Primarily, men, I am here to see you and to learn something about what you are doing. You know more about it than I do. Even the brass hats can learn something. I came up here to learn something about your problems. Before I start, I want to tell you one thing - the importance of your job in the world. We thought we went to war to gain a permanent peace and that was the aim and hope of America; and we have seen in these uneasy and chaotic times a situation which keeps all people upset. In such a world, America represents the most powerful and has to look to its own defenses. Because war has become so all-inclusive in its scope, so terribly destructive in its character, we must look to our own outpost, and this is one of the most important.

I want to say a word or two about the technical service groups. I should say that the Aviation Engineers, along with the Combat Engineers, were among the most important people we had in the European War. The Aviation Engineers carried out mines, and dug roads. The Aviation Engineers made an airfield on the Island of Gocia in 13 days. They were a significant part in the capture of Sicily. And for you Negro troops - Port Battalions volunteered to work 24 hours in the Port of Cherbourg. Every soldier on the front line has to have many soldiers to support him. When we were short of men in the Bulge, we got, from service troops, 15,000 volunteers for the front lines - among them 2,400 Negro troops. The Air Force had 10,000 go into the Infantry.

I am learning something about your particular problems. I know that many non-commissioned officers are having trouble getting housing for their families - you haven’t paved streets, sufficient recreational facilities. We will see what we can do to make Congress and the people in Washington understand these things, understand the importance of your job, make them understand something about the difficulties of living up here. Maybe we can get something done.

I think the greatest citizen of America today is the soldier in uniform. Our country is the most important single thing in the world today. It is only under some such system that the United States uses that men can decide whether they want to go into the Army - they can decide everything for themselves.

I want to thank each of you individually and collectively for helping to make this country a safer place in which to live.