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PAGE FOUR
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Office: Building 73 Phone: 3641
PubU»h«d Every Thursday by and for the Enlisted Men of the Academic
Regiment. The Infantry School, Fort Benning, Ga
THURSDAY. APRIL 27. 1944
The REGIMENTAL MIRROR receives Camp Newspaper Ser
vice material. Republication of credited matter prohibited with
out permission of CNS, 205 E. 42 St.. N. Y C., 17 The MIRROR
is also a member of the Fort Benning Press Association, mem
ber newspapers of which are entitled to republication of any
item printed in this paper.
COL E P. PASSAILAIGUE LT VERNON C HOYT
Commanding Advisor
SGT. WALTER MILLER Editor
Cpl. Johnston C. Woodall. . . Assistant Editor
Pvt. June Freed Secretary
Cpl. Bernard Langella Sports Reporter
Praise For The WACs
Is Praise For The EMs
We know that the WACs will understand if we too
take pride in the praise they received over the air last
Sunday from General Bonesteel and Colonel Passailaigue.
That they have a right to be proud is beyond dispute.
That the enlisted men should also feel commended is less
apparent at first but just as true.
We have heard from several official sources that here
at TIS we have set a model for the complete integration
of the Women’s Army Corps into the service. This was
not just a matter of breaking administrative precedents at
headquarters; it was also a matter of the attitude of the
enlisted men as well as the ability and attitude of the en
listed women.
The WACs came here to learn many varied and diffi
cult military tasks, which previously were conceived of
only in terms of EMs. They learned them well and quick
ly. ' This is also to say that our enlisted men TAUGHT
these jobs efficiently and with esprit. The value of the
seasoned veteran soldier is often determined by his abili
ty to help season the recruit. When the replacement suc
ceeds at his or her job the veteran has just as much right
to be proud. We know, therefore, that the WACs will
understand if the enlisted men also take pride in the
WACs’ achievements here at Benning.
For those who did not hear the messages from the
Commandant and our CO on the WAC radio program, we
record them here as a commendation to the entire Aca
demic Regiment:
GEN. BONESTEEL "BEATS
THE HISTORIANS TO IT"
Maj. Gen. C. H. Bonesteel’s message to the radio aud
ience of the Army Hour program, WRBL, 5:00 p. m. Sunday,
April 23rd, presented by WAC Detachment Number Two,
The Infantry School:—
When the story of this conflict is finally written, the
historians undoubtedly will pay full tribute to the many
important contributions made by the Women’s Army
Corps, not only on the battle fronts, but here at home. In
the meantime, I wish to beat the historians to it by tak
ing this opportunity of congratulating these patriotic wo
men. '
This is a world war and it is only fitting that women
as well as men have a hand in shaping its destiny.
In the creation of this Corps, a tremendous step was
taken in spreading out among the people of this country
a responsibility hitherto held only in the main by its men
folk. Today. American women, along with American
men, are in the battle and when that battle is won—as it
will be won—it will be they, as well as the soldiers in the
foxholes, who have won it.
The soldiers of this great Corps with whom I, per
sonally, have been associated have come up to the highest
standards of American military tradition.
REGIMENTAL MIRROR
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"Fromu*. that you’ll keep an eye on her, Sergeant."
COL. PASSAILAIGUE PROUD
OF WOMEN'S ARMY CORPS
Colonel E. P. Passailaigue’s address to the radio aud
ience of “Reporting As Directed”, WAC Detachment Two
presentation on the Army Hour program, Station WRBL,
5:00 p. in., Sunday. April 23rd:—
Soldiers, interested always in the history of this
proud and free nation, are aware of the vital part that wo
men have played in the defense and preservation of dem
ocracy From the days of the frontier when pioneer wo
men fought the wilderness side by side with pioneer men
—from the days of Molly Pitcher’s part in the Battle of
Monmouth down to the present crisis, our soldier has
known that it is not his privilege alone to work for his
country and its ideals, and he has gladly shared history
with the women of America. _
During the first World War President Wilson remark
ed that ' Women have met the occasion with ardor and
efficiency.” Today these are key words to the officers
and enlisted men of the Academic Regiment who have
observed members of the Women’s Army Corps working
with ardor and efficiency at vital military tasks of The
Infantry School. Here, at one of the nerve centers of the
Allied war effort, scores of WACs work side by side with
our soldiers, proving to all that the pioneer strength of
American womanhood is still with us, and will count
when the final verdict is delivered to the Axis.
