The Coolidge Examiner

It is estimated that approximately 2000 people turned out to see the parade and demonstration put on by the mechanized army unit which passed through Coolidge last Tuesday.

The mechanized unit, under the direction of Major A. E. Easterbrook of the Army Air Corps, arrived in Coolidge about 10:00 a. m. Tuesday and proceeded down Main Street accompanied by two units of the Arizona Highway Patrol with their sirens wide open.

From there they proceeded to the high school grounds where they established camp. At about 6:30 the crowd began to gather on Main Street and by 7:00 the street was filled on both sides by an immense crowd.

The parade proceeded down Main Street thence to the high school ball grounds where the ceremonies took place.

The demonstration unit and the 28-piece band were completely surrounded by the large crowd. Cars were jammed against one another, and many spectators remained in their cars which were parked near by.

The 28-piece band gave a very interesting concert under the direction of H. Weber, Warrant Official.

During the concert, J. Lionel Cioteau, a member of the 7th Cavalry Band was loudly applauded for his singing of South of the Border, Singing Hills and Blue Hawaii. The second half of the concert was under the direction of Assistant Director, J. W. Fleeman.

Bill Urton, local Legionnaire, was in charge of the ceremonies and introduced Past Department Commander, Tom Sawyer of Gilbert, guest speaker of the evening.

The speech given by Mr. Sawyer was very well acclaimed by the audience and following is a brief synopsis of the speech he gave.

First, he pointed out that 23 years ago we entered a war to make the world safe for Democracy and since emerging from that war we have been in somewhat of a trance. For more than a decade afterwards we deceived ourselves into believing that we had natural law, had overcome the forces of change, had established an equilibrium in the affairs of governments by transmitting to other peoples, yes, even thrusting upon them our cherished democratic form of government. Even when these democracies began to dissolve we showed no alarm. The people were just not ready for democracy, so what of it.

We couldn't be concerned. Hadn't we learned our lesson, so why mix up with any more European wrangling?

In short, we were through!

We agreed with other strong nations to call a holiday on naval building and even went so far as to junk hundreds of tons of our own navy. Sure, we led the way toward peace for a decade or more but in 1935 those who cared to take notice could readily see we no longer lead the way toward peace.

The holiday was over.

Other nations were in a race toward war.

Yet we, as a whole, refused to take notice.

We still considered ourselves as living on the richest and most God-blest country in the world. We took the attitude "God's in his Heaven, all's well with the world." But not so in 1931-32 in Manchuria because things were not well there at all.

Japan was breaking the Nine-Power Treaty, the Kellogg-Briand Pact toward Outlaw War and the League of Nations Covenant. With little force they entered Manchuria and set up a new dependency of Manchukuo.

We refused to notice or take any action.

We needed the market of Japan.

In 1935 things were not so well with Ethiopia when Mussolini decided Christian Italy should develop its resources.

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shocked but still very little action was taken.

In 1936 things were beginning to move rapidly. On March 7, Hitler renounced the Versailles Treaty and Locarno Agreements and marched troops into the Rhineland: that land on Germany's Western border, which the American Doughboy's Army of Occupation had supposedly cleared of all war effectiveness.

No one interfered as Hitler increased Germany's military forces, not when he built in the Rhineland a Siegfried line of forts opposite the French Maginot line. In July of '36 civil war broke out in Spain with Germany and Italy openly intervening on the side of the rebels.

Eight months later Hitler's forces seized Austria and incorporated it into greater Germany; and six months later sufficed to sow the seeds of discontent among the minority of Germans in Czechoslovakia who began the repartee "Germans of the Sudetenland, let us go back to the fatherland"-and so Sudetenland became German with the consent of England, France and Italy.

In March of 1939, without any consent, it was all of Czechoslovakia. In April it was the port and territory of Memel secured from Lithuania.

August 31, 1939, Hitler concluded his collaboration treaty with Soviet Russia and ten months ago the German army marched in on Poland and then the United States began JUST BEGAN to wake up.

We denounced Hitler, called England and France cowards and urged them to purge Hitlerism from the face of the earth.

Then France and England did declare war.

