Even though the five-star general rank essentially died in 1981 with Omar Bradley, the idea of a five-star general rising above all others to command so much of the American and allied militaries is remarkably heroic.
The five-star general officer was born in WWII because American generals and admirals were often placed above allied officers of a higher rank. Someone elevated to that position could never retire and was considered an active-duty officer for the rest of their life.
That’s a lot of trust. The list of the nine officers we deemed worthy of the honor rightly reads like a “who’s who” of U.S. military history. more h/t Doc.
That’s one hell of a club!
WHUT????. No Milley or Vanilly. This is just not right. we need a protest song. YMCA, talking bout the YMCA.
Toxic. Male. And thank God for that.
I was worried. When I first saw the headline I thought it said that nine current officers were named 5 Star Generals.
I doubt any General today it fit to clean the latrine of the nine on that list.
BULL HALSEY ALWAYS TOOK THE FIGHT DIRECTLY TO THE JAPS, WHETHER THRU TYPHOONS OR ANYTHING THAT STOOD IN THE WAY
THE ARTICLE DOESN’T MENTION THAT HIS FLAGSHIP BECAME THE USS NEW JERSEY, BB62
I HAD THE HONOR OF SERVING AS OPS ON THE NEW JERSEY AT THE END OF HER RECOMMISSIONING UNDER REAGAN, AND SHE STILL HAD HIS CABIN PRESERVED AND PROTECTED, JUST OUTSIDE THE COMBAT ENGAGEMENT CENTER (CEC)..THIS WAS 1989-1990
HALSEY ROCKED THE JAPS’ WORLD, THANK GOD
funny … they sorted out Eisenhower as “never saw combat as a soldier”, but neither did Marshall, Bradley, Nimitz, Arnold, or King
wonder why?
.. Fun story about Bull Halsey…
…du4ing the battle of Leyte Gulf, after Halsey’s attack fleet centered on the Iowa Class battleship New Jersey was decoyed away by Japanese carriers acting as decoys, the Japanese Center Fleet flagged by the Yamoto moved in to kill, with only the heroic destroyer group Taffy 3 and some Jeep carriers to oppose it. Admiral Nimitz obviously would very much have liked the New Jersey et. al. to join the party, and inquired as to his location. It is said that the following message was dictated;
“WHERE IS RPT WHERE IS TASK FORCE THIRTY FOUR”
…because of the way the encryption of the day worked, some “filler” was required. Opinions vary as to the intentions of the operator doing the encryption, but for some reason he added “THE WORLD WONDERS” as filler.
So the message the estimable Hasley in command of the most powerful fleet in the world making hustory in the PTO read;
“TURKEY TROTS TO WATER GG FROM CINCPAC ACTION COM THIRD FLEET INFO COMINCH CTF SEVENTY-SEVEN X WHERE IS RPT WHERE IS TASK FORCE THIRTY FOUR RR THE WORLD WONDERS.” Admiral Nimitz to Admiral Halsey
…it is said that Admiral Halsey did not recognize it as filler and became so angry he threw his hat on the floor and stomped on it…
Xxxxs://padresteve.com/2018/10/27/where-is-task-force-34-the-world-wonders-the-battle-of-leyte-gulf-part-five/
…less fun story about Eisenhower and MacArthur…
…the article’s assertion “Ike never saw combat as a soldier” isn’t exactly true.
…the Army of WWI had been promised future bonuses, and in the depths of the Depression marched to Washington and encamped there to request them early. Politicians being scared of armies then as now, they called the NEW army to get rid of the old.
MacArthur, Eisenhower, and Patton all started their careers by beating old American soldiers.
“The commander of the operation was Army Chief of Staff Douglas MacArthur, who branded the BEF traitors bent on overthrowing the government. . . declaring, “Pacifism and its bedfellow communism are all around us.” MacArthur’s young aide was none other than Dwight D. Eisenhower, while Patton led the Third Cavalry — which spearheaded the eventual eviction of the Bonus Army. Patton shared MacArthur’s hatred of “reds” and lectured his troops on how to deal with the BEF: “If you must fire do a good job — a few casualties become martyrs, a large number an object lesson. . . . When a mob starts to move keep it on the run. . . . Use a bayonet to encourage its retreat. If they are running, a few good wounds in the buttocks will encourage them. If they resist, they must be killed.”