In the Academic Regiment we took an unprecedented
step in the assignment of enlisted women. Two large de
tachments of WACs have been accorded full and equal
status as units of the most highly-rated regiment in the
service. Six months after the WACs first came to my
command I report what is proudly known by every mem
ber of this command—that today we conceive of the Ac
ademic Regiment not as seven companies of soldiers and
two detachments of WACs, but as nine units of the finest
soldiers in the world.
In the Academic Regiment of The Infantry School
there are two Women’s Army Corps detachments of six of
ficers and two hundred eighty enlisted women. Almost
without exception these women are the wives, mothers,
daughters and sisters of officers and men of our armed
forces.
At first, their reception into the service was viewed
with skepticism. This doubt was dissipated with unbe
lievable rapidity as these women proved their unqualified
competence in filling assignments of men whom they re
leased for combat duty. No special privilege nor conces
sion is requested by them because they are women. They
have asked that they be treated as soldiers and they are
so treated.
The members of WAC Detachment Number Two, by
entertaining the radio audience this afternoon give proof
of their versatility. They appear here on their own time.
This evening, tomorrow and to the day of total victory
they will be patriotically and efficiently serving as soldiers
of the Army of the United States. I share with others a
justifiable pride in the Women’s Army Corps.
Thursday, April 27, 1944
fat Through
Channels!
By Sgt Walter Miller
Pvt. Chowhound
Gets A Good
Conduct Medal
Dear Pop
1 know you came home from
the last war with plenty of med
als on your chest and so far I've
got only GI soup on mine. But
your days of shame are over In
a day or so I expect to be award
ed the Good Conduct Medal. I
know that sounds like a Boy
Scout merit badge, and that
“Conduct” sounds like some
thing you get marked on at
school. But in the Army we
have a different meaning for the
word—like, he “conducted him
self magnificently under fire.”
Just to show you that the
Good Conduct clasp is no snap.
I’ll tell you how the Army feels
about it: AR 600-68 says that
the medal will be awarded for
“exemplary behavior, efficiency
and fidelity of enlisted mem.”
There’s also a part about having
to be all this high-sounding stuff
for at least a year (It took me
only 15 months!)
The regulations also say that
the Commanding Officer will B
make or cause to be made the
presentation with suitable cere- B
mony.” w
Any day now the supply sarge
will call me down and say “Look
yardbird, sign for this and clear
out.”
And then this little item of
issue will heal the old wound
that has kept me and the supply
sarge from being good friends..
about eight months ago he call
ed me down one day and said.
“Sign there.”
I signed and them asked what
for.
“For the Good Conduct Med
al Here.”
“Sarge,” 1 said, “I am over
whelmed with flattery, I—”
“Ah nuts, almost everybody
gets one. . . ”
“But what a compliment! To
imply that I have done a year’s
good work in six months. . .it
means I work twice as hard!”
“You mean you've been in the
Army only six months? Holy
smokes, somebody made a mis
take! Unsign that! Give me that
ribbon, you faker! You breathe
a word of this to anybody and
I swear, they won’t even be able
to salvage you!”
But that insult I'm now will
ing to forgive. I’m sweatingout
the suitable ceremony all over
again.
And don’t worry about that
new headline, Pop, that AIR
MEDAL OUTRANKS PURPLE
HEART NOW The Good Com
duct Medal is still eleventh on
the list of eleven awards by the
War Department.
Your loafing son,
Pvt. Chowhound
P. S.—l just met the supply
sergeant and he said I was get
ting a special medal—gold col
ored, shaped like a brick You
can see I’m really getting places
in this man’s Army
Want To Join Vets
Os Foreign Wars?
Any Academics interested in
joining the Veterans of For
eign Wars are asked to get in
touch with Capt. Glenn S.
Reddick, regimental chaplain,
either in his office in the Fourth
Battalion, First Student Train
ing Regiment, or by phone—
FB 2295
