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William Henry "Bill" Mauldin (/ˈmɔːldən/; October 29, 1921 – January 22, 2003) was an American editorial cartoonist who won two Pulitzer Prizes for his work. He was most famous for his World War II cartoons depicting American soldiers, as represented by the archetypal characters Willie and Joe, two weary and bedraggled infantry troopers who stoically endure the difficulties and dangers of duty in the field. His cartoons were popular with soldiers throughout Europe, and with civilians in the United States as well.
Shortly after returning to Phoenix in 1940, Mauldin enlisted in the Arizona National Guard.[2] His division, the 45th Infantry Division, was federalized just two days later. While in the 45th, Mauldin volunteered to work for the unit's newspaper, drawing cartoons about regular soldiers or "dogfaces". Eventually he created two cartoon infantrymen, Willie and Joe, who represented the average American GI.[3]
During July 1943, Mauldin's cartoon work continued when, as a sergeant of the 45th Infantry Division's press corps, he landed with the division in the invasion of Sicily and later in the Italian campaign.[4] Mauldin began working for Stars and Stripes, the American soldiers' newspaper; as well as the 45th Division News, until he was officially transferred to the Stars and Stripes in February 1944.[4] Egbert White, editor of the Stars and Stripes, encouraged Mauldin to syndicate his cartoons and helped him find an agent.[5] By March 1944, he was given his own jeep, in which he roamed the front, collecting material. He published six cartoons a week.[6] His cartoons were viewed by soldiers throughout Europe during World War II, and were also published in the United States. The War Office supported their syndication,[7] not only because they helped publicize the ground forces but also to show the grim side of war, which helped show that victory would not be easy.[8] While in Europe, Mauldin befriended a fellow soldier-cartoonist, Gregor Duncan, and was assigned to escort him for a time. (Duncan was killed at Anzio in May 1944.)[9]
Mauldin was not without his detractors. His images—which often parodied the Army's spit-shine and obedience-to-orders-without-question policy—offended some officers. After a Mauldin cartoon ridiculed Third Army commander General George Patton's decree that all soldiers be clean-shaven at all times - even in combat - Patton called Mauldin an "unpatriotic anarchist" and threatened to "throw [his] ass in jail" and ban Stars and Stripes from his command. General Dwight Eisenhower, Patton's superior, told Patton to leave Mauldin alone; he felt the cartoons gave the soldiers an outlet for their frustrations. "Stars and Stripes is the soldiers' paper," he told him, "and we won't interfere."[10]
In a 1989 interview, Mauldin said, "I always admired Patton. Oh, sure, the stupid bastard was crazy. He was insane. He thought he was living in the Dark Ages. Soldiers were peasants to him. I didn't like that attitude, but I certainly respected his theories and the techniques he used to get his men out of their foxholes.[11]
Mauldin's cartoons made him a hero to the common soldier. GIs often credited him with helping them to get through the rigors of the war. His credibility with the common soldier increased in September 1943, when he was wounded in the shoulder by a German mortar while visiting a machine gun crew near Monte Cassino.[4] By the end of the war he received the Legion of Merit for his cartoons. Mauldin wanted Willie and Joe to be killed on the last day of combat, but Stars and Stripes dissuaded him.[6]
Shortly after returning to Phoenix in 1940, Mauldin enlisted in the Arizona National Guard.[2] His division, the 45th Infantry Division, was federalized just two days later. While in the 45th, Mauldin volunteered to work for the unit's newspaper, drawing cartoons about regular soldiers or "dogfaces". Eventually he created two cartoon infantrymen, Willie and Joe, who represented the average American GI.[3]
During July 1943, Mauldin's cartoon work continued when, as a sergeant of the 45th Infantry Division's press corps, he landed with the division in the invasion of Sicily and later in the Italian campaign.[4] Mauldin began working for Stars and Stripes, the American soldiers' newspaper; as well as the 45th Division News, until he was officially transferred to the Stars and Stripes in February 1944.[4] Egbert White, editor of the Stars and Stripes, encouraged Mauldin to syndicate his cartoons and helped him find an agent.[5] By March 1944, he was given his own jeep, in which he roamed the front, collecting material. He published six cartoons a week.[6] His cartoons were viewed by soldiers throughout Europe during World War II, and were also published in the United States. The War Office supported their syndication,[7] not only because they helped publicize the ground forces but also to show the grim side of war, which helped show that victory would not be easy.[8] While in Europe, Mauldin befriended a fellow soldier-cartoonist, Gregor Duncan, and was assigned to escort him for a time. (Duncan was killed at Anzio in May 1944.)[9]
