Starting a military career under General Patton in the American desert can't be easy. But Kentucky farmer Laban Jackson did it, was promoted three times, and was dispatched by Ike to organize the Fifth Army. As HQ Commandant under Generals Patton, Clark, and Truscott, Jackson experienced three invasions and countless battles, spending most of his time in Italy where he met King George, the Sultan of Morocco, Prince Borghese, Winston Churchill, and many other luminaries of his time. Jackson's story provides an exciting background with some new insights for this brief history of the North African and Italian campaigns during WWII.