Last winter In Soviet Russia attacked Finland and we upbraided France and England for their failure to assist Finland.

In May, Germany took Denmark without a shot, occupied Southern Norway that Norwegian officers and key men had "sold out" to Germans, and German "tourists" and 'agents' in Norway donned uniforms and unpacked guns; there was a new type of warfare, a streamlined "Trojan Horse."

Within a week the Dutch Army fell, the great Belgian fortresses and allied military combinations battered down within two weeks.

Italy entered the war. France collapsed.

An abortive German plot to overthrow the Uruguayan government was reported. Aid of the United States was asked and two cruisers were sent. Another cruiser was sent to Chile. 1500 marines were designated for South American duty.

Yes, the United States finally awoke, not sanely but screaming and semi-hysterical.

But what can we do in a practical way to help We must face the facts.

We are a large, rich and powerful nation with a standard of living that is the envy of the world. None of our Latin-American neighbors have navies, coastal defense or military establishments capable of offering resistance.

From 1919 to 1939 we led a philosophy of disarmament and in so doing reduced our military forces and permitted our guns, ships and all of our ordinance to become thoroughly antiquated.

While Germans were strafing the Norwegians and the allies with armored planes and bullet-proof gas tanks, airplane factories were working on army orders for United States planes with ordinary metal tanks and without armor.

Never dreaming that we might have to defend two coasts at the same time, we have only a "one ocean" navy provided. Today we face the possibility of a German controlled English and French navy in the Atlantic and a Japan navy in the Pacific.

It is a fact that diplomatic relations are strained with Soviet Russia, Germany, Italy and Japan.

Never until President Roosevelt signed House Resolution No. 5138 last week has it been possible for the United States to deport an alien or punish a citizen for advocating disloyalty, mutiny or refusal of duty among the armed forces of the United States; to advise, abet or teach the desirability, propriety or necessity of over-throwing the government of the United States by force; or to print, sell or circulate literature advocating overthrow.

These facts sum up to this: We are the most favored and coveted nation; we have undertaken to guarantee almost single handed the security of the vast Western Hemisphere; we have incurred the ill will of the totalitarian powers who are fast moving toward domination of the remainder of the world; we are wholly lacking in modern equipment for our army and have but half enough navy to protect our shores; we have large financed groups who seize every opportunity to breed discontent and to overthrow our democratic form of government.

Nations have tried in other ways to save themselves but have utterly failed. The first lesson from the present war in Europe is that the people interested believe adequate national defense is a certain way to invite war. Holland, Belgium, and Denmark wanted peace. They put their faith in professed friendships only to become vassals of the state that promised to protect their sovereignty.

Those in the other states at present bide their time when the prospects of victory have passed without regard to the principles involved.

What has happened in Poland, Norway, Holland, and Belgium yesterday could happen in any South American republic tomorrow, for nations that live by the sword have peace moments only at intervals of convenience until reasonable prospect of success comes then they rip off the masked pretence and begin an aggressive fight.

Although Germany has had significant victories on land, sea and in air, we must recognize the time by all their five-column activities before we proclaim and set our arms and warfares as superior.

Our important lesson to learn is that America must unite against the "Trojan Horse" designated in our American stables.

There should be no stalls for such "Trojan Horse."

Consider the defense from the Trojan Horse from not arms alone but in the hearts and homes of the American people.

The next lesson to be learned from this war is the necessity of a highly mechanized and strong forces to solidify the initial gains of that new and powerful weapon, the military airplane.

It is the presence or absence of well organized and properly equipped ground troops that ultimately accounted for victory or defeat in Denmark, Holland, Belgium and France.

Above all other equipment needed, even if we ordered it tomorrow. Every day delayed is a day lost in our preparation for preparedness.

We which takes years to build. As have begun to build and see what it took men in service to see, that for twenty years, military they are better prepared to protect themselves in an event of emergency than were we twenty three years ago.

We have money enough to buy anything that is for sale but munitions are not available at the counter.

Weeks, months and in some cases, years may elapse before munitions are not available at the counter.

The program was followed by a dance at the Desert each sponsored by the local post of the American Legion who also participated in the parade.