Mauldin was not without his detractors. His images—which often parodied the Army's spit-shine and obedience-to-orders-without-question policy—offended some officers. After a Mauldin cartoon ridiculed Third Army commander General George Patton's decree that all soldiers be clean-shaven at all times - even in combat - Patton called Mauldin an "unpatriotic anarchist" and threatened to "throw [his] ass in jail" and ban Stars and Stripes from his command. General Dwight Eisenhower, Patton's superior, told Patton to leave Mauldin alone; he felt the cartoons gave the soldiers an outlet for their frustrations. "Stars and Stripes is the soldiers' paper," he told him, "and we won't interfere."[10]
In a 1989 interview, Mauldin said, "I always admired Patton. Oh, sure, the stupid bastard was crazy. He was insane. He thought he was living in the Dark Ages. Soldiers were peasants to him. I didn't like that attitude, but I certainly respected his theories and the techniques he used to get his men out of their foxholes.[11]
Mauldin's cartoons made him a hero to the common soldier. GIs often credited him with helping them to get through the rigors of the war. His credibility with the common soldier increased in September 1943, when he was wounded in the shoulder by a German mortar while visiting a machine gun crew near Monte Cassino.[4] By the end of the war he received the Legion of Merit for his cartoons. Mauldin wanted Willie and Joe to be killed on the last day of combat, but Stars and Stripes dissuaded him.[6]
Bill Mauldin - Wikipedia
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Birthday
WWII World War Two
American History
Military History
Cartoons
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NPC Luncheon with Bill Mauldin
Bill Mauldin spoke about his tenure as a WWII cartoonist and working for Stars and Stripes at a National Press Club Luncheon on April 26, 1994.
Thank you, my friend Maj Marty Hogan for making us aware that October 29 is the anniversary of the birth of American editorial cartoonist William Henry "Bill" Mauldin whose artwork and prose captured the essence of so many aspects of soldiering not only in WWII but up to today.
Weary and bedraggled infantry troopers Willie and Joe stoically endured the difficulties, mundane activities and dangers of duty in the field.
Rest in peace William Henry "Bill" Mauldin!
NPC Luncheon with Bill Mauldin
Bill Mauldin spoke about his tenure as a WWII cartoonist and working for Stars and Stripes at a National Press Club Luncheon on April 26, 1994.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlRJO7k7a-k
Images:
1. Sergeant Bill Mauldin in his Jeep, 1944-1945
2. Bill Mauldin, Stars and Stripes [1944] 'Just give me the aspirin. I already got a Purple Heart.'
3. Charles M. Schulz and Bill Mauldin celebrate Veterans Day, November 11, 1998.
4. Sergeant Bill Mauldin holding his infant son Timothy in 1945.
Background from .dday.org/2013/10/29/happy-birthday-bill-mauldin/
"William Henry “Bill” Mauldin was born on October 29, 1921 in Mountain Park, New Mexico. Growing up was not easy for Bill out west; however, he was viewed by his grandmother as the salvation of the family. Both his mother and grandmother encouraged the academic advancement for young Bill, and although money was something they did not have a lot of, books were always around the small farmhouse. He found his calling in art, painting signs for towns that he traveled to. Supported by his grandmother, Bill eventually took one year of classes at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts.
In 1940, Bill, with persuasion by his old friend Jack Heinz, joined the Arizona National Guard. It did not take much to convince Bill to join, he fully believed the United States should come to the aid of Great Britain and Western Europe in their struggle against Hitler. Four days after he joined, the Arizona Guard, part of the 45th Infantry Division, was federalized. Bill volunteered to be a truck driver for Company D, 120th Quartermaster Regiment and was shortly on his way to Ft. Sill, Oklahoma, headquarters of the 45th Infantry Division.
