Ike’s Go-To Guy …the life story of Paul T. Carroll, told in loving memory by his son, Bob Carroll. The text is brought to life by scores of family photographs, personal stories, letters, telegrams, newspaper and magazine articles, and historic papers and diaries dating from the early 1900s through the WWII era and beyond. Paul Carroll progressed from West Point to Army assignments across the United States, to Iceland, and through France. He fought in Patton’s Third Army, earning the Combat Infantryman Badge, two Silver Stars, two Bronze Stars, and the Legion of Merit. He was truly an outstanding combat commander, highly respected by his commanders, fellow officers, and troops.Later in the Pentagon, Lieutenant Colonel Carroll worked for three successive Army Chiefs of Staff: Marshall, Eisenhower, and Bradley. It was while he was working for General of the Army Eisenhower for over two years that Paul developed a unique relationship of mutual respect and trust. This bond led Eisenhower, after he left the Pentagon, to call on Carroll for assistance. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, Carroll became Ike’s Go-to Guy to put together the core team in Paris for NATO’s military headquarters; to plan, organize, and run President-elect Eisenhower’s trip to Korea; to organize the White House staff; and to serve as the first Secretary of the White House Staff.Not long after Carroll was promoted to Brigadier General, he tragically died of a heart attack at age 44, leaving behind his beloved wife, Ruth, and sons Peter, 16, Bobby, 14, and David, 8.This book is a well-documented account of Carroll as Eisenhower’s Go-to Guy and also is the story of his family, a life story that is both historical and poignant.
Overall, this is a lucidly written profile that paints a vivid picture not only of its principal subject, but also the age in which he lived…a rigorous remembrance of a fascinating and neglected historical figure. –Kirkus Reviews