We remember and honor our military during the month of May and their contribution to the greatness of our country. Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th President of the United State of America, was a straightforward military man who desired only to serve his country.
As the third of seven brothers, there was no money for college. He made a deal with his older brother that they would take turns working and going to college so as to earn the necessary funds for tuition. His brother took his turn going to school first while Dwight worked as a night supervisor at the local creamery. After the first year, his brother asked if he could continue on for one more year and Dwight agreed. Meanwhile, a friend was applying for an appointment to the Naval Academy where no tuition was needed. Dwight was one of the winners of the entrance exam competition, but was too old for the Academy, so he accepted an appointment to West Point.
From a pure military standpoint, Dwight Eisenhower spent most of his career in middle management and never saw battlefront action. He developed refined administrative and planning skills under a series of brilliant generals, Fox Connor, John Pershing, Douglas MacArthur, and George Marshall. His ability to interact and manage people – a talent he developed as General MacArthur’s chief military aide – led to his appointment by Roosevelt as the Supreme Allied Commander and chief planner behind Operation Overlord and the invasion of Normandy. This required the successful coordination and management of various Allied forces and sometimes heated interaction with Churchill, Roosevelt, de Gaulle and other Allied commanders.
After the end of the war, Eisenhower was appointed Military Governor of the US Occupation Zone in Germany. He ordered the photographic documentation of the death camps as they were uncovered, evidence that was used at the Nuremberg Trials. He returned to Washington as Chief of Staff of the Army to guide the demobilization of soldiers. He became President of Columbia University. During his tenure as President of Columbia University, he also became NATO Supreme Commander.
Having never previously been in politics, Eisenhower was pressed to run as a Democrat by President Truman. It was at this time that Eisenhower announced his misgivings with the Democrat Party and declared himself and his family Republican. A “Draft Eisenhower” movement ensued, pushing him to declare as a candidate for the 1952 Presidential race. He was the first Republican President elected to the highest office in the land in 20 years.
As President, Eisenhower had a clear vision. Before taking office, he met with advisors and drew up a plan of action: 1) balance the federal budget; 2) bring the Korean conflict to a close; 3) maintain strong national defense through nuclear deterrent; and end price and wage controls. He held a pre-inaugural Cabinet meeting to solidify his anti-communist Soviet policy which he reiterated in his inaugural address. He campaigned on putting an end to corruption and implementing a frugal administration. He appointed Oveda Culp Hobby as the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, the first woman ever appointed to a cabinet position.
During his tenure as President, he is known for establishing the interstate highway system which was the result of his experience with German autobans. He understood that it was paramount to national security to have an efficient means of moving material and goods quickly across the country. He also established NASA, a civilian agency focused on space exploration. His administration created the unique call sign “Air Force One” for any aircraft carrying the President of the United States after a near miss with a commercial airliner. He formalized the office of Chief of Staff. He requested and received from Congress the Formosa Resolution affording the President expanded powers to protect the Republic of China (Taiwan) and limit the encroachment of communism to the islands around Taiwan. The armistice with Korea was enacted which is enforced along the same boundaries to this day which ended the Korean Conflict.
President Eisenhower’s foreign policy was dominated by his strong anti-communist stance. This drove his foreign policy relationships with Korea, China, Russia, Indochina and the Middle East. From his experience after WWII he understood that communism could not be contained. Whenever possible, it was preferable to replace it as the system of government. This policy led to what became known as the “Eisenhower Doctrine” in the Middle East where the US gave support to shaky governments friendly to the US to avoid communist takeovers in the region.
At home, President Eisenhower continued to enact the reforms begun by Republicans after the Civil War. He understood that communist propaganda used racist policies as weapons against the US. President Eisenhower considered racial discrimination a question of national security. He moved to forcefully implement the plan initiated by Truman but slow to execute of desegregating the armed forces. He proposed to Congress the Civil Rights Acts of 1957 and 1960 establishing a civil rights office inside the Department of Justice and a permanent civil rights commission – the first civil rights legislation passed by Congress since Republicans passed the Civil Rights Act of 1875. President Eisenhower mandated the desegregation of public schools in the District of Columbia as a model for the rest of the country. He federalized the Arkansas National Guard and sent the 101st Airborne Division to protect 9 black children entering Little Rock Central High School when the governor refused to enforce the Supreme Court ruling desegregating public schools. He stated: “We have not taken and we shall not take a single backward step. There must be no second-class citizens in this country.”
President Eisenhower left office with a strong sense of having accomplished the goals he set out at the beginning of his presidency. His farewell speech is considered one of the most memorable since Washington. In this speech, he coined the now famous term “military-industrial complex”. History has treated him kindly and he is now looked upon as one of the more successful Presidents this country has seen.
