 The latest weapons, coupled with the fighting skill of the American soldier, stands ready on the alert all over the world to defend this country. View 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 Stuart Queen. Americans have traditionally responded to the needs of friends in trouble. And in Korea, a country torn apart by war, our soldiers are lending a helping hand. A gesture which started as an informal assist has mushroomed into a big organized program for the rehabilitation of certain areas of Korean life. Armed forces assistance to Korea, or as it's generally known, AFAC, is an American Army project which is destined to become a living monument of friendship between peoples. Just about everybody saw it in the newsreels. General Mark Clark signed for the UN forces and the war in Korea came to a halt. The shooting war, that is, because there was still a big fight going on, a struggle for survival for most of Korea. The grim tragedy of war was plainly written on the face of that nation, and being a soldier with the UN forces, you just couldn't help but be moved by all the suffering, hardship, and poverty. It was pretty obvious that these people needed help, and plenty of it. Koreans still lived by the ancient methods, too poor to take advantage of the great technical achievements of modern man. Food grown by hand, harvested by hand, carried to market on a human bank. A Korean marketplace is something to see if you've grown up in an American city. Health regulations, just a phrase. But under the extreme circumstances, almost understandable. My outfit is the 51st signal battalion. I'm the chaplain. That's me in the marketplace now. I'm proud to say that the men in our outfit just didn't walk away from an unpleasant situation, even before the army took official notice of what we were doing and started up this AFAC program. The men would periodically chip in to get food and supplies for needy projects in our area. Then I'd roam the market at Seoul, get the most for our money, and get on the way to deliver it. First stop on my rounds is the Do-Bang Orphanage. It's located in Weijang-gu. These children are among hundreds of thousands who have been made homeless by the fighting. They're now given shelter in what was once the residence of the royal family of Korea. Mrs. Won Hun Young, wife of the director, helps stack the gifts on the porch of the inner court building. No formalities here. No diplomatic procedures. Just goodwill generated between American soldiers and a bunch of Korean kids. Our outfit also contributes to a school run by an American religious order. Among the presents I've brought for these kids are erasers. We've tied them to a string for safekeeping. These kids are just like kids all over the world. Natural entertainers. Whenever they're happy, they play. That's a real field day for a camera enthusiast like myself. My next stop is the Seoul Sanitarium and Hospital. I can hear the kids ringing the bell as my jeep makes its way up the hill. The children here are rather young. Most of them left homeless at very early ages, never knowing the love of a parent. We soldiers feel that whatever we can do for them is little enough. At the hospital, I'm met by an old friend. Mrs. Grace Kim Ahn. Chief supervisor of nurses training. Writing tablets were what they asked for last time I was here and I'm happy to be able to bring them this visit. Soap is another urgent item. The efforts of the chaplain and the men of the 51st Signal Battalion represents spontaneous efforts on the part of our soldiers to aid Koreans. All over the country, they were giving aid and assistance on their own time, especially to the children. Children who had never known kindness. Children who had never had a home. The United States Army took notice of the situation and late in October 1953, these children began to have a future. Their future was officially called the Armed Forces Assistance to Korea. By the time I got to walk into headquarters to find out if our company's project had been approved, AFAC was a lot more than just a little informal philanthropy. Army units throughout Korea were reporting the need of construction in their area. The local Korean communities would organize themselves to provide the labor on a voluntary basis and we'd provide materials and equipment. Big stuff that was hard to get like trucks and bulldozers, plus technical advice. The only stipulation from 8th Army who administered the program was that nothing could interfere with combat readiness. This was a chance to help in a way that wasn't just a handout. Take that building. Looks like a shack, but it happens to be packed full of medical equipment. It's a dispensary. Project of the boys of the 40th Infantry Division. Other outfits were rolling too. This is what Lieutenant Colonel Morris had to say when the 4th Signal Battalion got started on another project. It is with pleasure indeed that the men of the 4th Signal Battalion take on the task of building new facilities to this jade civilian hospital. Not too long ago the 4th Signal Battalion built this hospital so that the Korean citizens of this locality could be given proper medical attention. We are proud that we have been able to help. We are again happy to assist the Korean people once more by adding a new operating room and new wards. This project calls for much material, which is being furnished by the United States government. The men of the 4th Signal Battalion, 10th United States Corps, will do the construction work assisted by Korean civilians. Together we will build a more efficient and useful hospital. Now I'd like to introduce Dr. Kim, head of the jade civilian hospital. Dr. Kim Bong-mo doesn't speak any English, but the translation of his remarks foretell mutual understanding and trust. This hospital for Korean medical patients is a wonderful gift from the people of the United States. I'm very happy to thank Conan Morris, commanding officer of the 4th Signal Battalion, for the fine job his men are doing in building this hospital. I thank the 10th Civil Affairs Office and the people of the United States. AFAC projects mushroomed as requests for assistance poured in from the small communities. These opportunities for self-help were eagerly seized. Children contributed a great portion of the labor, handling hundreds of pieces of tile which would form the roof of their badly needed school. This primary school at Cheonhyun was a good example of the combined operation. Lumber and many kinds of technical assistance were donated by the men of the 48th Field