One of the most underrated presidents of the US is General Dwight Eisenhower, despite the fact that Ike gave his country eight long years of peace and security. He commanded the largest army ever assembled in the history of warfare and orchestrated the invasion of Europe, which resulted in the victory of the Allied forces against the Axis powers. He was a decent and highly principled man who inspired his men to support and fight for his cause—both in war and peace. He was a simple man not given to grandiloquent speeches like General Douglas McArthur, nor flamboyant and egotistical like General George Patton. As mentioned in his memoir, “Eisenhower: In War and Peace,” “he valued understatement.” Eisenhower, just like the army of his day, “did not decorate themselves like Christmas trees.” He was molded in the fine tradition of Generals George Washington and Ulysses Grant who were greatly respected by the soldiers they led and the citizens they protected.
He served the White House for two terms by defeating a much-heralded candidate renowned for his cerebral prowess, Adlai Stevenson, in two successive presidential contests. He was the most popular president well loved by the Americans with a monthly approval rating of 64 percent, a number unsurpassed since President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Notwithstanding his colorful military exploits, Eisenhower shunned war. He made peace in Korea and despite the Joint Chiefs of Staff recommendation to intervene at Dien Bien Phu to save the French from an embarrassing defeat in Vietnam, he disapproved of the proposal, including the use of the atomic bomb. He virtually scolded them, “You boys must be crazy. We can’t use those awful things against Asians for the second time in less than 10 years. My God.” He abhorred the so-called gunboat diplomacy and refrained from using military force to influence or control foreign relations. During the Suez Canal crisis in 1956 when Britain, Israel and France invaded Egypt following Egypt’s nationalization and control of the canal, Eisenhower applied pressure to the three governments to cease military action and withdraw from their takeover of the vital passageway. While the coalition forces emerged victorious, Egypt scored a military victory. Eisenhower proclaimed that “there is no substitute for peace.” Eisenhower’s fairness and evenhanded approach to international turmoil earned him the admiration and respect from all corners of the world. The Eisenhower years could well be considered the “Pax Americana” which had earned America the affection of all freedom-loving people of the world.
Despite his greatness, Eisenhower has receded from our memory. But one exceptional display of his executive ability and leadership, which made him very relevant today, was his handling of the Spanish Flu epidemic in 1918 that ravaged the US and many parts of the world. The exact number of people that died was never known but more than 548,000 Americans succumbed to the virus, and an estimated 50 million to 100 million people infected around the world. Pretty much similar to the current Covid-19 pandemic which is gripping our planet right now. The dreaded Spanish Flu greatly devastated the US that the average life expectancy of the Americans dropped by 12 years. The virus was first reported on September 8, 1918 at a military camp, Fort Devens, Massachusetts. Unfortunately, 124 soldiers from Fort Devens were transferred to Camp Colt, the military training camp commanded by Major Eisenhower. Within the day, Spanish flu was diagnosed prompting Eisenhower, with the help of the camp’s surgeon, to undertake measures and protocols to contain the spread of the virus. Eisenhower isolated every soldier with the slightest symptoms by putting up tents with makeshift beddings. Not more than four men occupied each tent except those found positive who were given an exclusive tent. He ordered the entire camp to be quarantined and MPs were posted to prevent soldiers without medical clearance from leaving. Outside restaurants and bars were ordered not to accommodate and serve soldiers and even the churches in the vicinity were placed off-limits to soldiers. Protocols were strictly enforced. Tents were exposed and beddings were warmed under the sun. The amp was sprayed with disinfectants everyday and all soldiers and civilian staff were required to undergo daily medical exams. From September 15 to October 5, 1918, out of more than 10,000 men under his command at the camp, only 321 were admitted to the hospital due to the virus, and 175 died from the disease. By October 24, Camp Colt was free of the Spanish flu. The Camp Colt experience relative to the handling of the virus compared favorably with all the other military camps in the US and as a recognition of Eisenhower’s achievement, 15 of his team members were sent to different military camps to flatten and contain the pandemic. The epidemic killed 52,019 American servicemen in 1918, which was slightly lower than the 53,402 casualties who died in combat. When World War I ended, Eisenhower was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, the Army’s highest peacetime decoration.
Eisenhower was the American President who defeated a pandemic. He did it not by tweeting or distorting facts.