Memo For Joe (1944)

[Music] [Music] [Music] I've talked to GI Joe while he waited listening for a signal in a shallow ditch heard his last hoarsely shouted wisecrack before marched with him when he was I've been as passenger blow desert watch them go to church churches without steeples you then the chil with him it was very little to Joe and often when I've said goodbye again Joe I felt something more disturbing than the sadness of parting something added to the gratitude that of us must feel that try as we will we know down deep we never can repay for packed at my kit bag and my notes and manuscripts are thousands of stories of Joe's courage fortitude and gumption well it's been valor that needed publishing a story that demanded telling like all correspondence I've done my best with it there's not that with disturbs a reporter of this war it is this and correspondence goes stale tired jaded when we get fed up we can always quit right to be continued push off catch a plane come home that's why I shall always be in his debt so I've been searching for story big enough strong enough to bear comparison with the prodigious one he has been writing and blood and fire and geography I think that I found it in this a story that all America helps right it is doubtful if Joe is heard busy as he is that we at home have United all of these services into one great community campaign but we have merged that traditional democratic institution the Community Chest with our national war fund but I should like to show them how logical this combined operation is when I write about Joe Salerno landing on the beaches of Norman but when there were 3,000 miles of I think of him laugh favorites his home folks of Hollywood and bra Radio all were dispatched to him by USO Camp showed a major item of this fun think of it josè entertained each month last year 87 camp shows see yes an 83 training camp at the hospital over here [Music] and in addition the stable permanent fixed homes away from home the USO club's 3,000 units Alaska to Brazil Newfoundlands of ye two-and-a-half millions of servicemen lodged and entertained each month and Joe will wanna hear two of those come his who never again in this war can be entertained by a USO show the national war fun day the material of sanity and self-respect with arms against the long wedding march of access prison page 94 rest centers and united siemens clubs on six continents draw support from this fund to fight convoy fatigue volunteer not once but many times the merchant seamen who play that fateful game of tag with the tin fish you sink and swim and then sign on again you know your friend Joe has seen some sights of the pretty hard to take even on the movies since you shook his hand and wished him well scenes he will be a long time [Music] I think that when Joe sees scenes like this his heart flies home to asine like and a nursery a Day Nursery you help support one of the thousands of recipients of your generosity they are opposite sides of the same car a very precious species yes we must give relief from the effects of this war all neighborhood all these familiar agencies whose efficient functioning we have taken pretty much for granted must whip forward under the sting and lash of a war thousands of miles away so I should like to tell Joe that the children on his block are safe but despite wild booms but a worse on his nerves and booby-traps his kids sister has been guided into a safe haven that the Boy Scouts still flourish with the aid of this fund with a snap and an enthusiasm his heart good and many a mother who feels the stress of a speeded-up war world owes her peace of mind some girl scout [Music] for children I should like to tell them that every mrs. Joe's budget problem and health problem is the urgent concern of an understanding specialist and that the visiting nurses are tireless and patient and teaching many a mother to care for a Juliet Joe helping the few adopters at home to take care of more patients old and that the American War relief services beyond the sea none can see and feel more clearly more sensitively the China wall relief Russian war Ely in the Greek all the war relief services all 14 come out of the same hamper I subscribed in the same well that's the gist of my memo to Joe we're traveling thousands of miles to deliver worth remembering when your community war fund or warchest asks that you make it good so when I go out again I'll say to Joe this is one thing you don't have to worry about we've got it covered this is our promise at least we can [Music]