Dwight D. Eisenhower

After his commission in the Army, Eisenhower was stationed in Texas. There he met 18-year-old Mamie Geneva Doud and fell in love with her. They got married on July 1, 1916.

The couple had two sons. Their first son, Doud Dwight Eisenhower, was born in 1917. Doud died of scarlet fever in 1921, at the age of three. Their second son, John Sheldon Doud Eisenhower, was born in 1922. John went on to join the U.S Army and later on also served as U.S. Ambassador to Belgium.

Dwight D. Eisenhower died on March 28, 1969, at the age of 78, due to congestive heart failure.

Dwight D. Eisenhower was born on October 14, 1890, in Deniston, Texas as the third of his parents’ seven sons. His father, David Jacob Eisenhower, and mother, Ida Elizabeth Eisenhower, were of German ancestry.

He did his schooling from Abiliene High School, in Kansas, and graduated in 1909. After finishing his high school, he joined his father’s creamery and worked pastime as a firefighter.

In 1911, he got an appointment at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. He passed out from the academy, in 1915, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant.

After being commissioned, Eisenhower initially served at various camps in Texas and Georgia. When the U.S entered the World War I in 1917, he immediately requested for an overseas combat assignment. But, Eisenhower did not get it on one pretext or the other.

Missing out action on the warfront affected him mentally and he battled depression for a while. But, soon he gathered himself and gradually rose through the ranks on the basis of his competence and leadership skills.

Eisenhower held a number of important posts during his military career; he commanding a battalion of tanks, worked as chief military aide to General MacArthur, served as assistant military adviser to the Philippine government, and was Chief of Staff to General Walter Krueger.

After the Pear Harbor attack in 1941, Eisenhower was assigned to the General Staff in Washington and was given the responsibility to formulate the major war plans to defeat Japan and Germany.

In November 1942, he was made ‘Supreme Commander Allied Expeditionary Force of the North African Theater of Operations’ and led ‘Operation Torch’, the Allied invasion of North Africa. The operation resulted in the capitulation of Axis forces in North Africa.

As a military leader, Eisenhower successfully led Allied forces in World War II. He oversaw 'Operation Torch' in North America and ‘Operation Overlord’ on the coast of Normandy. Both these operations resulted in the defeat of Axis powers.

During his term as president, he gave emphasis on reducing Cold War tensions and was successful to a large extent in his objective. His 'Atoms for Peace initiative' was widely appreciated and he also played a critical role in ending the Korean War.