Dwight D. Eisenhower
In 1941, Dwight D. Eisenhower was approaching the end of a relatively undistinguished military career, marked by nothing of great significance. While he completed his training at WestPoint in 1915, he did not leave the United States in World War I, and the following years of peacetime offered few opportunities. By 1930, he had taken on a post as the assistant to Chief of Staff General Douglas MacArthur.
After 25 years of service, he achieved the rank of colonel in 1940. He had served dutifully, and was, while working in peacetime, strongly interested in developing the best possible citizen-soldier force, ready to mobilize if needed.
Within a period of only three years, he went from an unknown and relatively undistinguished officer to the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe. The dramatic change in Eisenhower’s life began with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Only days after the attack, Eisenhower reported to Washington D.C., at the request of General George C. Marshall and presented his plan to respond to the attack at Pearl Harbor. Eisenhower was assigned to the War Plans Department, and was, at the time, recognized for his problem-solving ability.
In February 1942, Eisenhower, now chief of the War Plans Department, devised a plan to win the war. Critical to his plan was a careful design, directing forces and efforts only where essential to win the war and defeat the Axis Powers. In June 1942, as the U.S. established a European front to their entrance into the war, Eisenhower was named Commander General of the European Theater.
In Europe, Eisenhower effectively both cemented alliances and commanded the U.S. forces. By 1943, he was named Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in the European Theater. Eisenhower planned the D-Day landing in Normandy and other key offensives. Eisenhower’s ability to make accurate predictions and smart judgements was essential to the Allied Victory in Europe.
After the war, he returned to serve as Chief of Staff of the Army, and later, President of the United States. As a leader, his willingness to make hard decisions continued, then, as he had during the war, in the pursuit of peace.