 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 Stuart Queen continuation of world tension makes it necessary for American fighting men to serve on another continent during peacetime not just the simple task of occupation but the enactment of a more complex role in the defense of the western world the job of nailing down the peace our cameras swing to focus close up on those who stand alert guardians of our perimeter of peace soldier in Europe that was a day may 7th 1945 v-e day a war was over and the world celebrated loud and long most of us would be going home but there was still a job to be done and some would have to stay the second time in a quarter century that american soldiers would serve in europe in peacetime initially the duty was occupation putting together the pieces of a country torn apart the job was done by outfits like the first division who had had a great record in world war two but soon occupation methods were put aside the defense of western europe became top priority and steps were taken to meet the challenge keeping pace with mounting tensions around the world the job grew more complicated and increasingly important an iron curtain divided europe these were not times for complacency it was time for a new look from 7th army headquarters near stuttgart germany general william m hodge keynotes that new look here in germany stands the united states 7th army one of the finest peeled armies in the world the divisions that make up 7th army form a strong well-knit fighting machine a roll call of regiments would sound names that record magnificent passages of honor and glory in the stirring history of american arms the men of these regiments are proud of their heritage and trained in their mission 7th army troops representing 48 states and the territories of the united states do not stand idle in garrison they are skilled and proficient they are in the field of continuous day in and day out maneuvering training themselves physically mastering their weapons preparing themselves to meet any emergency with competence and valor tonight while you sleep man of the 7th army along with fellow members of the nato team will be in the woods and fields of western europe working on military problems of many types these men are watchful and alert they keep each ceaseless vigil the colors and banners of all the 7th units wave high symbolizing americans determination to stand firm and unflinching before any aggressive force that may threaten the free and democratic nations of the world one thing about an alert you never know when it's going to come somewhere along the line somebody has started things moving and it's just like a chain reaction everything rolls along according to plan word is passed along from unit to unit battalion takes it from regiment and sends it along to company when the charge of quarters gets it it's his job to get the men out he's not always a popular guy when he sticks his head in the door and gets us out of a nice warm bed but he's just doing his job and it sure is necessary when you think of how easy this could be the real thing out of the barracks on the double all this is part of a stiff program and a lot of planning training and practice go into it many days of preparation and hard work let's see just what goes into those days designed to keep this army alert for anything that might come along take an average day this is the kind of effort that's put into making us alert fighting men a day with units in the field where things start mighty early in the morning crawling out of the sack and getting dressed without the usual conveniences of home where you make a helmet do double duty each of these average days is part of a big purpose to make us better soldiers to sharpen up techniques renew skills learn new jobs all because guys on the other side of that metal fence are walking around with loaded pistols it's in the field that a soldier gets real friendly with a lot of objects that seem to be just dead weight back in the barracks or on a march small arms or entrenching tools for instance in a war of blood they take on a lot more meaning they could be the difference between living and dying setting up the mortar quickly and accurately sighting it in takes plenty of practice it's not the sort of thing that a guy can do casually if he's going to get the most out of his training and when you can feel that the guy on the other side of the fence is high blood pressure rather it pays to be serious officers and combat veterans who know the score keep training rolling along at a fast clip not all work in the field involves firing a weapon communications rank high in importance to a well-trained fighting team almost everybody learns how to operate some piece of equipment like these men with a walkie-talkie another means of communication is an air ground pickup cloth panels are spread out on the ground to form the letter h that's the target for the l-19 to shoot at watch the way the pilot zooms into bullseye on a tiny piece of wire only 12 feet long that's held between the two poles one thing about our training we're taught to know what we're doing and why at the tank training center in vilsack germany the course includes just about everything a soldier has to know about armored vehicles there are basic and advanced courses in driving maintenance gunnery and tactics in the field and in the class there's nothing left out every part of the theory and operation of armor on wheels is covered we do a lot of work with mock-ups and blow up models of most of the equipment we use this instructor is explaining how those little electrons go slamming their way around inside those radio tubes and make it possible to communicate from inside a tank the firing range with moving targets is just like a carnival shooting gallery after you get to know the ins and outs of each component you get a chance to put that information to use a mighty big operational training program includes working with other units on maneuvers maneuvers that take our outfits stomping up and down our side of the line one of the things everybody pays a lot of attention to is the right way to employ all this firepower you'd be surprised at just how much you have to know things like reading maps and judging terrain because you don't always have super highways to barrel along on when you drive a tank but the big moment comes when a lot of different outfits get together for combined maneuvers to many veterans these operations have a familiar ring they've seen war in the past and here actual battle conditions are very closely reproduced all the little things that the winter making soldiers out of recruits are part of these games like crossing a road under fire or advancing under smoke and tank protection the time to be taken in the particular problem at hand is just on the other side of that hill the approaches get a heavy bombardment then men and tanks move forward just like the whole thing was for keeps yes there's a lot of combat type actions like this going on all the time they're darned important because it's out of this kind of training that we get stronger and more another thing is that it's here that certain guys will show that they have more on the ball than the next one and they become leaders but most important of all it's only through this kind of action that a lot of different units get a chance to work on common problems and become welded into an army an army that knows how to fight and is ready when called it's a big job for any field army to get the men fed usually supplies have to be trucked in from distant points some of our dairy