Are You Ready for Service: Your Plans (1951)

[Music] well hi Mike hi Harry what's the matter I thought you had track today oh I don't feel so good oh that's too bad skipping practice to Bone up on an exam huh well there's an exam all right but well how can you study is this what's on my kid brother's mind of course it's on everybody's mind well you should have heard the fellas this afternoon here you are boys have one last good one before you go in thanks jerk show your parents there's no sense in staying in school any longer than you have to I'm going to quit and get a job and now I'm going to enlist yeah me too go on ahead and get it over with that's why I'm going to enlist enlist they wouldn't put a uniform on a baby like you there's another baby they're not going to put a uniform on come and what goes I got an angle what do you mean you got an angle come on be a sport sorry fellas this is my angle a pray for my Coke will you yeah and uh give my love to the general I wonder what he means ah he's always got an angle about everything from what I hear it's brains that'll get you deferred if anything so what you put it off little but it's always us young guys who have to go out and do somebody else's Dirty Work oh that's not the point it's always been us young ones check and all this talk well maybe I'm just a boring hero but it looks like our job all right if it is well they can take me anytime they need me sure who wants to be a sherker but well gee I kind of did have plans on going on to sure but you can kiss all that goodbye yeah and once you put on a uniform brother that's it the end and it really is the end what's a sense of studying or spring training or or anything when are you leaving tomorrow you can laugh you're not not what remember I wore a uniform for a few years myself yeah well I'm going to grab a sandwich oh hi Mike want a sandwich might as well you know something Mike no what for a long time young people have made plans according to a certain basic pattern of living it's been well here here's the pattern first you go to grade school then high school then college or work now whether you knew it or not you've made your plans most of them to fit this pattern what courses you take at school how hard you study what activities you go out for who your friends are whether you plan to get married or not and so forth gee I never thought of it that way okay now there's a new pattern After High School a working of while or some college most fellows will go into military service something new has been added to the pattern but does that mean that you should stop planning so your point is the guys who get along best will be the ones who make plans plans that include a period of military service and plans for life after service After all you've got this ahead of you and you got time to plan for it so well it sounds reasonable you think about it we'll talk about it some more tomorrow tomorrow Saturday remember we've got a job to do carry our dad's [Music] PL H you take that side I'll take this side we'll work our way up okay adone here you take this huh thanks good how you coming with your plans no plans yet but I've been thinking it's a good beginning I've been thinking about the way most guys been looking at this thing the way they've not been making plans like yesterday you know I was telling you about it some guys are always looking for an angle but I got an idea that's just asking for trouble maybe they will get a deferment but sooner or later most of us are going in so why kid yourself a lot of guys figure well it's a job that's got to be done they want to do their part that's probably the right way to look at it some fellas are just sore well I ask you is griping going to help them stay out or help when they get in you'd probably say they should plan for what's ahead for service and their lights work instead of just waiting for things to happen but what can I plan when I go in I'll take orders and do as I'm told what can I plan for a lot beginning right there think about it from the day you're sworn in you will start taking orders you'll start living the military life life all right you know what's ahead of you so start planning for it think about it think about the many ways it's different from the life you've been living and think about the many ways it's the same find out about service life talk to people who really know the facts the more you find out in advance about what it's like the more easily you'll be able to adjust to it well I guess I can find out a lot from you there are a lot of other people you can talk to too yeah I guess there are but there's more to this thing than just talking what's that well you sort of skipped spring training yesterday didn't you I didn't skip I well yeah I guess I kind of did but when you're in the service you won't be able to skip spring training or winter training or any other kind of training they'll toughen you up all right but if you're smart you'll plan for it in advance by looking after your health and getting yourself into top shape of course the services are interested in skill as well as stamina so when you go in they'll give you tests to help place you where you can serve best the more education you've had the more valuable a serviceman you'll be and I mean education for the civilian work you want to do so part of your planning for service should be planning right now what courses you're going to take and how hard you're going to work work at him you mean I just pick out a service job I like prepare for it and tell them where to assign me it doesn't always work that way I'll bet no they're going to place you where you're needed the most but you can increase the odds in your favor and you're ready for any opportunity that comes along well that way it makes sense you know Mike you may want to make a lifetime career out of the service if so planning is all to the good but suppose you figure on just doing your turn and getting out what did you do just figure on so much service and then forget about it doesn't work that way you know War has become a highly technical proposition a lot of men receive vocational training and experience that they can carry right on into civilian life but you can't count on it so what then well let's consider this fellow in his place what would you learn learn that has actual application to your future civilian life same question might be asked about many college courses the answer is you learn how to learn what's more you learn how to apply what you learn no matter what you do it'll pay you to know how to learn and how to apply your learning you learn how to take orders and how to give orders things a fellow has to learn one way or another before he can go very far in any kind of work you learn how people work and how they work together and you learn a lot more about how to get along in the world provided you recognize these things and make plans to put the most you have into the service so that you can get the most out of it well Mike you asked for my advice boy I got it funny thing about Mike he did follow my advice turning out for practice took on a new importance when he began planning instead of worrying about the future he was out to win in the conference meet and he was out to get himself in top shape planning courses became more important when he saw that his future was something he could plan for and working at these courses really doing his best seemed worthwhile now that he was working toward a goal in service and Beyond finding out about service life became a subject for serious investigation instead of joke and rumor yes everything Mike did came to have new meaning when he realized the importance of making plans meet tomorrow after school Mike yeah sure thing hey Ken I'm sorry I can't make it okay too much to do too much to do you know it sure helps when a fella stops worrying and starts thinking and planning [Music]