Letters, Feb. 26, 1945

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The Lonely Ones

Sirs:

A few of us guys have just finished reading your article (Jan. 22) concerning "The Lonely Ones" [girls who consorted with German prisoners of war in Owosso, Mich.].

First we read about the Japs revolting in their prisons. Why? Next the WACs help German prisoners to escape in Texas. How come? Then some poor Italian prisoner wants to get married. What's this? And now our women spend their lonely nights with German prisoners. Now a $64 question: Just what the hell are you people doing back there?

Are the Germans, Italians and Japs still our enemies, or are they just vacationing in the States ?

(Pfc.) W. A. CAMPBELL

(Signed by 32 other servicemen)

c/o Fleet Postmaster

San Francisco

Sirs:

How about a little head-shaving in Owosso?

(SK 2/c) THEODORE L. HUMINSKI

c/o Fleet Postmaster

San Francisco

Sirs:

One of our biggest wishes is that the girls of Owosso are not a true picture of "the girls we left behind." Of all morale-destroying episodes, that incident is the most devastating we have ever heard.

(RM 2/c) HAROLD P. LA BLANC

(RDM 2/c) WILLIAM M. FERGUSON

(S i/c) ROBERT E. LEWIS ] c/o Fleet Postmaster

San Francisco

Sirs:

My brother, in the Pacific area, [writes]:

"We are making fools of ourselves in the way we handle prisoners of war. I don't believe in browbeating them, but in most places they are getting luxurious treatment. . . . The Germans think it merely an indication of our weakness, and are planning to profit on it in the next war as soon as they are able to fight one. . . ."

This is not the expression of an inexperienced youngster, but of a man, one who is not given ordinarily to vehemence of expression—one who is well educated and balanced in personality—and he is undoubtedly expressing the opinion of his associates as well as his own.

As a young American mother, this kind of thing doesn't leave me with much incentive to raise a family only to have them sent into another war in a few more years. It's serious enough for civilians to be angered and worried by our "prisoner coddling," but when American boys have to tell us about it from the battlefronts, I think it is time we saw a little action. . . .

MRS. ROBERT F. LITTLE

Marcellus, N.Y.

"G.I. Joe's" Origin

Sirs:

There seems to be considerable comment these days for & against the term "G.I. Joe" as applied to our soldiers (TIME, Feb. 5). I would like to advance my claim to what I believe to be the origin of the term.

In June 1942 I was transferred to the newly organized staff of Yank, the Army weekly, and asked to do a cartoon feature similar to my Private Breger then appearing in the Saturday Evening Post. But, said the Yank authorities, the hero must have some other name than "Private Breger." After some thought, I decided on "G.I. Joe," the "G.I." because of its prevalence in Army talk . . . and the "Joe" for the alliterative effect. My cartoon hero's full name was "G.I. Joe Trooper".