Survive as a World War II Soldier - Chapter 56



Only Noblemtl

#056

Anna was one of the children MacArthur took good care of.

Anna, who was going through a period of ups and downs, was quite sensitive at the time.

To be exact, everything in the world was unsatisfactory.

The biggest of these, of course, was that she was a woman.

Unlike her younger brothers, who could do anything simply because they were born men, she was subject to countless invisible pressures.

Anyway, as she grew older, she began to feel the difference between herself and her younger brother. The only person who treated her like a person and not a little girl was MacArthur.

“Woman? What is that?”

“yes?”

“Well, it might be uncomfortable. But do you think men would be any different?”

Anna pursed her lips at MacArthur’s words that the social pressure to be manly is equally difficult and challenging for men.

“still···.”

“The world is always unfair. Is it only for men and women? What about black and white? Rich and poor? The world is far from being equal. If you don’t like it, don’t just complain, but change it yourself.”

Anna just let those words pass.

Most people did not take Anna’s words seriously, saying that it was unfair to be born a woman.

Usually, they dismiss it as nonsense or just avoid the situation as if it were uncomfortable.

But MacArthur was different.

Anna could feel the sincerity in the words, “If you don’t like the world, you can just change it.”

“Can it be changed?”

“The world is always changing. Black people have been able to vote for a long time, and women can now go to the polls. I think George Washington, who died 100 years ago, would be shocked if you showed him the America we have today.”

Even the dreams she was talking about, she wasn’t sure about them.

Anna was moved to tears when MacArthur said that her dream might one day become her future.

It must have been from that time.

I thought that if I had to walk through life with someone, it would be MacArthur.

But the man who stole her heart in an instant was extremely cruel.

“I’ve confessed countless times. But it didn’t work.”

“really?”

“I told you I thought it was just a joke.”

Anna’s friends burst into laughter as they watched her sigh heavily.

Of course, Anna, the person involved, was burning inside.

There, her parents’ urging for marriage, especially her mother Eleanor’s, was relentless.

I knew that my friends of the same age were already married or at least engaged.

When Eleanor found out that she had recently traveled to Europe to cover the Olympics, she pressured not only her father, Roosevelt, who had not stopped her, but also the newspaper she was working for.

Eventually, Anna had no choice but to submit her resignation to the newspaper.

Father Roosevelt, who was worried while watching the fight between mother and daughter, proposed a compromise to her.

“What is it like working for a foundation in New York?”

“no, I do not want.”

At first, I said no without even finding out what kind of foundation it was. I didn’t want to be under the influence of my father or mother.

Of course, I later pretended not to be overcome by the story that the foundation was related to MacArthur.

After that, things went smoothly.

It was thanks to the Army General Staff that it was difficult to decide MacArthur’s future because he had become so famous after the Olympics.

Normally, it would have been normal for Major General MacArthur to have been assigned to a division commander stationed in a distant province.

However, the Army General Staff, which felt it was too burdensome to send him to the provinces, kept MacArthur in Washington for the time being under the pretext of creating a sports corps.

Thanks to this, I was able to meet MacArthur often under the pretext of foundation work.

Of course, the problem was that meeting her often did not change her from a young niece into a woman.

Anna was momentarily surprised by Kennedy’s words, which showed that he had understood her situation at a glance. Soon, her eyes sparkled and she asked.

“No, it doesn’t matter how you found out. Now that you know, please help me.”

“huh?”

“My friends’ advice is not helpful at all. My uncle is the same age as me and he’s also a man. What should I do?”

Anna’s question presented Kennedy with one of the most awkward moments he had experienced in recent times.

##

Joseph P. Kennedy Sr.

Although he was born into a political family, he was more interested in business than politics.

After graduating from college and amassing a large fortune as a stock and commodity investor, he became interested in a variety of businesses.

During World War I, he was general manager of the Bethlehem Steel Shipyard in Boston, and after the war, he entered the film industry.

“The movie is good. I think there will come a day when we will take over the world with soft power.”

“Wow. It sounds more plausible when it comes from the director’s mouth.”

He couldn’t hide his laughter at my words, saying that he was so obsessed with movies that he even moved to Hollywood.

Who wouldn’t feel bad knowing that their business will continue to prosper?

“I hear you think this crazy boom will end soon?”

After talking about this and that, the topic of panic came up.

“Yes. No matter how you look at it, the current boom is abnormal. People are spending more than they earn. Companies are sending goods on credit without even checking properly.”

Not only houses and cars, but countless other items were being sold on credit, packaged as installment payments.

“That’s right. What about the stock market? Even the shoe shiners on the street are talking about stocks.”

The moment I heard Kennedy’s words, memories of the 21st century came to mind.

There is an adage among investors that when the military junta starts investing, it is a signal to get out.

It’s not that things that became a topic of interest among seniors or peers often ended up in a major crash shortly thereafter.

Real estate was like that, Samsung Electronics stocks were like that, and coins were like that.

But even though I knew it in my head, it wasn’t easy to make a rational decision when it became my own problem.

