Lanterna Rally

Author: Alfred Cornebise

Publisher: Independently Published

Published: 2019-05-11

Total Pages: 262

ISBN-13: 9781097897759

Students of history are taught historiography; while it's one thing to discuss the course and nature of history, it's quite another to focus on the individuals, the dramatis personae who are its heroes and victims, and the revealing details of their lives. One unusual player on the world stage during the years from the 1920s and beyond World War II was a member of the US Army who is the main subject of this multi-faceted study. He was Brig. Gen. Frank "Pinkie" Dorn (1901-81), whose nickname (sometimes spelled "Pinky") stemmed from his cadet days at West Point from 1919 to 1923. Certainly Clio, the goddess of history, must have been at her best when she inspired Dorn to embark upon the venture of writing about his life and the era and locations in which he lived and served.Whether Dorn might be considered a "great man," as suggested in the epigraph, his account is especially relevant regarding the presence of the United States military in Asia in the twentieth century and his own varied and involved Army career from 1919 to well after World War II. In the course of his years of service, Dorn manifested probing observations and analyses especially of Asia, where he was mainly stationed. During this time, he produced writings on numerous subjects such as his knowledge of Philippine native tribes and, through extensive explorations, much else about the islands. Also of importance were his detailed studies of Peking's Forbidden City, the origins and course of the Sino-Japanese War that began in 1937, and Burma's history early in World II. Throughout, his great love of China-especially Peking-and his mastery of the Chinese language were paramount. He always seemed to recognize and absorb various aspects of Pen-wei wen-hua, "China's own culture" as distinct from that of the West.Another perennial aspect of his career was his close contact with Gen. Joseph Warren Stilwell, who was the major commander of the Allied China-Burma-India (CBI) theater of operations in World War II and hence also closely involved in China and its struggles. Stilwell had studied the Chinese language in the 1920s; then in the late 1930s, he was the US xiv military attaché in China. Dorn was one of his assistant attachés and later in World War II, was Stilwell's aide for several years and commander of Chinese troops in the re-conquest of Burma. Following the end of World War II, Dorn was closely involved in Gen. Douglas MacArthur's brilliant occupation and pacification of Japan.Beyond these prime considerations, though, this study covers several books. It includes Dorn's basic biography, with some mention of his Irish and especially Dutch forbearers; his deep interest in lives of those with whom he was in contact; his world-class art; and even his cooking interests and writing of cookbooks, his considerable skills in cartography; details of life on several military cantonments in the United States and abroad at various times; and his close interrelations with various people of all walks of life.Dorn was also quite knowledgeable about the endemic folkways and Philistine culture of the US military establishment at all levels during his years of service. He especially focused on the frequent maelstroms and the interplay of relevant personalities on social and military scenes, revealing thereby layered dimensions. In any case, his account is a veritable tour de force. Dorn's autobiography, then, features a blend of varying depths and frequently sharp contrasts-extending from the frivolous to the sublime and profound. A rich tapestry, his work reveals that his insights were more than adequate for this rather grandiloquent, yet humbling, task. To be sure, it exudes much of the extraordinaire.