Artillery Battalion. It was the same wherever you looked. Buildings going up all over the place. With the expansion of the program, soldiers were able to devote more time to aiding their projects, as 8th Army allowed them to devote some duty hours to AFAC. This interest was bringing new hope for thousands of kids who just a short time before had been told by the communists that Americans eat children and that the food and candy are poisoned. These were children who had recently lived in caves and shipping crates and whose only food was begged, stolen or found in garbage dumps. Each completed project was helping to raise this nation from the depths of poverty, giving a people strength to resist the nearby communist plague which feeds on adversity. An early challenge to the full resources of the program came when a devastating fire swept across the city of Busan. The blaze raged for three full days. It laid waste to the commercial heart of the city and left more than 30,000 homeless. A special provisional staff section of the Busan Military Post was organized and with almost two million dollars of AFAC funds made available, the work of relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction began. Outfits like the 453rd Engineer Construction Battalion, 84th Engineer Battalion and the 24th Infantry moved right in with heavy equipment and highly specialized construction personnel. Republic of Korea Engineer Troops augmented by infantrymen from ROK divisions did the actual construction and one of the most amazing aspects of the undertaking was the rapid training of nearly 2,000 troops in the fundamentals of western style building methods including prefabrication. At ceremonies which marked the completion of this AFAC sponsored housing project, there was the same enthusiastic display of spirit that the troops demonstrated throughout the days of adversity. A high point of the occasion came when the key to the project was turned over from the ROK army builders to the Busan Military Post. The project eventually was turned over to the city housing authority which placed the units out for rent and sale. A monument was unveiled. It commemorated the combined efforts of the American and Korean soldiers which produced these desperately needed homes. Then came the big moment when the ribbon was cut to officially open the 111 house project but that still wasn't the end of AFAC participation. Victims of the Busan catastrophe who were completely wiped out got a new start in the form of a kit which contained utensils for cooking and eating. Vitaly needed equipment from AFAC funds to people who would have to wait and save for months or years before they might again collect the basic implements of daily living. But there were other projects in work around South Korea. Community plans were being completed at the rate of 60 a month. Most of them small local jobs involving a few men and a small amount of money and material. But some like this reconstruction of the city hall of Taegu were of larger proportion. This combination of American planning and material and Korean spirit and labor brought together under the AFAC program was proving to be one of the fastest methods of economical reconstruction and rehabilitation seen in modern times. A little was being made to go a long way. Much attention was given to the basic industries. At Seoul a tile plant came in for a share of assistance. This plant is one of the largest producers of roof tile in the area and through contact with our program their output has been improved and increased. For centuries they have been making the tiles the same way simply mixing the clay and putting it out into the sun to dry. A suggestion by a member of an AFAC technical team resulted in a change of technique. Now the tiles are kept wet as long as possible. This curing process has resulted in a greatly improved product. Less breakage less tiles needed for each job. A long-range project is this pipeline which will tap new water supplies for the city of Seoul. It'll take three years to complete. The development of hydroelectric power and land reclamation have high priority in the program. AFAC funds and equipment help restore one of the major sources of water and power on the peninsula. The hack dam one of the largest in the Chorwon Valley. Its 34 gates control the water supply for 2,000 acres of rice paddies. Men of the 194th engineers receive certificates of appreciation from agriculture minister Yang Seong-pyong. But a project of more immediate concern. Reconstruction of a bridge which carries traffic in and out of the Korean capital. The daily rumblings of military and civilian vehicles have caused the structure to become unsafe. A pontoon bridge is strung across the Han River to drain off some of the traffic load. The M4 span is completed in four days making speedy repairs possible. At the Engineering School of the Army of the Republic of Korea, U.S. Army Senior Advisor Lieutenant Colonel Robert Ellis conducts a briefing on the immediate problems which will be taken care of through the AFAC program. The Colonel illustrates his lecture with photographs of overcrowded conditions in schools and homes. He stresses the necessity of coping with conditions yet staying within the limitations of the amount of money appropriated. He explains the methods the school used to produce an experimental structure which it is hoped will be the answer to increased building activity. Using common native materials it is possible to produce the structure with a minimum outlay of actual cash. At the site of the Kim Hye Project more than 4,000 children who attend the school do their part toward making the experimental structures possible. While the girls operate a handmade pile driver the boys become a human conveyor belt to carry the crushed rock. Old dilapidated shacks will soon be vacated because of joint efforts on the part of the American Army and a small Korean community. The new buildings next to the old school are being constructed by parents who have come in from the rice paddies. These buildings are designed to go up in sections using standard material. Their size is determined by the immediate demand for space. This first building to be erected from the experimental plans contains six sections. It was put up by students of the ROK Army Engineering School under the guidance of their American advisors. More of these will follow all from the same basic plan. Resettlement is another facet of the AFAC program, a very important one. The bombs destroyed thousands of homes and many Korean families