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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 13, 1968)
Page 2 THE BATTALION College .Station, Texas Tuesday, February 13, 1%8 Sound Off CADET SLOUCH by Jim Earle Khe Sanh “Must” Battle For Reds The big- wait is on. Six thousand Marines are prepar ing- for what may be the biggest battle of the Vietnam War. It’s at the South Vietnamese position at Khe Sanh that more than 20,000 North Vietnamese troops are preparing to attack those American troops. The imminent battle comes 14 years after the French took a bloody pounding at Dien Bien Phu. It was shortly after that 55-day siege that France pulled out of Indo- China. And the same general who successfully defeated the French has been given a similar assignement at Khe Sanh, that of delivering a large-scale military defeat to the United States, forcing this nation to negotiate and withdraw. The President and the Chiefs of Staff have been non committal when apphaising our ability to hold the position successfully. But the Khe Sanh’s Marine commander, Col. David Lownds says the base can be defended. He believes his men “are spoiling for a fight,” and not as ill-prepared as were his French predecessors at Dien Bien Phu. U. S. military officials, unlike the French, say they will be able to provide the Marines with firepower, ma terial, and unlimited air support. It is the absence of these factors that are considered the decisive factors in the French defeat against the Viet Minh in 1954. It is difficult to understand the delay in the North Vietnamese to make the assault, in light of the recent heavy attacks on Saigon and guerrilla activities in other South Vietnamese provincial capitals. The loss of almost 30,000 men in the past two weeks has slowed down the North Vietnamese plan. They realize that the assault on Khe Sanh' must be successful. A victory could cause enough second thought in the United States that negotiations under favorable conditions to the Communists might begin soon thereafter. A defeat, with loss of substantial men and materials, might do just the opposite. Both sides are preparing. The Communists have brought in heavy artillery, tanks, mortars, and their finest division regulars. The Americans have dug in, and have used the extra time to better coordinate supply, air support, and military aid from the other 40,000 U. S. infantrymen within striking distance. The Marines also have two intangibles, high morale and superb leadership. The battle is a must for both sides. Both are prepared for a bloody turning point to a long and stalemated war. The heavy shelling which will probably precede an enemy assault, may herald a “Custer’s Last Stand” for the Americans. On the other hand, Marines may emerge from bunkers more than prepared to meet the challenge, and with enough firepower and air support to decimate the opposition. We’ll wait patiently for the latter. Editor, The Battalion The purpose of this letter is not to antagonize the already uneasy Corps-Civilian affinity, but why does it seem like most of the articles written about the Corps or by a Corps member in clude a dig directed toward the civilian student body? I am cit ing Mr. Bob Palmer’s contribu tion in Thursday’s Battalion. Was it necessary to include a statement as, “The D&C fee should be low enough to afford cadets unquili- fied for contracts a fair chance to stay in the only good part of this school.” Of course, this statement could be interpreted in many ways, but I think the obvious meaning was a caustic criticism directed toward the civilian stu dent body. It’s about time this child-like behavior on the part of the per sons responsible for such un grounded animosities ceases. The Corps is here now and will be here for many years to come. The civilian student body is, also, here and will continue to exist and grow. I realize that the Corps is los ing ground in the battle to main tain its earlier proportion with respect to civilian population, but why must such needless dislike exist from the Corps toward the civilians? If one were to use The Battalion as a sole reference in determining the Corps-Civilian relationship he would be forced to logically conclude the existence of a great deal of hostility di rected toward the civilians by the Cadets. If this same reader were to reread the same article with a foreknowledge of the actual on- campus situation, he would con clude that The Battalion’s articles pertaining to or by Corps mem bers display a narrow-minded, pessimistic effort by the Corps to retain the romantic tradition of 01’ Army. Although many Corps members may be blind to the fact, the majority of the civilian stu dents are as devout Aggies as they. Due to this fact, I feel cer tain that the majority of civilian students would be pleased in being relieved from the bigoted, one - sided, hypocritical anti - civilian remarks which often times appear in The Battalion. Stephen Smith ’69 David Garrison ’69 Dwight J. Dunlap ’69 Ernest H. Fries ’70 Richard N. Roberts ’70 “Better watch Professor Jekyll—they tell me there’s a radical change in his jovial, good-natured disposition after th’ last day when you can drop a course!” Read