House of Paine

gung ho

the great col.  evans carlson 

needs a moment here at the house 




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"The superb fighters of the Chinese Eighth Route Army
 had studied the Japanese methods, tactics,
 and psychology for years.
 They knew intimately the strengths 
and weaknesses of the Japanese troops. 

Surprise was the Eighth's heaviest weapon
 against the invaders.
 With surprise, they made life 
a hell for the men from Nippon.
 But there was another 
and even more important element 
which made the success of the Eighth Route Army. 

I sought this element assiduously.
 Then the answer came to me 
one day when I had completed 
a march of 58 miles without sleep, 
along with a column of 600 Chinese. 

Not a man left the column on this march. 
I thought: What could be the stimulus
 which would induce 600 men 
to complete such an arduous task
 without even one failing. 
It could be nothing
 but the Desire and Will of each individual
 to complete the task. 

Here was the secret weapon 
of the Eighth Route Army. 

Through systematic indoctrination,
 every man had received 
what I call ethical indoctrination. 
"They knew what they were fighting for...." 

"In war, as in the pursuits for peace,
 the human element is of prime importance.
 Human nature is much the same the world over,
 and human beings everywhere 
respond to certain fundamental stimuli.

 So, if men have confidence 
in their leaders, 
if they are convinced 
that the things for which they endure and fight
 are worthwhile, 
if they believe the effort 
they are making contributes definitely
 to the realization of their objectives, 
then their efforts will be 
voluntary, spontaneous, and persistent. 

The men of the Eighth Route Army
 had a term for this spirit of cooperation.
 They called it 'gung ho.'" 

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"The reason those 600 men 
were able to endure such hardship 
is because they knew why it was necessary 
for them to complete that march
But much more than that
 they knew why that march was important
 to the whole series of battles
 they were fighting;
 and they knew why these battles 
were mportant to the whole war
 against the Japs.
 And the war against the Japs
 was one they understood and believed in.
In short, 
they understood why the efforts
 of every single one of them 
was necessary to the whole Chinese people.
 That's ethical indoctrination 
                      that's gung ho " 
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"The Chinese have two words for 'working together,'
 'Gung, meaning 'work';
 Ho meaning 'harmony.' 
Gung Ho! Work Together! 
That is the end result of ethical indoctrination." 

 

"Gung Ho is important to all of us
 because we are  Americans--for it gave them
it gives us  the chance to practice 
the democracy we  believe in
 where no man has priviliges over another man
 and where discipline comes from knowledge"

"a confidence that creates initiative
 and daring in battle...greater damage to the enemy...
lower cost in lives to themselves...
We will strive for ethical indoctrination...
I propose that Gung Ho be the spirit 
and slogan of our Raider Battalion...
Let's hear you say it,  'Gung Ho!' 

"...Most important, though, 
is the development of what we call the Gung Ho spirit; 
our ability to cooperate--work together.
 Not only is it imperative to understand this spirit;
 it is even more imperative to apply it 
to daily actions no matter how unimportant 
they might seem. 
This calls
 for self-discipline and implicit belief 
in the doctrine of helping the other fellow.
 Followed through to its ultimate end 
it  means
 that each while helping the other fellow
 would in turn be helped by him." 

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"It was in the matter of Gung Ho 
that we made our slowest progress, 
though progress we have made. 
We were handicapped by our native background, 
that background in which greed 
and rugged individualism predominated.
 Human beings are creatures of habit.
 Human nature does not change 
its coat without a struggle...
The important thing was for each individual 
to have the desire
 to help the other fellow,
 the desire to achieve
 that mastery over his mind...
This means tolerance of ideas,
 tolerance of personal eceenticities,
 the sweeping away of personal prejudices...
Hand in hand with Gung Ho 
goes the willingness 
to endure hardship and pain
 in order that the hardest job 
may be accomplished 
as economically in terms
 of exterminating the enemy as possible...
Finally, it was necessary 
to the success of 
 this military pattern of ours 
that the individual understand 
the reasons for which they fight 
and offer themselves for sacrifice..."