Channels, Fall 2020

Page 50 Caldwell • Eisenhower military history and theory, grooming him to lead in the “great war” that would unavoidably come within Eisenhower’s lifetime. 23 Connor was convinced that Eisenhower wa s just the person to “provide the strong leadership required” in the inevitable conflict. 24 He would be proven right. Connor was also the man who would help Eisenhower reconcile his struggle with submitting to authority with his ability to succeed within the structure of the Army. 25 Fox Connor went so far in his efforts to train Eisenhower as to arrange an appointment for him as a student at the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas after his tenure in Panama. 26 The College was known for being among the most difficult of its kind, but despite its intimidating reputation, Eisenhower flourished there. He ended up graduating first in his class of 245. 27 It is common knowledge that Ike referred to that school as a watershed in his life, for it ingrained in him the “rewards of remaining calm as the pressure increases, a reaffirmation of the importance in a large organization of common sense over cleverness and an appreciation that even at the higher levels of command nothing could be accomplis hed without first creating a team.” 28 The lessons learned while attending Fort Leavenworth would remain with Eisenhower for the rest of his life and be put into practice frequently with the different command positions he would go on to hold. Eisenhower went on to hold a variety of different assignments. He published a guidebook to American battlefields, attended and graduated from the Army War College in 1928, and then headed to France with Mamie to expand and revise his initial guidebook with the Battle Monuments Commission under the direction of General John J. Pershing. 29 In 1933, after serving in the office of the assistant Secretary of War for a time, Eisenhower was appointed as aide to General Douglas MacArthur, the Army’s Chief of Staff. 30 He stayed with MacArthur for a total of seven years, continuing as his assistant even when MacArthur’s tenure as the Army’s Chief of Staff changed in 1935 to a position as the military advisor to the Philippines. This meant relocation to Manila, but the Eisenhower family adjusted well to living abroad again. Eisenhower’s placement with MacArthur was not always easy, for they both possessed strong personalities that would invariably clash with each other, but Eisenhower still valued those seven years of experience. In 1939, as World War II began gathering steam in Europe, Eisenhower realized that the great war General Connor had predicted years ago in Panama was on his doorstep. He applied for “immediate reassignment in the United States,” determined to be actively 23 Miller, Ike the Soldier, 212. 24 Ibid, 213. 25 Galambos, Eisenhower , 49. 26 Chester J. Pach, Jr., “Dwight D. Eisenhower: Life Before the Presidency,” Miller Center, accessed March 20, 2020, https://millercenter.org/president/eisenhower/life-before-the-presidency. 27 Miller, Ike the Soldier, 230. 28 Perret, Eisenhower, 94. 29 Ibid, 100. 30 Lyon, Eisenhower , 72.