Place and Time

As this photo shows, there wasn’t much on Adak, so everyone was surprised when General Dwight D. Eisenhower came to tour the base. Unfortunately for John, Lillian, and their friend Mike, Eisenhower was a bit late in arriving; his large retinue of one- and two-star generals passed through the tiny officer’s club first while Mike drank like a fish. Lillian was extremely embarrassed when Mike finally got fed up with the parade, raised his glass, and said, “Twinkle, twinkle, little stars—wish to hell you wore my bars!” Not that she normally minded Mike’s sense of humor … it was just that General Eisenhower happened to be passing their table at just that moment! Luckily for them he could take a joke.

Below are two photos of John on Adak.