Xxxxs://www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/bonus-army-attacked/
…so yes, Ike WAS a soldier who saw combat.
Problem was, it was against American Veterans.
…keep this in mind when you ask yourself which side the army may be on when SHTF…
…because this is a depressingly common occurrence in every nation throughout history.
…Not taking away from the amazing, heroic things these men did later.
But be careful about putting ANY man on a pedestal.
We ALL have feet of clay…
Can any of them hold a candle to Avril Lavigne, I mean admiral levine?
I tutored all those guys in the Strategic and Tactical Arts.
AND Military Bearing.
THE PRESS LIES!
Important history lesson for those 77 wh were not political jujnkies 77 years ago.
The first 5star ws a rich Bush industrialist WHO NEVER WENT TO WAR!
Restates Ike hated the 1st 5 star UNIPARTY industrialist who NEVER LED MEN IN WAR!
The man Ike’s “Military Industrial” comment was about was MARSHAL! All who cared new and understood! But the press lied! Hard to believe, but the truth is America’s media lies!
because Marx was right when he said 160 years ago, “tell a lie loud enough and often enough and folk will believe it is a fact!” MOst did not care (true today – how many believed the most liberal judge in America was conservative 16 years ago? – and believed Ike was not talking about Marshal.
HST – an honest (sort of – President knew and spoke loudly about Ike picking on Marshal because Marshal was a leader of THE UNIPARTY!
Ike’s remarks were not about some nebulous “group”. It was a man! A UNIPARTY man with great, UNDESERVED (by his own deeds; as opposed to his wealth) power!
I was a conservative “D” 78 years ago I paid attention to both HJST and Gen. Ike! I5 yers later i spent many hrs in DETENTION for telling the truth bout the “xenophobi, white nationalist” President! Both the Press and THE UNIPARTY did not like Ike (saw a lot of those button in chool. To my kn;owledge not of thos kids was pu;ished.)
Bush never went to war, Marshal never went to war. “Parade Ground Warriors!”!
Verify me! Read any 12 speeches HST made 10/52; t least 2 will have him attacking ike for Ike belittling marshal!
SNS, thanks for mentioning the Bonus March against veterans in Wash. DC in the midst of the early years of FDR’s administration about 1933 or 1934. There is an excellent historical account of the Bonus March in William Manchester’s large American history book of America from the 20’s to the 70’s.
William Manchester’s American history book was called The Glory And The Dream, A narrative history of America from 1932 to 1972. I have read it at least a couple of times and it’s a very well written book about American history from the depths of the Great Depression to the early 70’s.
Marshall never “saw” combat but he was chief of operations and planning on Pershing’s staff for the Meuse-Argonne offensive, the last battle of WWI.
A brilliant soldier/officer who understood operations, maneuver, and logistics.
His concept of “isolate the battlefield” encompassed the entire World in WWII.
Magnificent strategic vision.
mortem tyrannis
izlamo delenda est …
Only politicians make five stars. Patton and Lemay were true warriors so were not allowed to get that far.
It is cringe worthy to see a Police Chief spotin’ more than one star. Four or five stars on a Police chief, really? Not even in Chicongo.
Hambone
MARCH 22, 2022 AT 10:17 AM
“Only politicians make five stars. Patton and Lemay were true warriors so were not allowed to get that far.”
…both of them got crosswise with the president, Patton rather famously and LeMay over the atom bomb. He thought it should just get added to inventory and its use decided by him like any other bomb.
Fun fact: LeMay had a deal with a Chinese fighter working against the Japanese who served as a weatherman and gave reports from the Chinese coast about weather over Japan, including for the atomic stikes.
That Chinese weatherman was named Mao Tse Tung.
Xxxxs://www.airforcemag.com/article/0309matterhorn/
“Before he left China, LeMay gained the support of Mao Tse-tung, the communist leader and the mortal enemy of Chiang Kai-shek but an ally in fighting the Japanese. Mao controlled enormous areas in the north, northwest, and east. Mao, hoping for American recognition of his regime, provided assistance to downed airmen, allowed LeMay to put a radio relay station at Yenan, and improved an emergency landing field at Yenan for the use of B-29s. “General Mao offered to build airdromes for us up in the north,” LeMay said. “He told me, ‘I can construct any number you wish.’ I replied that frankly we couldn’t supply the ones we already had, down there in Chengtu.””