 Sergeant Major Woods, your host on today's issue of the Big Picture. The United States Army is active in many areas of endeavor, in many lands, from participation in international sports competition in Germany, to research and development projects in our own country, to civic action medical help in far off Vietnam. Won't you join us now as your army reports to you, the citizen. Our first story is one of research and development here in the United States. It has created a new concept in Army field hospitals to provide our soldiers with first-class medical attention wherever they may be. During past wars, the Army field hospital could never approach the clean, sterile and comfortable conditions of the state side hospital. The sick or wounded soldiers always received the finest medical treatment possible, but doctors and nurses worked under a distinct handicap. However, soon a new development will make these photographs strictly historical. This is that development. Must medical units self-contained transportable, a unique Army field hospital that did not exist during World War II or Korea. As late as 1962, it was only an idea, a piece of paper, and had we flown over this site just one hour ago, we might have looked down on barren ground. Must utilizes three basic elements. The first is an expandable unit that contains equipment for the most complex and delicate surgery or functions as an x-ray facility, laboratory or pharmacy. The second is an inflatable shelter that becomes a fully equipped ward, offering intensive medical treatment for up to 20 combat casualties. The third unit is a 3,600-pound utility element, the nerve center. On the move, must is self-contained, forming compact, lightweight boxes that easily meet the Army's requirements for air transportability. A two-and-one-half ton truck can carry two ward elements, converting these elements from transportable packages into a ready-for-service field hospital. This is a process accomplished in an amazingly short time span. During transit, the expandable element doubles as a shipping container for must equipment, but with a quick unfolding of walls and doors, it is changed from storage box to surgery. Simultaneously, another packed-for shipment element is introduced to compressed air provided by the utility unit. Shortly after, a hospital ward gets up and takes a bow. The units are mated with cables and hoses, and air ducts, electrical power and water, are ready to flow. Delivered, one air-conditioned field hospital, ready to function on a site that was empty ground just a short time ago. In rugged field tests, an aircraft created an 86-mile-an-hour wind, which the unit withstood. Testing also measured the drenching effects of an artificial rainfall of four inches per hour. This climatic laboratory can duplicate temperatures to 65 degrees below zero. Must units can maintain inside temperatures, which contribute to a patient's comfort. Folding work tables and efficient storage units. Special refrigerators and sterilizers. These are only a few of its assets. Also included are a lightweight anesthesia apparatus and a nine-position operating table. New, flexible surgery lights are dependent upon the main power source. Now doctors and nurses in the field are able to work in a medical environment close to that offered in permanent hospitals to speed the recovery of our fighting men. Must, medical units self-contained, transportable, is now helping to save lives in Vietnam. Another research and development project of the U.S. Army has produced a demolition charge, the M118, known as FlexX, which provides something new in the field of packaging explosives. That something new about FlexX is the basic makeup of the package. Sheets of FlexX, an explosive material one foot long and a quarter inch thick, tip the scales at half a pound. Peel off the protective cover and you make contact with the working side of the charge. Remember, fly paper, this surface sticks with equities and tenacity. It gets a fast, firm grip on almost any surface and it sticks firmly even at 35 degrees below zero. When matched against another type of explosive in this timed competition, FlexX proved that its adhesive surface gives it the extremely important advantage of speed. It was fused and ready to go in less than a minute. The other team, primarily because of the need for securing their non-adhesive charge, took a full two minutes and 24 seconds to complete their setup. This additional time and effort did not produce any superior demolition result. In terms of sheer blasting power, FlexX was every bit the equal. Its ability to stick and to conform to the shape of an object makes FlexX particularly handy when more power is needed. It can be packed in layers, building its total strength to meet the needs of the objective at hand, which in this case is a solid five inch iron rod, a clean break with power to spare. Work underwater? Sure thing. Moreover, FlexX can take a lot of punishment, but it will explode only when fused and only when you want it to or a railroad track or a large tree for the job that could be handled leisurely in daylight or the mission that demands complete silence and split second speed under cover of darkness. FlexX, the M118 explosive charge, offers an ideal blend of speed and muscle to the mission of the demolition soldier. The picturesque town of Warrendorf, Germany was the scene of this year's annual Konsei and Panacian al-Duspor military. A U.S. Army team from Fort Sam Houston, Texas represented our armed forces in the competitive pentathlon events held there. The town square was decorated for the event and the local citizens of Warrendorf were proud to play host to the