In exactly two weeks, American voters will troop to the polling places to elect their next president. In 1952, the most famous American soldier who commanded the mightiest and largest military force in the history of warfare, General Dwight David “Ike” Eisenhower, was elected to the same position. Ike was born on October 14, 1890 to spouses David Eisenhower and Ida Stover. He was the third child in a brood of six sons. When Ike returned from the war after successfully leading the allied forces in recapturing Europe, a neighbor asked Ida: “You must be proud of your son,” and she replied, “Which one?”
Ike was a 5-star General in the US Army and served as Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Forces in Europe that freed the continent from the grip of Nazi Germany. He was the architect of the invasion of North Africa and Sicily in the so-called Operation Torch, which liberated the region from the Axis powers. He also served as the first Supreme Commander of NATO after the war. Ike was the President of Columbia University in New York before he was drafted and successfully ran for the US presidency.
Early in life, Ike loved reading military history and he developed a strong interest to become a soldier. His decision to attend West Point disappointed his mother who thought that military combat was “wicked,” but she did not dissuade young Ike from becoming a soldier. After finishing high school, he and his brother Edgar wanted to attend college but the family could not afford it. So the brothers agreed to take alternate years at college while the other worked to pay for their schooling. His brother took the first year in college but asked later that he continued the second year. Ike agreed and he continued working to fund his brother’s education. A friend, who was applying for admission at the Annapolis Naval Academy and aware of Ike’s military ambition, egged Ike to try his luck as there was no tuition fee required. Ike was turned down at Annapolis due to overage but he was admitted at the West Point Military Academy. He graduated from the academy as an average student.
Ike was an excellent bridge player, which he indulged in throughout his military career. While staying in the Philippines as assistant military adviser to the Philippine Commonwealth government, he regularly played bridge in Malacañang with President Manuel L. Quezon who also ardently loved the game. While here, Ike had deep philosophical differences with his immediate superior, General Douglas McArthur, on military policies. There was a mutual dislike between them, which continued during their entire military career. In fact, after both had left the military service, the two were considered rivals for a while for the Presidential nomination of the Republican Party in 1952, but McArthur’s star faded and his bid for the presidency did not gain traction.
Ike was not so tall or solidly built. He looked just like any regular guy next door. But in real life, Ike, especially if you see his old photos in uniform and you know his heroic exploits during the war, appears bigger than life. And you realize that he’s an extraordinary figure who stood head and shoulders above all of us despite his physical size. Yet, he was a simple and average man. He was not cerebral like his two-time rival for the presidential post, Adlai Stevenson II, that he defeated twice in successive presidential elections in 1952 and 1956. He graduated at the middle of his class, unlike General McArthur who broke records at West Point. His 8-year term in office was not marred by any major scandal. In making his most difficult decisions while at the White House, it is said that he would look around his advisers and ask them a simple question: “Is it good for America.” Our own Guy, the well loved President Ramon Magsaysay, who was a guerilla leader during the war and became famous as Secretary of Defense, would raise a similar innocent question to his Cabinet: “Can we defend it in Plaza Miranda?” Yet they effectively addressed the burning issues of their presidency, which their more accomplished counterparts had struggled to resolve. He was the US President when the cold war was at its zenith. He presided over the nerve-raising period when the US and the former USSR were competing for nuclear superiority. The US edged out the USSR in missile competition and built nuclear submarines. He ended the Korean War by threatening to use the bomb if the other side does not agree to a peace settlement. He built the massive interstate highway system crisscrossing America. New cars rolled out of Detroit and Americans drove across the country and its vast expanse leading to further development of the countrywide and the wild territories. His presidency was marked by peace and economic progress.
What made Ike click as a President? The historian Stephen Ambrose who wrote Ike’s 2-volume authorized biography had stated that “at the center of Ike’s power was trust… I never found him in a personal lie.” In his lifetime, Ike had dealt with heads of state, dictators, kings, military generals, and the academe while he was president of Columbia University and people from all walks of life. They never doubted his words. Ike always told the truth unlike the present occupant of the White House.
As his wife, Mamie Eisenhower had succinctly put it in trying to explain Ike’s universal appeal, “I’m not certain but I know that when I roll over in bed and feel that bald head, I’m sure the world is all right.” No wonder, Ike remains one of the most well loved presidents America has ever had. Come November 3, Americans won’t go wrong if they elect into office the candidate who is trustworthy.