Q: Did she [Pinky] push him ... was she constantly kind of pushing him
toward the path of his father?
YOUNG: I think Douglas's mother believed that her sons, both Arthur
III and Douglas were destined to be great men and that she constantly
reinforced their uniqueness, their intellectual powers, their skills, as
mothers are apt to do. And naturally, every time Douglas was involved in
almost anything, whether it was in preparing for examinations for West Point,
at West Point itself, or later in the career, his mother wanted him to be the
best.
And she used her husband, the father, and his great accomplishments, I
think, almost as a slight stick. Saying, "Your father accomplished this and he
expected you to accomplish more than he did. You owe it to your father." And
therefore she would use the father. But would she have been angry at Douglas
if he had been forced to retire as a Brigadier General? No. She loved her
son. But she wanted him to be the best he could be. And I think her back
there always encouraging him to be the best would have been a delightful
enticement. We all need our supporters and she was a true supporter.
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