There was often a comic aspect to these trips, stemming from Magsaysay’s fondness for loud aloha shirts and floppy sun hats; as a result, the uniformed Lansdale often had to vouch for the defense secretary’s bona fides at entrance gates. Once that confusion was cleared up, however, these spot inspections had a bracing effect, with Magsaysay prone to summarily dismissing any officer he deemed lax or corrupt.
