Channels, Fall 2020

Channels • 20 20 • Volume 5 • Number 1 Page 51 involved in the conflict. 31 He and his family returned to the U.S., and he served in a variety of positions involved with the planning and training of different troops. Eisenhower was sought after by almost every general in the Army – they all wanted him on their staff, for he was renowned for his intelligence and talent in planning. The man who finally procured him for himself was Lieutenant General Walter Krueger, who desired Eisenhower to be the chief of staff for the Third Army. Krueger communicated with General George C. Marshall, and persuaded his comrade to give him Ike in July of 1941. 32 Eisenhower did well for himself with the Third Army, earning a promotion to brigadier general. Then came December of 1941. The attack on Pearl Harbor occurred, and Ei senhower’s life changed forever. Dwight David Eisenhower was called to Washington by General George C. Marshall, the Army Chief of Staff, to consult on war plans as a planning officer. 33 In the words of historian Peter Lyon, this is the moment “Brigadier General Eisenhower’s foot [passed over] the threshold of fame.” 34 Eisenhower so impressed his high-ranking superiors with his performance in this assignment that he quickly began receiving important command assignments. He commanded the Allied Troops that invaded North Africa and then directed subsequent invasions of Sicily and Italy. The culmination of this earned respect was the assignment of the position of Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, as well as the command of the troops invading France on D-Day in Operation Overlord. His performance in World War II catapulted him in the span of a few years from an “obscure lieutenant colonel to a four -star general in charge of one of the greatest military forces in history.” 35 At the end of 1945, after the war ended, Eisenhower returned home to serve as Chief of Staff of the Army. He was a “hero, loved and admired by the American public.” 36 Political Career After returning fromWWII and serving as the Army’s Chief of Staff for approximately three years, Eisenhower was approached by two trustees of Columbia University, with an important offer. 37 Columbia had been searching for a president for two years, and due to financial and administrative difficulties, they needed someone who would be able to take charge and restor e Columbia’s reputation. In their eyes, Eisenhower was the man for the job – his reputation and organizational leadership skillset preceded him. Ike accepted the position and served as president of the institution from 1948 to his resignation in January of 1953. These were formative years for Eisenhower – it was his first civilian job, it 31 Ibid, 79. 32 Ibid, 82. 33 Pach, Jr., “Dwight D. Eisenho wer: Life Before the Presidency. ” 34 Lyon, Eisenhower, 83. 35 Pach, Jr., “Dwight D. Eisenho wer: Life Before the Presidency. ” 36 Ibid. 37 Travis B. Jacobs, “Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Presidency of Columbia University,” Presidential Studies Quarterly 15, no. 3 (1985): 556, accessed March 20, 2020, www.jstor.org/stable/27550244.