Dwight D. Eisenhower

             Eisenhower, the 34th President of the United States, was born on October 14, 1890 in Denison, Texas. He was the third of seven sons born to David Jacob and Ida Elizabeth Stover Eisenhower. In 1892, the family moved to Abilene, Kansas where Eisenhower remained until he entered West Point on June 14, 1911. .
             Eisenhower excelled at sports and played football his first two years at West Point. After suffering a knee injury, he dedicated himself to his studies as a cadet. His classmates regarded him as a natural leader who had a knack of saying the right thing to gain others" cooperation and his good nature inspired trust.
             Upon graduation from West Point, he was stationed at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. There he met Mamie Doud in October of 1915. After a whirlwind courtship they were married on July 1, 1916. They had two children, the first of whom died of scarlet fever in infancy. .
             While at Fort Sam Houston, Eisenhower was promoted several times. He became First Lieutenant on July 1, 1916; Captain on May 15, 1917; Major (temporary) on June 17, 1918; and Lieutenant Colonel (temporary) on October 14, 1918. He reverted to the permanent rank of Captain on June 30, 1920 and was then promoted to Major on July 2, 1920. He would hold this position for the next sixteen years of peacetime duty in the Army. .
             Eisenhower remained stateside during World War I, training troops that would go into battle. After the war, he attended the Command and General Staff School and because he graduated at the top of his class, later gained admittance to the Army War college and the Army Industrial College. He would be distinguished for his efforts during World War II where as a lieutenant colonel he became chief of the War Plans Division and four years later as a five star general he would lead the invasion of the Allies on D-Day. He commanded the most powerful force ever assembled under one man. He is one of the few generals ever to command major naval forces; he directed the world's greatest air force; he is the only man ever to command successfully an integrated, multinational alliance of ground, sea, and air forces.