COMMAND: The Airborne Grenadier

(6 of 6)

Ridgway's job in Korea would wreck many a younger man's endurance. The tactical responsibility rests squarely on him—as it never did on Walton Walker. This is partly because of Ridgway's more independent personality, partly because MacArthur's headquarters now realizes that a field army in Korea cannot be successfully run from Tokyo.

Contrary to rumor, however, Ridgway does not bypass Tokyo and deal directly with Washington. He has his hands too full running his tactical operations to worry much about overall strategy in Asia. The Reds still possess great power. Ridgway's mission is to keep jabbing, keep destroying as much of that power as he can without compromising the safety of his own forces. He will make no predictions on whether these tactics will be successful in the end. "A war," he said, "is like a football game. You can't count on a thing until the last gun is fired."