The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-09-06
THE MAN BEHIND THE
 SOLDIER

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 XIV
 ENERAL EISENHOWER h Q d V three major problems facing him In establishing the European Theater of Operations. The first was the training of United States troops; second, the establishment of close cooperation between the personnel of British and American armed and civilian services; third, reparations for future actions.
 He discovered that his first job in England was to defeat defeatisIl. The Brltons were thrilled by the arrival of the Americans and would fight with them to the ends of the earth If necessary. The question, however, was, ITS this the right time9"
 This question, too, was in the minds of the Americans. The tre- mendous successes of the Axis on the continent and its striking power had created the myth of the inVincibility of Hitler.
 General Eisenhower, addressing his own soldiers decalred. Pes. simism and defeatism will not be tolerated. Any officer or soldier who cannot rise above the recog- nized obstacles and bitter pros- poets that lie in store for us has no recourse but to ask for instant release from this theater. And If he shows such an attitude and doesn't ask for release he will go home anyway"
 His western fighting spirit aroused the morale of his boys. They went through the grueling weeks of training with do or die" determination.
 The British officers found in Gen. eral Eisenhower a man they could work with, Brilliant military men, old warriors who had been through many campaigns, recognized in this man who had never fought e battle Q great military strategist.
 The NaziS taunted the Allies in radio broadcasts: You've had to And German named Eisenhower to do it."
 Iron Ike laughed ct the jibes. II was 300 years since the EIsenhoweri fled from Germany to escape the same expressions and prosecutions the Nazi were inhicting on con- quered peoples today. The righteous vengeance of his forefathers was iiI his blood. Through centuries of in. er-lnarriage with Scotch- Irish TTaiIaoA YNtstaS. ea,.daa ul,a as.ilsI. ,..a.. strains had entered Into his veins.
 Tn assembling Q competent staff General Eisenhower, who was ad- vanced to the rank of lieutenant general on July Q, had under him tATSS old ff1enoS m whom he placed implicit confidence: Lieu. tenant General Andrew Spaatz al his air chief: the then Major- Gen. eral Mark W. Clark as head oi ground operations; Major- General John 0. II. Leo aS supervisor of sup. ply,
 like" c doughboy ct heart, in. sisted that his troops be kept happy. They were arriving with unprecedented speed; their spiritl must be maintained as they be. came acclimated to c new Worlc while being vigorously trained foi the battles ahead of them; they must be given relaxation and recreations.
 The general demanded that they be given as many of the "comfortl of home" as the conditions would allow. His love for his soldiers ai. ways was foremost. They in return demonstrated their love for Ike declaring him to be "a regular fellow, just like the rest Of us. HC iS like our own fathers back home and treats Us as if we were hil own sons"
 While solving the problems ol these soldier boys with human devotion and practical common sense, he overlooked nothing that he felt would make them happy He knew neither race nor creed; they were all somebody's sons There were . large number oi Negro troops stationed ifi England whose social opportunities were severiy limited by the lack oi women Of their race General Eisenhower reInedled the situatiou | by informing Colonel Oyeta culr 1 Hobby, head of che WAAC, and steps were taken to have c larsl | number Of Negro WAACs analGnc1 to Great Britain.