In that sense, Joseph in front of us was an extraordinary person even if he was not Kennedy’s father.

“Anyway, for that reason, we are adjusting the foundation’s investment direction. So, that’s why···”

Kennedy was delighted when I told him that I wanted to entrust him with the Foundation and a portion of my personal assets.

“I heard that the foundation does a lot of good work. I was also heartbroken when I heard that veterans were not receiving proper compensation.”

Kennedy also said he would like to donate to the foundation.

“Thank you. The more the foundation’s funds grow, the more people we can help in the future. Especially considering the coming crisis, the funds we have now may not be enough. But, Kennedy, I think you could donate something other than money.”

Have you heard of talent donation?

In the distant future, not only money but also one’s talents will be donated.

“Anything else?”

“There is something I felt deeply during the last war.”

“What is that?”

“Our American soldiers are the worst among the sick.”

“yes?”

People often assume that other people are similar to them.

Especially those like Kennedy and the original MacArthur, who were born into good families and were well-educated and raised, think that others will be like that too.

I too was shocked when I thought about the state of soldiers in the 21st century.

“Since the last war, we, the United States, have become a true power, but we still have many shortcomings. We need to awaken people more as we think about the future.”

“Hmm. So you’re saying that enlightenment is necessary.”

“Yes. It’s been quite some time since compulsory education was implemented, but honestly, I don’t think all citizens are really benefiting from it.”

Even in Korea, which was known as the king of administrative power, there are people who do not send their children to school every year, so what can we say about 20th century America?

When a landmass is too large and wide, it is inevitable that an administrative vacuum will arise.

“But with that kind of enlightenment… Ah.”

“Yes. Movies are a cultural activity that even those who can’t read can enjoy.”

“Are you talking about making films that can enlighten people? That’s a bit….”

I shook my head at Kennedy, who said it would be difficult.

“No, just a very short advertisement before the movie starts will suffice.”

“Is this an advertisement?”

The early 20th century was the age of advertising.

In an era of explosive consumption, companies are churning out various advertisements to capture people’s hearts.

Short commercials were shown before movies started in movie theaters, and radio commercials were also popular.

Of course, public service announcements also existed.

However, while commercial advertising has evolved in various ways, public service advertising is still in its infancy.

“There are limits to posters and newspaper advertisements. Those we are trying to enlighten are probably more likely to not read newspapers.”

The reason radio commercials were so popular in the first place was because they could convey the commercial content clearly even to people who couldn’t read.

“Not bad.”

Image is important in any business, but it is especially so in the entertainment industry, such as movies.

In that sense, creating public service announcements and showing them in his theaters was also helpful to Kennedy.

“Do you have any ideas for topics for public service announcements? I have a few ideas in mind, too.”

I had a lot on my mind.

Because in the 20th century, the United States was closer to China than to the United States.

“How about starting with hygiene-related things like washing your hands and brushing your teeth?”

“I thought of those things first, too. But when you say first, I think you mean there are things you want to do later, right?”

“Yes. I want to get rid of that fucking Pete.”

Kennedy tilted his head as if he didn’t understand what I was saying.

“Do you want to adopt the metric system?”

“Yes. Honestly, except for the countries within the British sphere of influence, everyone uses the metric system. Even those Russians.”

“That’s true, but···.”

“Actually, the military already uses the metric system.”

“Is that so?”

It’s not like the US military had any kind of forward-looking vision.

Didn’t you go naked during World War I and receive all kinds of weapons from the Allied Forces?

The weapons that were mainly supported were French-made, and France was the birthplace of the metric system.

As a result, the US military was forced to adopt the metric system.

“Is this only the military? Even the Olympics uses meters.”

“Yes.”

There are still many British colonies today, and they have a strong influence on independent countries, so there are quite a few countries that also use the pound yard.

However, as time went by, more and more countries would use the metric system.

“The later you change it, the more astronomical the cost will be.”

“Hmm. When thinking about exports, it’s a good idea to follow global trends.”

“Yes. Even the pound yard we use is different from the British one, isn’t it?”

This was the really tricky part.

No, because it was a British colony, I thought they would use the same units as the British, but it was even different.

After the United States gained independence from Britain, Britain reformed the yard-pound system, but the United States decided to continue using the existing system.

Kennedy nodded as if he agreed with my story,

“But it is not easy. The Mendenhall Ordinance introduced the metric system, but frankly, isn’t it a failure?”

“That’s why we need to change people’s minds even more through public service announcements.”

As an economic man, Kennedy quickly saw the advantages of using the metric system and readily agreed with my opinion.

however,

“First, let’s start with health and hygiene, as you mentioned.”

Kennedy agreed with the metric system, but was reluctant to create advertisements and put himself out there for it.

“Of course. I just told you in advance, but not now. I’ll let you know when the time comes.”

I thought the same thing.

It wasn’t time yet.

After that, Kennedy and I talked about many things and got to know each other.

So 1928 came to an end and a new year dawned.

In March 1929, Herbert Hoover, the 31st President, began his term.

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13th Army Chief of Staff-Free Last