things were moving fast in those days, and it wasn't long before we were back at sea wondering where we'd been booked for our next appearance. After a switch in plans, it turned out we were going with MacArthur on his famous return to the Philippines. We were making our entrance at Laity. Once more, the hourglasses were going into action on the southern flank of the invasion spearhead. This was our toughest beachhead. The Japs knew if we got a foothold in the Philippines. It was the beginning of the end for them. We knew it too. We fought west through the matted jungle, took the airstrip, went into Dulac, then on to Barawa, north to Degami. Our first mission on Laity was completed against the infamous Japanese 16th Division. The death march out of Bataan was their idea. This was lesson three in our study of world climates. Tight, jungle tropical with hell and high water. We were liberators now, and in every town we got a reception. Even the animals were friendly. Off our important beach supply, the Japs made a desperate bid in Laity Gulf. There was a close call, but our Navy landed a Sunday punch from which the Imperial Fleet never recovered. Some of our carriers were lost. Their planes flew over to Laity and landed on the unfinished airstrips. Thanks to Navy men like this, our beach areas were secure. After Degami, the 7th Division got orders to turn south, sweep the lower part of the island and move to the west coast. Final objective, Ormagh. Those were big orders. Skirting the central mountains, we pushed south to Aboyard, beating the Japs their own game of hide and seek in the sloppy jungle. The Division spread out over Southern Laity and swept westward. One regiment got the job of securing a jump off point for the attack north to Ormagh. Through continual rainstorms and across dozens of streams, their supplies came up from Aboyard. Through nine days and nights of Banzai charges, they held their area against superior Jap forces, until the rest of the Division could catch up. Then the whole corps converged on Ormagh. Another Division landed from the sea and captured the town. We closed up the gap from the south and took over from them. We mopped up the west coast and the mountains to the east, and the Komodi Islands nearby. That was the end of Laity. All told, we'd covered 2,000 square miles of jungle and counted 15,000 dead Japs. That took us to the end of February. And less than a month later, we were back aboard ship and on the way to our next appointment. About the only place left to go in early 45 was Japan itself. We almost made it. Okinawa. At this time, the hourglass was really turned. The 7th was going into its toughest fight. We were still with the 24th Corps, but now under the 10th Army. Am tanks and Am tracks brought the first waves ashore on the Higushi beaches. It was April Fool's Day, but the Japs didn't pull any tricks. There was practically no opposition. We took the Kadina Airstrip, about one jump ahead of the engineers with their bulldozers and graders. We saw a race across the island. We saw a few Japs, but they weren't in force. They planned to fight it looked like they'd choose their own time and place. We were invaders now, and the civilians couldn't be trusted. Even the ones that smiled looked pretty. The 7th Division won the race to the east coast. In two days, we'd cut the island in half. Then we turned south as the left flank of the advancing line. The advancing got tougher. It was going to make a stand, all right, and on their own terms. They were waiting for us in prepared positions. We faced more Arturi, more Japs, and more rough fighting than we'd ever faced before. We battled yard by yard through the rugged hill country. Skyline Ridge, Hill 178, Rocky Craigs, Hill 196. It was tough, dirty, and deadly. In 12 days of continuous attack, the 24th Corps smashed the Machinato-Oki line, but the worst was yet to come. We found ourselves up against the real backbone of the Okinawa defense. The Shuri Line. Solid fortifications. Fancy cave systems. This would take some doing. The 10th Army began an all-out drive. Figuring us to be a little groggy, the Japs tossed a counterattack. Full scale. Kamikazis went for the supporting fleet. Somehow, the Navy handled that. They launched attacks all down the line with Arturi support. That hurt, but we took it. Their beach landings failed. Then it was our turn. Along the front, the word was attack. Full steam ahead for the whole 10th Army. After 41 days of combat, the 7th was given a 10 days rest. We read up on stories of thrilling adventure and saw movies of Hedy Lamar. To our cemetery came General Buckner, 10th Army commander to pay his respect to that push on Shuri. The Japs were tough, but not that tough. The 7th turned the flank of the Shuri Line with a vicious thrust through Yanobiru. The line crumbled and the Japs retreated south. Yanobiru. The 7th Division passed this way. There was still more to Okinawa. We took the Chenin Peninsula. In spite of rain and mud made the going sticky and kept the tanks to the roads. We slogged on and found a wall of cliffs. The Yeju Daki escarpment. Honeycombed with caves. Flame tanks were good for those. The Japs had the top of that hill there. Hill 95. But this was the 7th Division. We ran a hose up the side, pumped napkin and set it afire. Then we went up and took the hill. There we pushed south toward the last Japs stronghold at Mabuni. With a sea at their backs, the nips began to surrender in droves. Some were holding the leaflets that guaranteed safe passage. They came in all types and in all sizes. With victory certain, General Buckner was killed. But his job had been done. Okinawa was ours. To take over the 10th Army then came Uncle Joe Stillwell. Who had been our 1st Division Commander. It was a nice time for reunion. Then suddenly the war was over. Celebration. But there was still another landing for the 7th to make. Korea. This time the reception was different. The Jap guns were loaded, but they weren't pointed at us. We hoped. We marched into Seoul to stand by at the surrender and do a little changing of flags. The sun shone brighter when they ran old glory up to the top of the pole. At the 38th parallel, they stationed the 7th to guard this outpost of freedom. We had won the privilege. 14,000 miles around the Pacific. Hattu, Kwajalein, Lattie, Okinawa. Four times they turned the hourglass. Four beaches, four battles. Four victories. That's my outfit. The 7th Division. I'd like to take a few minutes to discuss with you some of those elements which we discussed earlier which make the man with the rifle a formidable person. The first of these of course has to do with training. The infantrymen must be well trained. He must be in excellent physical condition and he must have developed or learned those elements. Are those things which maintain for him his self-preservation in combat. The second element of course is one of leadership. Soldiers must have good leaders and they in turn must be well trained. The third but probably one of the more important elements has to do with pride of unit. A pride of unit is a hard thing to explain except that it means the outfit and that men will do practically anything for the outfit and in battle when they feel that pride. I asked many of my men just why they did take hills just why they did keep on going and why they fought and many other questions along that line and this was their answer. First the outfit. When men belong to a hard-hitting close-knit military organization there is a great feeling of mutual confidence and as I say they stayed the outfit is number one the number one reason to the buddy. Within a foxhole where two men are together and undergoing the same set of circumstances there develops a very unusual relationship one in which the ties are very close and in some instances greater than that of blood. The third is anti-communism in the sense that these men my men felt that well if we have to fight this thing it's a lot better to fight it somewhere else than in our own backyard and it has to be eliminated. But coming back to the pride again it's a very difficult thing to develop pride I think probably my outfit in the 17th we accomplished it in a great measure by having every man written about well that's about it for today. Ladies and gentlemen next week winds up our blue badge series I believe that our last program however will be very interesting in that we're going to trace for you the evolution of the rifleman from 1776 until the present day we're also going to have for you the story of the famed blue and gray division the 29th infantry division so until we meet again ladies and gentlemen this is Colonel Quinn speaking for the combat infantryman who asked you to look twice at the man who wears the blue badge it's the mark of a man. 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 US 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 the best fighting team in the world today the United States Army