Freshman Veteran of Libyan Campaign Surprised at Over-optimism in America

"The true meaning of war was brought home to me this past week when I was notified that five of my close officer friends had been killed recently, fighting in France. I know the men who are now fighting cannot at times understand the over-optimistic attitude which is often evident here in the states."

The speaker is Lt. Bob Hackett '48, now Standish Hall freshman back from the wars. Holder of the Purple Heart, instructor of horsemanship at Fort Riley and polo player par-excellence, he was commissioned as the youngest cavalry officer in he history of the U. S. Army back in the summer of '42 at the age of 18.

Lt. Hackett, who knows only too well that, "spending Christmas in a mud filled foxhole surrounded, by death is no holiday," is looking forward to his first Christmas at home in two years in the southern Wisconsin lake country.

Although trained in old style manner, Lt. Hackett rode into the Tunisian campaign with the mechanized cavalry swirling across sandy stretches of battle-ground in a jeep. Operating as a combat intelligence officer in North Africa, he took part in most of the major battles including Gafas, Seined Maknassey, Jbol Berda, and finally El Guettar, where on a reconnaissance mission behind enemy lines, he was hurled 15 feet by an exploding German 88 men shell, which tore away parts of both his legs.

Brig. Gen. Robert W. Strong, USA, wrote in a letter of recommendation that in view of Lt. Hackett's serious wounds received in battle, he had used him in a training inspection capacity which called for talks to junior officers and men undergoing training, for the purpose of instilling into them the realities of the battlefield.

Unlike most veterans, Lt. Hackett is not discharged, but was awarded a regular Army retirement. Concentrating in architecture, he plans to continue the remainder of his education at Harvard.

From Army lecture platform to Standout Hall is a strange transition, but Lt. Hackett is taking it in stride, mixing with all, making numerous friends, and gradually fitting himself into the regular pattern of life. Commenting on this life he says seriously that he is "very well satisfied here at Harvard" and "more than pleased with the way in which I have been received."