With the sort of gumption that can only be found laced through fictitious character make-ups, General Robert Lawrence Eichelberger was the true definition of “military man.” From the start, Eichelberger had a penchant for all things military, which is why he wound up at the U.S. Military Academy at a young age. Working his way through Panama and the U.S. Mexico border, he was eventually sent to serve his time in World War II.
Eichelberger made it a point to become one of the top scholars on Japanese military tactics from the time he began his military career. As such, he was also one of the best generals that WWII had ever seen. He knew how to counter any sort of Japanese strategy, and he also knew how to please the likes of such fierce commanders as General Douglas Macarthur. In fact, MacArthur had such faith in Eichelberger that he once told him “take Buna, or don’t come back alive” – he took Buna. Additionally, he had many victories at Hollandia and Biak. Once he proved his worth, Eichelberger led his Eighth Army into the Philippines successfully taking over the islands of Mindoro, Marinduque, Panay, Negros, Cebu, and Bohol.
Though Eichelberger lived out most of his life in the military, he retired from service in September of 1948. Haunted by images of the war that he was such a large part of, he wrote the book “Our Jungle Road to Tokyo,” which became a best seller. On September 26, 1961, General Eichelberger passed away inside of his Asheville, North Carolina home.
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