Morale Boosters: Doolittle, Midway, North Africa

NOTE: The second edition of A Salute to Patriotism: The Life and Work of Major General Howard L. Peckham was published in May 2011 and is available at Amazon. Click the following link to look inside the book:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0966585550/

The year 1942 brought some significant morale boosters to our armed forces. In April, a successful raid on Tokyo conducted by then-Lieutenant Colonel Jimmy Doolittle proved that Japan was not immune from American air strikes. It also partly avenged the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor of December 1941. More morale boosters were yet to come.

Excerpts from Chapter 4, “Old and New Kentucky Homes,” from A Salute to Patriotism: The Life and Work of Major General Howard L. Peckham:

      In early June 1942, American naval and air forces were victorious in the Battle of Midway, an island in the central Pacific. This success proved to be a turning point in the . . ., since the United States and its allies could now be on the offensive against Japan’s navy rather than on the defensive, as they had been heretofore. America’s effective utilization of naval intelligence played a large role in . . . 

Mother, Howie, and I had no idea what Dad’s mission would be as the war progressed, but we did know that his promotion to brigadier general had altered our lifestyle. One of the perks of his rank was the availability of a large sedan, for his own use and that of his family on certain occasions.

      One day my father let it be known that he couldn’t stand what he saw. We were riding in the sedan and were only a couple of blocks from our downtown destination when Dad told the army driver to pull over by the curb and stop the car. “Yes, sir,” the driver replied, as he followed the orders and parked the car. My father then opened the door and walked over to the sidewalk, where a decidedly unkempt soldier nonchalantly strolled next to some shops. “I’m General Peckham,” he brusquely said to the young man, while I sat slouching in the back seat of the car.  “You look disgraceful. Straighten up that hat and tie right now, corporal!” The soldier looked red faced, but he immediately did as he was told.

Inwardly, I sided with the corporal for a while and felt embarrassed for him, but I admitted later to myself that my father had done the right thing. This was wartime, and the deportment and appearance of army soldiers were being scrutinized by the townspeople. Even more importantly, allies and foes were judging the appearance and deportment of American troops. Dad in that incident resembled General Patton, who also hated seeing a soldier look disheveled. 

      In November 1942, welcome news came to Camp Campbell’s 12th Armored Division headquarters regarding North Africa. British and American forces had arrived in Algeria, and . . .

The heavy responsibility for succeeding in the overall Allied North African engagement, called Operation Torch, had fallen on the able shoulders of Dwight D. Eisenhower, who commanded all the sea, air, and land forces involved in the operation.

Brigadier General Howard L. Peckham: Camp Campbell, Kentucky, 1942

The second edition of A Salute to Patriotism: The Life and Work of Major General Howard L. Peckham was published in May 2011 and  is available at Amazon. Click the following link to look inside the book:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0966585550/

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