Classifieds Daily Depends on the giant. Actually, some giants are just regular kinds of guys. Except bigger. And that can be an advantage. How? Well, for one thing, you’ve got more going for you. Take Ford Motor Company. A giant in an exciting and vital business. Thinking giant thoughts. About market ing Mustang. Cougar. A city car for the future. Come to work for this giant and you’ll begin to think like one. Because you're dealing with bigger problems, the consequences, of course, will be greater. Your responsibilities heavier. That means your experience must be better—more complete. And so, you’ll get the kind of opportunities only a giant can give. Giants just naturally seem to attract top professionals. Men that you’ll be working with, and for. Marketing and sales pros working hard to accelerate your advancement. Because there’s more to do, you’ll learn more. In more Read Battalion Classifieds BUSIER AGENCY REAL ESTATE • INSURANCE F.H.A.—Veterans and Conventional Loans FARM & HOME SAVINGS ASSOCIATION Home Office: Nevada, Mo. 3523 Texafe Ave. (in Ridgecrest) 846-3708 Call 822-1441 Allow 20 Minutes Carry Out or Eat-In THE PIZZA HUT 2610 Texas Ave. LET US ARRANGE YOUR TRAVEL ... ANYWHERE IN THE U. S. A. ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD Reservations and Tickets For All Airlines and Steamships — Hotels and Rent Car Reservations MI, urn Tickets Delivered —Call 822-3737— Robert Halsell Travel Service 1016 Texas Avenue Bryan areas. You may handle as many as three different assignments in your first two years. You’ll develop a talent for making hard-nosed, imagina tive decisions. And you'll know how these decisions affect the guts of the operation. At the grass roots. Because you’ll have been there. If you’d like to be a giant yourself, and you’ve got better ideas in marketing and sales, see the man from Ford when he visits your campus. Or send your resume to Ford Motor Company, College Recruiting Department. You and Ford can grow bigger together. 10,789 Enrollment Announced Here A record spring enrollment of 10,789 at Texas A&M has been reported by Registrar H. L. Heaton. Heaton said A&M registration is up 10.5 per cent, or 1,053 stu dents over the same period last year. Although registration officially closed Saturday, the registrar noted this semester’s total should increase slightly when final tabu lations are made on various spe cial categories of students. The spring enrollment is the second largest in the school’s history, exceeded only by the 12,029 registration last fall. Heaton pointed out the number of students is traditionally lower in the spring because of mid-term graduation. This year’s January graduating class totaled 673, an all-time high. The LAND IS AT AGGIELAND FLOWER AND GIFT SHOPPE North Gate THE AMERICAN ROAD, DEARBORN, MICHIGAN AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER. ,vT,Y THE BATTALION Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those of the student ivriters only. The Battalion is a non tax-supported non profit, self-supporting educational enter prise edited and operated by students as a university and community neivspaper. The Associated Press is don cred blished The epublication therwise of all ne\ edited in the herein, herein are also Second-Class postage entitled exclusively to the use for ■s dispatches credited to it or not paper and local news of spontaneous Rights of republication of all other reserved. paid at College Station, Texas. News contributions may be made by telephoning 846-6618 or 846-4910 or at the editorial offioe. Room 4, YMCA Building. For advertising or delivery call 846-6415. Linds Arts ; Members of the Student Publications Board are: Davi rs ey, chairman ; Dr. David Bowers, College Arts; F. S. White, College of Engineering; Dr. Kobert S. Titus, College of Veterinary Medicine; and Hal Taylor, Col lege of Agriculture. Jim of Liberal Robert S. lege The Battalion, published in Coll Sunday, and Mom May, and once a we< Mail subscriptions $6.50 per full year. All subscri; tax. Advertising rate furnished on request. Address: The Battalion, Room 4, YMCA Building, College Station, Texas are $3.60 per semester; $6 per school per full year. All subscriptions sul Ad' S6 per jbject to 2% est. Address: a student newspaper at Texas A&M 1- ;e Station, Texas daily except Saturday, y, and holiday periods, September through eek during summer school. Represented nationally by Nation Services, Inc., New York City, Chici Francisco. al Educational Advertising ago, Los Angeles and San MEMBER The Associated Press, Texas Press Association EDITOR CHARLES ROWTON Managing Editor John Fuller News Editor John McCarroll Sports Editor Gary Sherer Editorial Columnist Robert Solovey Features Editor Mike Plake Staff Writers Bob Palmer, John Platzer, Mike Wright Photographers Russell Autry, Mike Wright Aggie February Special “1” Large Beautiful 8x10 Portrait From Your Choice Of Poses only North Gate This Offer Not Good With Other Advertising Offers What’s it like to sell foragiant? Actually I'm quite big on it. PEANUTS PEANUTS By Charles M. Schuli 7 wu WON'T HAVE TO SAV . THAT. 1 ! Tm. teg. U. S. Pol. Off.—All rights rtttrvj O 1968 by Unllod f»otur« Syndkolo, Inc.