Former Pentagon 'persona non grata' gets Army decoration

WASHINGTON - Cartoon Pvt. Beetle Bailey and his Sarg are about as un-military as you can get - and some Pentagon brass have not always been amused.

But as the comic strip celebrates its 50th anniversary, the Army on Wednesday honored the creator of Camp Swampy and his cast of lovable losers.

''Boy, how times have changed,'' said cartoonist Mort Walker, accepting accolades at a Pentagon ceremony. ''I was persona non grata around here for many, many years.''

Army Secretary Louis Caldera gave the 76-year-old Connecticut artist the Army's highest civilian award - the Distinguished Civilian Service award - decorating him for his work, his military service and his contribution to a new military memorial.

''The troops at Camp Swampy may not be the rock-hard fighting force we see in today's Army,'' Caldera said. ''But they're a lovable and unforgettable bunch who serve as daily reminder of all the men and women who serve our nation in uniform.''

Caldera praised Walker for giving 200 million readers in 1,800 newspapers worldwide a view of ''the light side of life in the military - poking gentle fun at the people, the regulations, the chow, the order and discipline of the military - or in Beetle's case, the DISsorder and INdiscipline.''

''No one who has a sense of humor could fail to fall in love'' with the characters, Caldera said.

Beetle is lazy, shirks responsibility and always in trouble. Sgt. Orville Snorkel is anything but officer material and Gen. Amos T. Halftrack is a befuddled commander who likes to golf and hang out at the officers' club.

Over the years, the Army's Stars & Stripes newspapers twice banned Walker's strip on such grounds as it promoted lack of respect for officers.

''I think the brass has learned how to laugh at themselves a little bit,'' Walker said, referring to the temporary bans.

Walker also was cited for helping publicize the campaign to build a World War II Memorial in Washington, for which groundbreaking is planned this fall.

Walker told the audience he was honored to receive the award, though he poked fun at the idea of being cited for his service from 1943 to 1946.

He said he was drafted into the Air Corps, though he'd never before been on an airplane. He was sent to the Signal Corps though he had no mechanical ability, became a scout though he was nearsighted and was put in charge of 10,000 German prisoners of war though ''I couldn't speak German.''

''I was in almost four years,'' said Walker. ''I didn't win the war. But I was in and we didn't lose it!''