military teams from 10 European countries and the United States who gathered for the competition. The championship meet is made up of five events which includes fencing, pistol shooting, swimming, cross-country run and horseback riding. Each participant must compete in all five events before he may qualify for individual and team standing. The 5,000-meter steeplechase course has 30 jumps of various types. Taking the hurdles was specialist fifth class, Oren Larson, of Davidson, Michigan, a member of the U.S. team. Interest in the Sismete has been high since modern pentathlon made its official debut during the 1912 Olympics. At that time, General George S. Patton, then Lieutenant, finished fifth overall in the individual standings. The next event was pistol shooting and Lieutenant Donald Walheim blackened his sights and discussed strategy with the team coach and chief Lieutenant Colonel Emmet C. Townsend. Also competing on the 25-meter pistol range was specialist fourth class William A. Matheson of Los Angeles, California, who commanded a steady hand and a sharp eye. After all the shooting was over, when the results were tabulated, specialist Matheson received third place in the final scoring. The winners run to take their positions of honor. Specialist William A. Matheson joined the other winners with handshakes all around. Traditionally dressed hostesses assisted in the distribution of the prizes. Then the colors of each winning team were raised during the awards ceremony. Fencing matches were conducted in a new high school gym under international rules. Each man had to first compete against every member of his own team before being matched against members of opposing teams. Specialist Matheson led the U.S. contingent as he taped on his fencing glove containing the electric scoring contact. Another member of the American team, First Lieutenant James H. Coots, donned his protective face mask just before the start of the first match. Poise, grace and agility were the keynotes here. Six matches may be fought at once and each fencer competed with many rivals. Racing against the clock, every touch was signaled electrically by the tip of the APA which lit a bulb and sounded the bell announcing a hit. The grueling routine for the contestants lasted for almost six hours. A final lunge to beat the clock and participants congratulate one another. Then all applaud the winners. Swimming events occupied still another day of the competition. In the 300 meter swim, endurance and strength contributed to a victory for Lieutenant Coots. A perfect picture of coordination of muscle and style, Lieutenant Coots who hails from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, knived through the water to a fast-paced first-place win for the U.S. team. Later, Lieutenant Coots proudly received his award on the winner's stand. The 4,000 meter cross country run got on the way with Lieutenant Coots of the United States team. His teammate, Specialist Marson, waited for his tap-off and then began the long run. When the starting clock indicated the official interval between runners, one by one, each participant began his ordeal over the rough and varied terrain. Up and down hill following a marked route, the runners had to maintain pace which proved a severe test of lung and leg power, even to these well-trained athletes. Sports enthusiasts kept close check of their favorites as they crossed the finish line. Crossing the line standing up was U.S. team member Lieutenant Coots who received considerable applause for the difficult feat. He was followed by other even more exhausted runners. But the star of the cross country run was Specialist Marson with a time of 1240.7 who took top honors for the day. On the winner's stand, Specialist Marson proudly accepted his prize. The athlete stood in attention as the American flag was raised, signifying a first-place victory in the event. At the end of the four-day meet, there was a parade through the brightly decorated streets of Warrendorf. The Italian team won first place and the U.S. team won the second-place team trophy. The whole town turned out to attend the formal closing ceremonies held in the marked plots. Inspector General of the German Army, Gen. Ulrich de Mazziere, praised the participating athletes for their ability and spirit as he presented the final awards. The Sism games are a living symbol of sportsmanship and western solidarity. Vietnam, very much in the news these days, is the scene of continued and varied United States Army activities. For example, an unusual floating workshop is anchored in Cam Ranh Bay. It's a converted seaplane tender called the USNS Corpus Christi Bay, which is equipped for a wide variety of aircraft overhaul operations. Replacement parts for on-the-spot repairs are taken aboard the ship to support maintenance for both rotary and fixed-wing aircraft. A traffic control center channels each repair operation to the appropriate maintenance shop. Job order sheets are processed by machine, which means fast repair and delivery back to the requesting unit. With few areas on the vessel large enough to accommodate extensive airframe repair, the Army Flattop concentrates on overhaul of all types of aircraft components. Some components can be made or repaired with power tools and others with just plain know-how. Extensive laboratory support is available for maintenance of electronic components. Specialists in avionics use complex testing equipment in checking out sensitive aircraft communications and guidance systems. Both small and large damaged or deteriorated components are brought from the combat zone directly to the maintenance shop for repair. This avoids the long costly