While in the 45th Infantry Division, Bill volunteered to work as a cartoonist for the division’s newspaper. His early work focused on a number of military characters depicting daily life for enlisted men. During his training and work for the newspaper, the United States joined in the fight in the Pacific and European theaters. In July 1943, as a Sergeant of the 45th Infantry Division’s press corps, he landed in the invasion of Sicily.
Although disliked by his superiors for the content of his cartoons, enlisted men loved him. He was a hero, someone who could relate to and voice their frustrations. He was transferred in February 1944 to work for Stars and Stripes magazine. By March, he was given his own jeep to travel around the frontlines collecting new material for six cartoons a week.
General George Patton once summoned Bill to his office after a new cartoon made light of Patton’s demand that all soldiers, including those on the frontlines, must be clean-shaven at all times. Patton threatened to throw Bill in jail for “spreading dissent” among the men. General Eisenhower believed Bill’s almost daily cartoons played an important role as an outlet for the frustrations of soldiers, and told Patton to leave him alone and let him do his job.
Returning home in 1945, Bill published his wartime work in Up Front, a collection of cartoons and reminisces about the war. He became the youngest Pulitzer Prize recipient for this work at the age of 23. Continuing with cartoons, he shocked his fans by using his syndicated feature to protest racial discrimination and anti-communist hysteria. In 1948, after battling the United Features Syndicate over its censorship of his work, Bill retired from cartooning. When asked what the most important issue that he tackled during his career, Bill replied “The one thing that meant the most to me and that I got involved in was the whole civil rights thing in the sixties.”
Over the course of the next decade, he spent time writing articles and books, starring in movies, and covering Korea as a war correspondent. In 1956, he ran an unsuccessful campaign for US Congress in New York. In 1958, he returned to cartooning at the Chicago Sun-Times. His syndicated cartoon now reached over 300 newspapers. One of his most famous post-war cartoons appeared in 1963 when he depicted the Lincoln Memorial reacting to the news of President Kennedy’s assassination.
After injuring his drawing hand in 1991, Bill once again retired. However, in 1998, Willie and Joe appeared one last time when he and Charles Schulz, a WWII veteran himself, joined together to produce a special Veterans Day comic strip. Charles considered Bill one of his heroes, the signature on the piece having “Schulz and my hero, Bill Mauldin.”
Bill Mauldin died on January 20, 2003 from complications of Alzheimer’s. In the months before he died, he received over 10,000 cards and letters from veterans across generations and their families thanking him for keeping their humanity alive during war. These letters and tributes stand as a testament to the lasting legacy of this small town cartoonist from New Mexico. In 2005, Bill was inducted into the Oklahoma Cartoonist Hall of Fame."
FYI SFC Armando SanchezCMSgt (Join to see)SPC Mark HuddlestonSGT Rick ColburnSgt Vance BondsSGT Mark Halmrast
CPT Scott Sharon Maj Robert ThorntonSSgt Brian Brakke
SGT Brent ScottPO2 Rick FoxPO1 H Gene Lawrence
PO2 Kevin ParkerSGT James MurphySFC Francisco Rosario
1SG James MatthewsLTC Stephan PorterLCpl Donald Faucett
PVT Mark Brown
Weary and bedraggled infantry troopers Willie and Joe stoically endured the difficulties, mundane activities and dangers of duty in the field.
Rest in peace William Henry "Bill" Mauldin!
NPC Luncheon with Bill Mauldin
Bill Mauldin spoke about his tenure as a WWII cartoonist and working for Stars and Stripes at a National Press Club Luncheon on April 26, 1994.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlRJO7k7a-k
Images:
1. Sergeant Bill Mauldin in his Jeep, 1944-1945
2. Bill Mauldin, Stars and Stripes [1944] 'Just give me the aspirin. I already got a Purple Heart.'
3. Charles M. Schulz and Bill Mauldin celebrate Veterans Day, November 11, 1998.
4. Sergeant Bill Mauldin holding his infant son Timothy in 1945.
Background from .dday.org/2013/10/29/happy-birthday-bill-mauldin/
"William Henry “Bill” Mauldin was born on October 29, 1921 in Mountain Park, New Mexico. Growing up was not easy for Bill out west; however, he was viewed by his grandmother as the salvation of the family. Both his mother and grandmother encouraged the academic advancement for young Bill, and although money was something they did not have a lot of, books were always around the small farmhouse. He found his calling in art, painting signs for towns that he traveled to. Supported by his grandmother, Bill eventually took one year of classes at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts.
