Today Is United States Army Day

Chronicle (Levin), 6 April 1948, Page 4

Today Is United States Army Day

Today the United States Army celebrates its Army Day. For th. past 172 years the United States Army has been a close part oi uu American way of life. It has hem the nation together by proLecun0 it from its enemies, and it has' been, and always will be, a great consuructive force' in peace.- The recent cragic war found the United States Army co-operating with its allies to destroy the enemies of man's freedom, his individual rights and his property. Army Day meahs much to American citizens, for on this day the nation honours.its yeterans, and also its peacetime army, whose mission is now even greater Jnan ever before. General Omar N. Bradley; the new Chief of Stafl of the " United States Army, best sums up the case of and for the American soldier when he said: "This Army Day, more than two years after the end "of history's" most calamitous war, hnds the Army of the' United States eng&ged in the task of building a iirm, lasting security^for all people who have suffered ihe tragedy oi aggression. The Army, both at home and in the occupied zones overseas, is charged with- a great phare of the responsibility for {mamtaining a watchful peace. To" accomplish our mission, many soldiers are stationed great overseas distances from their homes. They are performing their duties, in many cases under adverse and trying conditions. But they are underoaking them with the knowledge that theirs is a critically important duty. And they have pride in their role as representatives of a free and powerful nation. This Army has a single purpose — to proviae for the safekeeping of our nation. It' can fulfill that assignment only with the constant awareness and generous support of the | American people." I During the war a genuine spirit | of camaraderie was built up between American and British Commonwealth troops ihroughout the world. Especially was it so' in the Sbuth Pacific area, where a'strong bond of friendsnip grew up between New Zealand and the American iroops. This international goodwill is a great contributing factor for happy relationships between the nations of " New Zealand and America. Our armies are playing a great constructive role in maini taining pea'ce in the occupied countries of Europe and the Far East. However, we must keep a wary eye on the struggles that are going on in various parts of the world, where nearly 4,000,000 men are still fight* ing each other, and although we sincerely hope it not to be true, any one of these ciashes could blossom into a third world war. So to us all on this Army Day comes a moment of reflection for the guardians of peace who protect their nations in this our troubled world.