Agents of the Other War

The county agent, with his farming know-how and scientific savvy, has proved to be one of the Federal Government's most creative contributions to American agriculture. Accordingly, after last year's Honolulu conference, when President Johnson articulated the need for getting on with the "other war" in Viet Nam--the war against hunger and poverty--it was only natural that the Department of Agriculture should think of enlisting U.S. county agents. Last week, after five months of Stateside training, the first volunteers, 16 in all, headed toward Viet Nam, where they will try to assist Asian peasants in much the same fashion that they help American farmers.

It will be no easy job, as the county agents learned during their training at a camp in Florida's swamp country, where the balmy climate approximates that of tropical Viet Nam. They were warned to expect terrorist attacks, told never to travel at night for fear of ambush, and informed about the standoffish peasants' social and religious taboos. The most arduous aspect of the course was learning the language from three Vietnamese instructors (heo is pig, bap is corn, ga is chicken, and farmer is a tongue-twisting nguoi lam ruong). Kiddingly, the agents asked their Vietnamese teachers how to say "I surrender"--and were haughtily ignored by the tough former army men. After 450 hours of study, the volunteers feel they have barely grasped the hang of basic Vietnamese. Yet it is their language capability, plus their specialized knowledge of tropical agriculture, that will distinguish the county agents as the best prepared workers the U.S. has sent to Viet Nam.

"Good Sense." The agents will eventually total 90 and work in all of Viet Nam's 43 provinces--none of which can yet be described as totally free from terror. After four weeks of in tensive study of rice production in the Philippines and Taiwan, they will get special instruction in booby traps and, if they request it, weaponry when they reach Viet Nam. Only then will they be ready to go out among the Vietnamese peasants, who make up 85% of the country's 14 million population.

With hardship allowances and other premiums, the county agents will boost their average Stateside salaries of $9,000 to about $16,000. They insist, however, that it is not just the money that attracts them. "I believe in this technical assistance," says Marvin Belew of Centerville, Tenn., 53, a civilian air-transport-command navigator in World War II and a county agent for the past 15 years. "It's a chance to help." Charles Wissenbach, 32, of Williamsburg, Mass., is a Mormon who sees his service as "something the Lord would want me to do." William Schumacher, of Catskill, N.Y., a World War II glider pilot, is leaving his wife and ten children behind for his 18month tour, says philosophically about the dangers: "If it happens, it happens."

At 26, Arthur Gehlbach, of Corydon, Ind., is the youngest of the group, believes that the program "makes good sense." Says he: "A county agent's job is getting people together, coordinating, helping. That's what we'll do in Viet Nam. But I know enough to keep my mouth shut if they know more than I do. Farmers don't push very good."

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