Word: lear
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Tough Touch. But tough and touchy as Ben Lear is, no soldier of the 110th was prepared for the tough touch that awaited them when they pulled in at Camp Robinson toward sundown. The General's order: that the 110th return at once to Memphis and stand by. They were to get mass punishment, the innocent with the guilty...
...110th, like the rest of the soldiers, know Ben Lear (in uniform). They know him as a ranker who lives commendably close to his troops, a rugged soldier despite his 62 years, a great believer in spit-and-polish. They know and generally approve his dislike of sloppy soldiers, his decisive action (TIME, June 23) to clear his Second Army of incompetent officers so that its outfits can grow into first-class fighting units. They know him, too, as a commander too much preoccupied with small details...
...were loaded again and the convoy was off. To rest tired drivers, it stopped three hours on the way, resumed the journey by dawn. Before noon the 110th had pitched tents on Memphis airport, was waiting for the lightning to strike. It struck soon. To the airport came Ben Lear in person, read the riot act again-"disgrace to the Army . . . loose conduct and rowdyism . . . breach of discipline." Then he announced sentence. After a night's rest, the 110th would head home. And on the way every man in the outfit must march 15 miles...
...110th's Battalion took the whole business as soldiers should. When civilians were not around, they laughed and kidded, sang snatches of songs, tried to improvise on an old theme-"General Lear he missed his putt, Parley Voo-. . ." And when they finally got back home they grinned at the gibes of other soldiers. They did not seem to feel that they had disgraced the Army...
Goat v. Rowdies. Neither did some Congressmen, who roundly trounced Ben Lear, off & on the floor. Texas' Paul J. Kilday sent a hot wire to the General, demanding an explanation. Ben Lear replied: "I am responsible for the training of all elements of this Army. . . . Rowdyism can not be tolerated. . . . Circumstances called for immediate action." Arkansas's William F. Norrell demanded a Congressional investigation ("He apparently is engaged all the time in playing golf"). Illinois's Everett M. Dirksen said he did not know "whether public funds are to be expended so that grouchy, golfing old generals...