In 1940, Bill, with persuasion by his old friend Jack Heinz, joined the Arizona National Guard. It did not take much to convince Bill to join, he fully believed the United States should come to the aid of Great Britain and Western Europe in their struggle against Hitler. Four days after he joined, the Arizona Guard, part of the 45th Infantry Division, was federalized. Bill volunteered to be a truck driver for Company D, 120th Quartermaster Regiment and was shortly on his way to Ft. Sill, Oklahoma, headquarters of the 45th Infantry Division.
While in the 45th Infantry Division, Bill volunteered to work as a cartoonist for the division’s newspaper. His early work focused on a number of military characters depicting daily life for enlisted men. During his training and work for the newspaper, the United States joined in the fight in the Pacific and European theaters. In July 1943, as a Sergeant of the 45th Infantry Division’s press corps, he landed in the invasion of Sicily.
Although disliked by his superiors for the content of his cartoons, enlisted men loved him. He was a hero, someone who could relate to and voice their frustrations. He was transferred in February 1944 to work for Stars and Stripes magazine. By March, he was given his own jeep to travel around the frontlines collecting new material for six cartoons a week.
General George Patton once summoned Bill to his office after a new cartoon made light of Patton’s demand that all soldiers, including those on the frontlines, must be clean-shaven at all times. Patton threatened to throw Bill in jail for “spreading dissent” among the men. General Eisenhower believed Bill’s almost daily cartoons played an important role as an outlet for the frustrations of soldiers, and told Patton to leave him alone and let him do his job.
Returning home in 1945, Bill published his wartime work in Up Front, a collection of cartoons and reminisces about the war. He became the youngest Pulitzer Prize recipient for this work at the age of 23. Continuing with cartoons, he shocked his fans by using his syndicated feature to protest racial discrimination and anti-communist hysteria. In 1948, after battling the United Features Syndicate over its censorship of his work, Bill retired from cartooning. When asked what the most important issue that he tackled during his career, Bill replied “The one thing that meant the most to me and that I got involved in was the whole civil rights thing in the sixties.”
Over the course of the next decade, he spent time writing articles and books, starring in movies, and covering Korea as a war correspondent. In 1956, he ran an unsuccessful campaign for US Congress in New York. In 1958, he returned to cartooning at the Chicago Sun-Times. His syndicated cartoon now reached over 300 newspapers. One of his most famous post-war cartoons appeared in 1963 when he depicted the Lincoln Memorial reacting to the news of President Kennedy’s assassination.
After injuring his drawing hand in 1991, Bill once again retired. However, in 1998, Willie and Joe appeared one last time when he and Charles Schulz, a WWII veteran himself, joined together to produce a special Veterans Day comic strip. Charles considered Bill one of his heroes, the signature on the piece having “Schulz and my hero, Bill Mauldin.”
Bill Mauldin died on January 20, 2003 from complications of Alzheimer’s. In the months before he died, he received over 10,000 cards and letters from veterans across generations and their families thanking him for keeping their humanity alive during war. These letters and tributes stand as a testament to the lasting legacy of this small town cartoonist from New Mexico. In 2005, Bill was inducted into the Oklahoma Cartoonist Hall of Fame."
FYI SFC Armando SanchezCMSgt (Join to see)SPC Mark HuddlestonSGT Rick ColburnSgt Vance BondsSGT Mark Halmrast
CPT Scott Sharon Maj Robert ThorntonSSgt Brian Brakke
SGT Brent ScottPO2 Rick FoxPO1 H Gene Lawrence
PO2 Kevin ParkerSGT James MurphySFC Francisco Rosario
1SG James MatthewsLTC Stephan PorterLCpl Donald Faucett
PVT Mark Brown
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They have a show of some of his cartoons at the Army War College, in PA.
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