Stars and Stripes paper the latest casualty of 'friendly' fire
Dwight D. Eisenhower and Pete Hegseth, it appears, would not have gotten along well. They almost certainly would have disagreed on one particular military matter — the editorial independence of the venerable Star and Stripes newspaper. As the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression and others have recounted in recent days, the latest round of turmoil at the government-funded military…
The Stars and Stripes newspaper has become the latest victim of an incident involving friendly fire. Former President Dwight D. Eisenhower and modern-day military commentator Pete Hegseth seem destined to clash over a critical issue - the editorial independence of the esteemed military newspaper. Recent accounts from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression and others reveal that the current clash at the government-funded publication bears a striking resemblance to a confrontation that occurred during World War II between Eisenhower and Gen. George Patton.
Patton was reportedly infuriated by the lively, irreverent soldiers featured in Star and Stripes' popular "Willie and Joe" comic strip. The cartoonist, Bill Mauldin, had dared to poke fun at Patton's stringent crackdown on soldiers with beards, earning him the nickname "beardos." Eisenhower intervened, reassuring Patton that he would not tolerate any interference with Mauldin's work, thus bringing an end to the dispute.
However, there is currently no figure with the authority to issue a similar directive to Hegseth, who, like his White House counterpart, faces no such power to protect the newspaper's independence.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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- Stars and Stripes paper the latest casualty of 'friendly' fire koreatimes.co.kr