shipment back to depots in the United States and ensures return of the items to combat in the shortest possible time. There are 32 separate aircraft maintenance shops aboard the Corpus Christi Bay with capability for all types of disassembly, repair, rebuilding, and check-up. The shops are equipped with latest tools and machinery for literally hundreds of detailed aircraft maintenance and inspection functions. Each expert technician in the floating maintenance battalion has been trained in several aircraft maintenance specialties at the Army Aeronautical Depot Maintenance Center in Corpus Christi, Texas. The Army's first floating aircraft maintenance depot offers complete mobility and flexibility of support to U.S. Army aircraft operations in Vietnam. Tools and technicians in the repair shop to back up the soldier in the field. A vital military support activity in Vietnam is the resupply of our troops in the field. At a major Army airfield, helicopters are loaded with food and combat material for the men of the 25th Infantry Division engaged in Operation Paul Revere near the Cambodian border. Five gallon water containers are included in the shipment. With so much of the country inaccessible by land convoy, these aerial deliveries are often the only means of keeping our fighting men equipped for the jungle combat. Requent flights must be made deep over enemy territory and Army air crews are constantly on the alert. The helicopter puts down in a clearing near the combat unit, a weapons platoon that is waiting anxiously for the supplies. But men of the unit lose no time in unloading the containers and boxes. Food, water, and ammunition will help these troops continue their assault against the enemy. With U.S. combat units deployed in widespread areas throughout the remote regions of South Vietnam, aerial resupply has become an essential mission. These ground fighters and the men in the air who back them up form a combat team superbly equipped to carry U.S. military operations to a successful conclusion. Elsewhere in the country, troops of the 173rd Airborne Brigade begin Operation Toledo. As they jump off from their forward command post northeast of Saigon, flying over the thick jungles of Long Kong province, they end the 26 kilometer air ride to their objective. Landing on a section of highway number one, bordering a village, the troopers dismount and spread out on either side of the road. As soon as the helicopters are gone, the assault forces regroup and begin moving westward along the highway. Their mission? To search and clear the surrounding ground. Evidence of a quick withdrawal by Viet Cong forces in the area is found by the advancing troops. The abandoned campsite is thoroughly searched before the men continue onward. To reach some of the thickest jungle country in the core area, where it is believed the Viet Cong may still be, the flying infantrymen begin crossing one of the many rivers found in this region. With the aid of a guide rope, the men work their way across the muddy rain swollen watercourse. By the time all of the troops have crossed, it is late in the day. The south bank is secured and camp is made for the night. Several soldiers are injured and medical choppers are signaled. Openings in the jungle are so small that the helicopters cannot land. Pick up by sling, cable and winch is the only practicable and fast method for removal of the man. The wounded are placed in the hoisting equipment and gently taken aboard for the quick return trip to a hospital in the rear for immediate medical attention. Back at the 173rd forward command post, troops conduct med cap and dent cap programs for the friendly villagers there. The medical aid given by the troops is part of the overall civic action program being carried out by the 173rd Airborne Brigade. In another sector of Vietnam, an interesting civilian military festival is held for the local residents of Bingting Valley. The purpose of the festival, which is part of Operation Good Friend, is to build goodwill between U.S. forces and local civilians and to emphasize the goal of a free Vietnam to which the United States is pledged. Almost 3,000 people attend the festivities sponsored by the U.S. 1st Air Cavalry Division and civil irregular defense groups. The 1st Air Cavalry Band provides music for an appreciative audience. Later, the band gets a pint-sized conductor and soon every other youngster present wants his chance to lead the band. The commanding general of the 1st Air Cavalry, John Morton, with the help of a local translator, addresses the gathering. The general reaffirms the U.S. determination to stand side by side with South Vietnam in her struggle for freedom. All snap to attention as the Vietnamese colors are raised. Viet Cong threats have been issued, warning the people not to attend the festival, but nearly all of the inhabitants of the valley turned out for the occasion. General Morton troops the line of assembled Vietnamese civil and military units. Army of the Republic of Vietnam and U.S. soldiers lost their lives in heavy fighting nearby during the preceding months. In commemoration, a wreath is laid on a makeshift monument of paper and wood, which will be replaced in the near future by a stone memorial. Operation Good Friend is part of an extensive goodwill program started throughout Vietnam. The festival is climaxed by an impressive life past of allied air power, bright sun and bright hopes for the future of a freedom-loving country. We hope that you have enjoyed this pictorial tour of but a few of the many diverse army activities throughout the world and that you have learned something new about your global United States Army in action.