The Daily Alaska Empire

The Washington Merry-Go-Round
(Copyright, 1950, by Bell Syndicate, Inc.)
By DREW PEARSON

The most startling news of the current election campaign was publication this week of Lt. Gov. Joe Hanley's letter in New York indicating that his debts would be paid off by Dewey forces as a result of his withdrawal from the race for Governor of New York in favor of Dewey. This startling letter was not, however, news to Washington Merry-Go-Round readers. On September 13 Drew Pearson had published the exact terms of the Hanley-Dewey deal. Hanley, Pearson reported, was to be made a member of the State Thruway Commission at a salary of $25,000, was also to receive a $15,000 post with an oil company and was to have his $30,000 indebtedness paid up by Dewey supporters. All this was on condition he run for the Senate instead of Governor, and failed of election.

ENROUTE TO WASHINGTON—Under the current army pay system, the real heroes in the Korean war are drawing the least pay. They don't even get a fair share of the glory when the publicity and medals are dished out.

These unsung heroes are the infantrymen, who form the army's battering ram, but who are not paid as much as the technical men and pencil pushers behind the lines.

It used to be that infantrymen could collect $12 extra each month for combat work. If they wore the combat infantryman's badge, it was good for a $10 monthly bonus.

However, even this has been taken away from them in Korea, despite the fact that combat airmen and submarine men still draw $20 to $75 per month extra for "hazardous duty."

Meanwhile, it's the infantrymen who feel the bite of enemy bullets, who slog through mud, sleep in foxholes and live on cold K rations, who have little chance to take a bath, see a movie, attend church, write letters, or sleep with their shoes off.

Nevertheless, in Korea, the average monthly pay of a man in an infantry rifle company is $135, compared with $226 for an air force combat crew man and $72 for a submarine crew.

Highest-paid troops in the army are ordnance men, followed by signal corps, armored force, quartermasters, antiaircraft, field artillery, engineers, medical and, last on the list, the infantry.

It's the same story with other awards. During World War II. infantrymen suffered 70 percent of the casualties but got only 11.6 percent of the medals. The air force was decorated with 76.2 percent of the medals, while other branches got the remaining 12.2 percent.

Now that the Korean war is nearly won, the army should give fair pay and recognition to the foot soldiers who did the slugging and slogging.