556 State Papers and Addresses

NAVAL AWARDS PRESENTATION
UNITED STATES NAVAL POWDER FACTORY

November 28, 1941
Indian Head

IT is a splendid tribute to the employees of this important defense centre
that the United States Navy has singled them out for recognition for extra-
ordinary proficiency in production. For, of course, any award to the Factory
itself is fundamentally an award to the workers who to a great degree have
been responsible for the excellent production record.

To anyone who is at all familiar with the record of Maryland's people
throughout the past several centuries, there is little cause for surprise in the
fact that the efforts of the people of our State to further their Nation's efforts
towards defense, are accorded recognition. It is a tradition of our people, and
has been from the earliest Colonial times, that when there was a job to be done
in defense of their own rights or of the rights of the other States in this great
Union, they stepped in and did the job throughly, without fuss and fanfare.

Several weeks ago it was my privilege to witness a similar ceremony in
another explosives plant in our State, but I can tell you sincerely that my
presence at this second award is increased rather than diminished by this addi-
tional evidence of Maryland's complete cooperation in the all-important defense
preparedness now facing the Nation.

We, here in America, have grown so accustomed to proclaiming our splen-
did production facilities, that at times it would seem as though we expected
the required materials to appear by magic simply because they are required.
This doesn't happen, of course, and any claims of potential production capacities
are meaningless except where they can be translated promptly, as has been
here at Indian Head, into actual delivery of needed war materials.

With these most necessary ingredients of defense, added to the many other
defense implements and armaments of every type now being sent to the United
States Army and Navy and to the defenders of Democracy in other lands, the
people of our State once again can pride themselves rightly on the fact that
we have rallied whole-heartedly to the plea from Washington for production
without stint.

The great degree of efficiency here at Indian Head, as indicated by the
awards being made this morning, is typical of the manner in which the United
States Navy is tackling the stupendous task of defense preparedness generally
throughout the Nation and in our far-flung possessions. It helps to explain the
great naval achievements of the distant and recent pasts, achievements of
which the American people have ever been proud, and rightly so.

In past years all honors have been accorded to the men on. the firing line.
Unquestionably, in every war the fighting man will deserve and receive the