War is a grim, cruel business, a business justified only as a means of sustaining the forces of good against those of evil.

In the war just won the threat of despotism was met by a union of the forces of freedom. In marshalling those forces, there was a unity of military power. Forces of the ground, aid, and sea operated in coordinated movement and command. The greatest victory was due to the combined efforts of all elements operating as a unified whole.

Equally important with the unity of the fighting forces, has been that of the home front, a factor which supported and sustained the spirits of our fighting men during the bitter campaigning on alien soil.

Through bond purchases to provide the munitions of battle, through making available life-giving blood plasma, through supporting the essential war-time services that give to the uniformed personnel a mental stimulus, the home folks have assured our fighting forces that the nation solidly backed the cause for which they fought.

Without that help the fine achievement of our soldiers would not have been possible. But the military victory is only half of the total victory that is necessary before the war purposes of our people will be completely realized.

With the actual combat service at an end, many thousands of our men must remain in the occupation forces overseas. All of them long to get back home now! But they have further obligations, placed upon them by the American determination to see that Germany and Japan cannot again plunge the world into conflagration.

Men in the Occupation Forces face the tedious task of prolonging an already long tour of duty far from their homes and friends. They will experience impatient weeks when they will appreciate, more and more, anything the folks at home can do to make their continued absence less irksome. They will place an even higher appraisal on the smallest considerations and kindnesses - the mail call, the things that bring a touch of home, the activities and events that help to brighten the routine of inaction, to occupy their time and sustain their spirit.

These men have demonstrated the toughness of their make-up in crushing powerful and ruthless foes. But monotony and foreign surroundings combine to make their life a cheerless one. That is why Army Special Services has arranged to have “made-in-America” entertainment taken to these men by the USO Camp Shows. In supporting this important activity for our service men, the home folks will let them know they are not “forgotten men.”

Aside from our own men, there is urgent need for helping, wherever we can, to relieve the suffering and distress of peoples who are the innocent victims of the same unprincipled enemy which they and we have conquered.

It is not enough that we have been victorious over the military enemy if another enemy of even greater destructive potentialities is permitted to menace the future of mankind. The triumph in the shooting war will become an empty mockery if democracy fails in the fight against starvation and disease.

To the limit of their capabilities and the extent of their credits, the governments of those afflicted nations are concentrating their resources on this grim threat that now hangs over the Old World. But neither their ability nor their productivity is sufficient to cope with the present situation.

It is essential that the ordinary instrumentalities of governments and peoples be augmented by existing American private agencies for foreign relief. Those organizations affiliated with the National War Fund have been active in alleviating suffering in the allied nations throughout the war, and they must be supported in their further efforts.

Any assistance that Americans can voluntarily render will be not only a gesture of appreciation for what the peoples of those nations have endured, but will also be a distinct contribution toward international solidarity.

It will be another indication of America’s humane and understanding desire to make workable and enduring the peace for which America’s men poured out in unstinted measure their valor, their strength, their courage - and in many instances - their all.