Evening star., 1952-07-11
Personality Is Key to Story Of Eisenhower

bers Gen. Ike best on that day
Nothing like it had been seen herr
before. The sopi1istication of .
Capital long accustomed t,
parades cracked wide open. Adult,
wept unashamed. Cheers echoet
from Lincoln Memorial to tn,
Capitol, drowning the victor,
cresendo of 20 bands.
The fact that war stiIl ragged IL
the Pacific and that tens of thou.
sands of men were yet to return
from Europe only intensified TIL.
emotional pitch of the occasion
Government clerks, housewives
school children and men in uni.
form packed every available space
] The general was greeted by tor
officials, and he addressed thu
Congress. but the people of Wash.
ington claimed him for their owr
that day. 1t wasn't Gen. Eisen.
hover, or even General Ike" te
those along the line of march.
Returning soldiers already hac
brought the word. The genera
was ike" to them, despite his
five stars.
The crowd took up the chant
Ike, Ike, Ike!" The general.
homely, sun-tanned face split ir
a grin that showed his teeth
People reacted as if they knew the
general liked them and realized
what was in their hearts.
This feeling persists today
among tens Of thousands OF
troops who served under the gen.
eral overseas. They knew him as
one general who would never let
another soldier be a servant. War
correspondents who followed Gen
Ike from Africa. through italy
and across the Channel and the
Rhine were impressed with this
fact:
Rejected Caste System.
Ike rejected the idea that dis
;ipline should be built on the caste
system. He demanded co-opera-
ton and received it in full meas
lrre along with high morale and
loyalty, largely because his meu
respected him more for his ability
energy and goodwill than for the
high rank he carried.
The legend of Ike as the soldier
friend permeated every unit Of
his far-flung command. The ser.
geant might be an sob, and tn,
lieutenant something worse, but
a Sad Sack in a rear echelon con.
soled himself with the thought
that, if Ike knew his plight, hi
would take him of K. p.
Gen. Ike was not only anxious
TO share his glory with his troop.
and his allies, but he ducked hi.
share on occasion. Prime Min.
lster Churchill once told him il
an imitation Midwestern drawl:
What I like about you, Ike, 1
you amt no glory hopper"
Mr.. Churchill meant he liket
the way the general gave other
credit for the victory in Europe
Gen. Ike demonstrated this qualit,
at Homecoming celebration a
Abilene after the war. He object
ed to Welcome to Our Hero
signs. declaring:
Il am not the hero. I am tn,
symbol of the heroic men yo,
people and all of the United State
sent to war. It has been my grea
honor to command 8 millio,
american men and women il
Europe"
Names CT Joe As Hero.
In a broadcast on Victory Da,
in Europe. he said: "The trul,
heroic man of this war is the G.
Joe and his counterpart in tn
air. Navy and merchant marine i,
any one OF the united nations"
While passing on the glory t
others. the general carried the ful
weight of responsibility in hi
hours Of command decision. A
such times. when the fate Of me,
and nations hung in the balance
his task was doubly difficult be
cause of his repugnance for tn
wreckage Of war.
In the opinion of the genera
the Regular Army officer is
.'pacifist" because "any man VIII
is forced to turn his attention I
the horrors of the battlefield. t
the grotesque shapes that are lef
there for the burying squads-h
doesn't want war. He neve
wants it,"
Yet it was for Gen. Eisenhowe
to give the word that launche,
one OF the greatest CANDLES i,
military history-the Anglo Amer
lcan invasion of Hitler's "Fortres
Europe" on June s, 1914.
The general made a fightin
choice, as he did on a later. 90
litical "D-day" which marked hi
successful assault on the old guar
stronghold at Chicago.
When the general loosed hi
armada across a storm-lashe
English Channel. he called the boil
venture great crusade" to fre
the world of tyranny.
Within IL months. the back q
Hitler's once mighty Wehrmacf
had been broken, and Germany
proudest cities reduced to rubbl,
With the unconditional surrende
|of Germany. the general took hi
place among the great militar
strategists of all time.
Uses Baseball Terms.
But in the generals opinion
you can't hit a home run b
bunting. You have to step u
there and take your cut at til
lfno II Gaya Tl~x