Q&A on the News

Q: The proposed mosque near ground zero has inflamed a lot of people in the U.S. who believe it's insensitive for Muslims to build a place of worship there. Are there any Christian churches near the middle of Mecca, the holiest Muslim city?

-- Will Maher, Dawsonville

A: Only Muslims are allowed in the cities of Mecca and Medina, according to the U.S. State Department.

Q: There is an iconic photograph of Gen. Dwight Eisenhower talking intensely to U.S. paratroopers on the eve of the D-Day invasion. Is there a record of what he said?

-- Ron Shaddix, Hampton

A: The photo, which appeared in Life and Time magazines and was made into a stamp, shows Eisenhower chatting with a group of paratroopers from Company E, 502 Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division at England's Greenham Common airfield about 8:30 p.m. June 5, 1944. According to a Baltimore Sun story, the soldier directly across from Eisenhower was Lt. Wallace C. Strobel, who had the No. 23 tied around his neck. Strobel's wife, Josephine, told the paper the conversation was about fishing. "He asked Wally where he was from, and he told him Michigan," she said. "He said, 'How's the fishing in Michigan?' and Wally replied, 'It's great, sir.' " Eisenhower replied that Michigan was a "beautiful state" and that he had been fishing there several times. Douglas R. Price, who was on Eisenhower's White House staff, wrote in a monograph about Strobel: "After reminiscing about fishing in Michigan for a few minutes, Ike asked Lieutenant Strobel if he was ready and had been briefed properly. Jumpmaster Strobel replied, 'Yes, Sir, we've been well-briefed and we are ready.' Then Eisenhower said, 'Good,' and moved on." Strobel died in Saginaw, Mich., in 1999.