United States Military Academy West Point - Howitzer Yearbook (West Point, NY)

The Class The Stars Fell On Dwight David Eisenhower ' s rise to prominence was as spectacular and swift as that of any leader in mili- tary history. At the beginning of 1942 he was a promising Lieutenant Colonel who had never led troops in battle. Yet in 1944 he was appointed Supreme Commander of the great- est invasion force the world has ever seen, comprised of nearly 3 million men from a dozen nations. The inva- sion ' s success and subsequent Allied victory in Europe was surely due to the leadership of General Dwight Ei- senhower. Born in Denison, Texas, on 14 Octo- ber 1890, Dwight ' s family later moved to Abilene, Kansas. Dwight was raised in the mid-western tradi- tion of hard work and piety. He de- cided to apply for admission to West Point and Annapolis in order to bet- ter himself by taking advantage of the educational opportunities of- fered by the academies. As it turned out, he was over age for the Naval Academy so he entered West Point in 1911 with the Class of 1915. Graduating 61st in a class of 164 on 12 June 1915, he was commissioned in the Infantry with his first assign- ment at Camp Sam Houston, Texas. Early in his career his promotions came quickly, and he was a major by July 1920. The peacetime offerred no more quick advancement, though, and he was not promoted to Lieutenant Colonel until 1936. His career proceeded through a series of staff appointments, involving him in many detailed studies on American participation in the First World War DWIGHT DAVID EISENHOWMR ABILENE. KANSAS I Corporal. Sergeant. Color Sergeant: A.R.. B.A.. Sharpshooter: Football Squad i. 2 , " A " in Football; Baseball Squad 4 . Cheer Leader; Indoor Meet i4. 3i. THIS Is Sefior Dwight Davi as big as life and twice as the statement that he is back up his claim at anv time, well-developed abdominally ar Calvert Benedict. In common with most (at men. he sonorous devotee o( the King of Indoor Sports, and roars Morpheus on every possible occasion. However, the memory of man runneth back to the time when the little Dwight was but a slender lad of T some ' steen years, full of joy and energy and craving for life and movement and change. ' Twas then that ] the romantic appeal of West Point ' s glamour grabbed h.m by the scruff of the neck and dragged him to his doom. Three weeks of Beast gave him his fill ol hi, and movement and as all the change was locked u|. ,1 the Cadet Store out of reach, poor Dwight men l\ consents to exist until graduation shall set him tji. At one time he threatened to get interested in ll. and won his " A " by being the most promising bai k n Eastern football but the Tufts game broke his kn. . and the promise. Now I ke must content himself with tea, tiddledywinks and talk, at all of which he excels. [ Said prodigy will now lead us in a long, loud veil for I Dare Devil Dwight. the Dauntless Don. i ■■/v %.7 rd, lh„ evening ' alkr Camp. »c / Ih.n hower, gentlemen, the terrible . He claims to have the bes dsomest man in the Corps a rate you ' ll have to give it to Sw nd hir edish-Jew thoritv for s ready to n that he ' s graceful n push ng It around M I and military-industrial cooperation during the war. He became a leading expert on these subjects and served as a special assistant to General Douglas MacArthur from 1933-36. He later moved up to serve as Chief of the Operations Division under Army Chief of Staff George C. Mar- shall in 1942. Eisenhower ' s promo- tions were again rapid as he ad- vanced to the rank of General in February, 1943. In November 1942, General Eisen- hower commanded the American landings in North Africa, his first field command. He was sobered by the defeat at Kasserine Pass, but Marshall was confident m his com- mand ability and named him as the Supreme Commander of the Allied iM Expeditionary Force for the inva- sion of Europe. This complex com- mand involving demanding staff work was the perfect appointment for Eisenhower and he succeeded brilliantly. On 20 December 1944, Eisenhower was promoted to General of the Army. After the surrender of Ger- many, he succeeded Marshall and served as Army Chief of Staff from June to November 1945. In 1952, Ei- senhower became the Republican candidate for the Presidency. He was elected with the largest popular vote in history and served for two terms. After a series of heart at- tacks, former President Eisenhower died at Walter Reed Army Hospital on 28 March 1969.