are being helped to start afresh this time as pioneers moving to undeveloped land and creating a home of their own on their own frontier. These people have moved many times in the past few years each time hoping it would be permanent but this move promises to be all they expect. Their destination will be to a place they can call home. These families are the first to be settled north of the 38th parallel since 1951. As initially planned 89,000 individuals were to be resettled on 42,000 acres of land. Most of them are farmers and agricultural workers. The plan is that they'll elect a town mayor who will organize a community but they'll share the responsibilities of self-government while working the land to which they have recently acquired title. General Choi, commander of the 5th ROK Corps, talks to the heads of the families and answers their questions. Units of his corps will be responsible for the actual building and construction once the foundations have been put in by American heavy equipment. Responsibility for the entire project rests with the U.S. 9th Corps and their headquarters and the site is visited by General Maxwell Taylor. The 8th Army commander gets a first hand look and briefing concerning the progress. This first town to be resettled north of the 38th parallel will be called Samson-Nee. It will serve as a model for those to be built in the future. The blueprints incorporate most modern features of town planning including separate structures for school, town hall, and dispensary. A complete community germinated and produced through the Armed Forces Assistance Program. It was the 22nd Signal Battalion that first became interested in us. During the early reconstruction days they contributed much of the funds which started Sumiang University back on the road to usefulness. Being a native of nearby Seoul and a student at the school, I watched the college take shape once more. You see it had been looted and dismantled by the Communists. In America you have so many universities. Here you can count our colleges on one hand. That's why the last days of reconstructions were so exciting. We were going back to school again. Once the Carpenters were finished, students filled the campus. There are 900 of us from all parts of the Republic of Korea. We are a private school, self-carving and subject only to the certain laws recognized by all educational institutions in our country. From time to time we get to hear guest speakers from other parts of the world and today the entire student body listens to the reverend Edward L. Junkin of the Presbyterian Mission in Seoul. Although he delivers his talk in English and we hear a translation most of us know quite a bit of the English language, we've heard it spoken so much these last few years. There are 20 classrooms and lectures halls in these buildings. Most of them concerned with the domestic sciences. Cooking, for instance, you can see, however, that we do not expect or experiments in the kitchen to be wasted. The subject in this class is donuts. We are very careful about making them digestible as Korea does not yet have many interesting foods other than those necessary to sustain life. Much of the flour, fat and sugar we need comes from our American friends. Music has always been an important subject for any Korean young lady. The subject in this class is girl singing and our professor of music is Ms. Kim Sun-ae. Music comes very naturally, appeals to our hearts. For cerebral activity we have newly added courses in laboratory subjects such as chemistry. This is a subject which will lead to post-graduate employment for many of the girls. They will later become doctors, nurses and definitions of many kinds. Biology is another modern course which greatly interests us. We get a great deal of fun in using the microscope and learning the nature and structure of things, the secrets of life. There are periodic meetings of the faculty, presided over by Ms. Imcheol Soon, president of our college. At the present time the university offers only one degree, Bachelor of Arts, but soon we will be able to study for other degrees. Athletics in Korean girls school is quite different from anything Americans are used to seeing. In the West the principal function of sports is a muscle builder or a contest. Heal the emphasis is on building dignified posture and proper carriage. Perhaps someday the benefits of these classes will be evident, but somehow it is difficult to think of future benefits when there is so much walking to do. Another part of our athletic program concerns ballroom dancing. Our teacher explains the basic steps then we practice using each other as partners. A lot of our leisure time is spent reading. We have a library not a very big one since the communists were here they took most of the books. These volumes are the keys to travel imaginary voices around the world. The pulse of our institution is the bulletin board. Our grades are posted here along with any information considered useful. About 100 girls live in the dormitory and almost any days after classes you can hear the bounds of the ping-pong ball. This game is becoming one of our most popular sports. For those of us who have returned to our re-build school buildings it is wonderful that after the uncertainty of the war years we have made our final move. Now we can get down to the serious purpose of preparing for the future without fear. We are so happy that in the immense problems of rehabilitation for Korea the happiness of a few young ladies was considered important by the AFAC program. AFAC continues to lend its helping hand to a nation on the rise giving equipment and encouragement wherever it is sought and justified taking into consideration the needs and hopes of the individual no matter what his or her position. American soldiers in Korea have extended their hand in friendship they've risen to the challenge the second challenge peace in Korea. We have seen how the armed forces assistance program to Korea has become an important factor in the rebuilding of that country. How a helping hand rather than a handout is being used to stretch resources and increase productivity. Through AFAC American soldiers are once again demonstrating how willingness and cooperation can overcome obstacles in helping a country make a comeback. Now this is Sergeant Stuart Queen inviting you to be with us next week for another look at the big picture the United States Army in action. 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 U.S. 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.