VALLEY SUTLER, Palmer Alaska. Carl Rasmussen,Editor.
Published every Friday at Palmer Alaska, by the Matanuska Valley
Farmers Cooperating Association for the purpose of giving news of the
Association’s work, problems, accomplishments, local and general news.
Subscription by Mail, $ 1.75 yearly. Box $ 1.00. Single Copy 10
ARE THE PEOPLE OF ALASKA TAKING THE WAR SERIOUSLY?
Well we wonder sometimes, when we are inclined to judge by surface
appearances, then when we hear the explanations we usualy conclude that
we have been jumping to conclusions that were not justified by the facts
but then again some of the excuses are not very good and just dont fit
in the demands of the day. Perhaps the U.S. is not gripped in such a
death struggle ns it has been at times in our history, but still one must
admit thrt the present war is not a play war any more. Tb ere are to many
messages being recieved from the front that give parents and friends the
news that some loved one is missing, to allow us to believe that we are
not engag d in a very serious war.
comparison with the last World war there are some improvements
that are indeed welcome, for instance we dont have to listen to some
Four minute speaker blow off a lot of hot air every time, we try to see
a good moving picture or hear a good program of music. That we are making
progress is undoubtably true, in our conduct as a Nation, we hear less
talk of hatred and reprisals among the civilian, than during the last
war, but the efficiency of our fighting men is just as good or better.
A large number of our middleaged men were engaged in the last war and
they know what war is like and what the men on the front are going thru.
And one c:"1 the best signs of useful, thouhtful help to our fighting men
from these vetrnns is the fact that they are working and planing aid for
younger m n in the Front Lines, both'in the present war effort and also
when they return home. After all it seems to us that the most helpful
thing that we, who are to old to be in active service, can do, is to hel1
in services supply, mainly and then try to assist the service men when
the War is won. Let the Soldiers do the fighting.
And now that we are in need of such great numbers of fighting men
it seems to us that it is the duty of each young man of military age,who
is not engaged in some work that makes him more valuable where he is,
than he would be in the Armed forces, to get into some branch of the
service that needs men, and do his part for the Country that has provided
him with a home, education and the necessities of lfe.
To those young men who are jumping from job to job, burning up
gasoline and rubber, seeking deferment for jobs that they have no intentic
of doing in a wholehearted manner, who have dependents who they are useinc
for deferment, but whom they are neblectin6 in order to have a'so-crlled
good tim from their high war wages, we would suggest that you search
your pwn concience for the answer to, Am I doing my part? We hope that
there are not any people like this in the Valley, but if there are we
would remind you that it seems disloyal to us to your Brother in Arms
and the serious minded young men who are working hard at the jobs, for
which they have been deferred. It must also be galling to the well trainer
men who would have been glafl to stay home and work like slaves to produce
food and supplies, who have been c* lied and v/ho have wives and parents
who need their help badly.
Only once or twice in the lifetime of the average citizen, docs
he have to meet the unusual demands of War service, In an imperfect World
like the one we live in,there will have to be a lot of educating to
provide the mass of th^ people with educated Intelligence enough to get
the idea that War is unecessary. During the meantime wc can only U3e th.
methods that others use to protect ourselves. And then again In all of th
history written, we can not find any people who had more to protect, or
who were more generous to their citizens who gave support to their cause
on the field of battle In protection of their country, than the United
States of America. It behoves each one of us to use the best talents that
we have to insure final Victory.