products like eggs and butter come all the way from Denmark fresh baked bread is the last item on this pickup then the convoy rolls out for the long trip to a bunch of hungry guys who've used up a lot of energy nobody has to be called twice everybody hits that shower line and hits it hard when you mix all that good grub with a big appetite clean air and in a setting that resembles a picnic ground well you just can't seem to eat enough one of the best ways we show how things are done on our side of the fence in europe is the way freedom of religion is practicing our army a fella can be of any faith he chooses and he gets the same chance as anyone else to practice that faith like these men taking part in catholic services or the men of the jewish religion conducting their services in front of an altar set up in the field on the front of a jeep the protestant minister leads his service in the shadow of stacked rifles chaplain's a part of our regular army life they're always ready to assist in the spiritual development of any soldier yes there's a lot of time and effort that goes into each day of preparation for the unexpected the job of being alert but an army is composed of more than a front line of men who drive tanks or fire a mortar or a cannon there's still another part of the picture a day starts early in the morning for us to the rear echelon they call us just like all soldiers everywhere you got to make roll call the man blows that whistle and you hustle out to be there when the platoon sergeant starts counting noses and passes on the word that all our present or accounted for officially the day begins with a boom of the cannon and the raising of the flag at revelry physical training good for the circulation it says here after a session of knee bends and push ups a day's work in an office is just a breeze they're always saying that an army travels on its stomach but from the looks of things at our message center modern war machines make their meals out of paper but there's no doubt about its importance if the paperwork wasn't done there'd be an awful lot of confusion in addition to the usual communications instruments like the telephone we have hundreds of other types of machines that require the services of highly skilled technicians the world seems to be getting more technical all the time and we sure get our share here at headquarters machines of every type and description radios operated by men who know the Moore's quote or teletype lines that cover a couple of continents and of course there are the special devices used for coding and decoding messages they all play a big part in keeping our army informed and alert these are tense times in europe and until there are concrete indications that the situation will change our forces will just have to keep maintaining constant watch keeping things well oiled against any surprises but it's not all knows to the grindstone every minute off duty there are plenty of social activities sports for instance baseball is still the national pastime here and there's a lot of hot competition in service league games music is another off-duty activity that's popular fun for the player and the listener when this group played at stuttgart's bill helmer gardens they had an appreciative audience and it was standing room only for the birds the quality of our musicians surprised a lot of europeans one of them said we knew americans could make good automobiles but we never knew you could play music like this we've been making a lot of friends with those clarinets and trombones other emissaries of pleasure and goodwill are the 43rd division's wing victory chorus those are getting a chance to do things that they've always wanted to do back home like riding horses or getting around to see the sights somebody said that our generation would be the most worldly wise of them all there are few who don't take advantage of this special opportunity to see new places and new things all kinds of tours can be easily arranged or a guy can just go off by himself and prowl the countryside if he wants a place that's a big draw is the bavarian alps and naturally almost everyone who gets to vectus garden makes the long climb up the hill to see the same view that used to give old adolf hitler his nightmarish inspirations they say that this is one of the most beautiful spots in the world these bombed out ruins are all that were left of three churches they gave us the chance to do a real job as off-duty ambassadors it was through this rubble that we deepened understanding between us and the germans who used to worship in them we took over this stable which doesn't look like much now but watch what happened to him plenty of elbow grease was contributed by a big gang who pitched in on their own time to build a memorial to the demolished churches after the first coat of paint went on the walls it started to look like something and after the whole thing was finished it was something that everyone was proud to have had a hand in a humble stable had become a friendly chapel in which each could worship his god it was named the chapel of the three stones and it got that name from the fact that the altar was composed of stones from each of the wrecked buildings the amazing thing about this whole project was the amount of goodwill shown by all concerned general hodge summed it up at the dedication i congratulate you upon your accomplishment in constructing this house of worship as a symbol of community goodwill and religious tolerance may it be shared by all military and civilian and our german neighbors it stands here today as a symbol of freedom tolerance and peace among men a stable the birthplace of christ has become a first place of worship for all men perhaps the most vital function of our european training is our role in the integration of the fighting forces of nato that's the north atlantic treaty organization composed of 14 countries war games and combat exercises are being held constantly combine maneuvers with units who don't speak the same language call for a lot of careful preparation otherwise things could easily turn out like that story about the tower of babbo we're playing a big part in making nato a worthwhile working proposition a lot of equipment and personnel are going into the training and support of the armies of smaller countries the goals of nato are to prevent war if possible by building such strength that any aggressor will hesitate to attack or if attack does come to defend europe until victorious counterblows can be launched living and working so close to those long stretches of barbed wire that separate nations of suspicion and fear from those who work in harmony the importance of the nato program becomes clear we're pressing on toward the goal of security for europe which so vitally affects the security of all the world at sundown retreat one of the most colorful ceremonies in army life it signifies the end of the working day so ends an average day with american arms standing as a bulwark of peace and freedom against the threat of war and slavery soldier in europe part of the greatest peacetime army ever assembled ready to meet with effectiveness any emergency that might arise yes our soldiers in europe are demonstrating their purpose maintenance of an unrelenting vigilance and an ability to work in close cooperation with fighting men of other nations in discouraging aggression this is sergeant steward queen next week you'll have another chance to see your army in action on 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 signal core 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