In 1941, the United States Army GHQ Maneuvers were held throughout western Louisiana as important war games that helped prepare the Army for its future involvement in World War II. In mock battles, the opposing Red and Blue armies fought for control of the Red River and the city of Shreveport. Blue Army commander Lt. Gen. Walter Kreuger, who later commanded the 6th Army during World War II, established his headquarters at the Kinder High School Home Economics Cottage, while his staff, headed by Chief of Staff Col. Dwight D. Eisenhower, occupied the rest of the high school campus. In a letter to Kinder High School principal R. G. Hanchey, Kreuger offered personal and official thanks for the kindness and cooperation that made the school buildings available to the Third Blue Army during the maneuvers, saying that this privilege contributed to both the success of the exercises and the comfort of the personnel involved. Allen Parish played a vital role in this military training, and Kinder served as the home to two future prominent generals.