Author: Carlo D'este

Book Reviewed By: Cecilia Ferradino

"I hope to God I know what I'm doing."

This is not exactly what one wants to hear during wartime- especially from the individual making tactical decisions. Yet, such words were reported to have escaped from five-star General Dwight D. Eisenhower's lips on June 5, 1944, less than twenty-four hours before D-Day, the military maneuver that lead to the eventual Allied victory in Europe. With just shy of six decades separating that comment from today, one could take the utterance as a fleeting moment of self-doubt, only to be dismissed as an ironic, even amusing, quip that is now a part of American history. But for the General, those words were very real, very sincere, very much laced with anxiety and very common. In Eisenhower: A Soldier's Life, author Carlo D'este gives a compelling, yet honest portrayal of one of the twentieth century's most notable leaders and heroes.

D'este does a masterful job of deconstructing the man who would eventually become the country's thirty-fourth President. In contrast to other works that focus more on Eisenhower's executive tenure, Eisenhower is an informative and revealing presentation of the military career component that served as the precursor to his role as Commander-in-Chief. Eisenhower chronicles the days before everyone liked Ike, and successfully leaves the reader with a multi-dimensional portrait of not only a revered leader, but also of a devout athlete, West Point cadet, master poker player, chain smoking, unassuming child of pacifist parents. In an artful amalgamation of personal interviews, years of primary research and a proven verbal acuity for bringing American history to life, D'este skillfully crafts an illuminating portrait of the unpretentious boy from Kansas who grew up to be the supreme Allied commander.

Eisenhower's complex, enigmatic persona is thoroughly explored, but with a certain respect to the reader. D'este is judicious in his use of direct quotes, but does not fail to inform. Such a tactic allows the reader to draw his or her own conclusions. Certainly, there are instances where pure, unadulterated bravado takes center stage. The quote prefacing chapter 10, which is aptly titled, "Roses have Thorns," reads: "Mamie, there is one thing you must understand. My country comes first and always will; you come second." As a stand-alone comment, one could take Eisenhower's declaration to his wife as the words American legends are made of. However, one treat in reading this book is that D'este provides the reader with enough tiny puzzle pieces that such a quote could be debunked, questioned, taken with a grain of salt, or accepted as is. This rare deference to the reader's sensibilities is a welcome device that is not always evident in biographies.

Along the same lines, there are a number of ironies and paradoxes in Eisenhower-the-man-and-soldier that D'este brings to the forefront. For example, General Eisenhower will always be remembered for his major role in helping defeat Germany and saving the world from Axis domination. Yet his family tree is squarely rooted in the Rhineland. Next, religious pacifists who eschewed war raised him, but when he matured, Eisenhower made his living and earned subsequent praise as a soldier. Finally, the same man who adored history and had no intention of making it emerged as one of the country's most distinguished military tacticians and the nation's eventual leader. One can only wonder what exactly ran through Eisenhower's mind at each of these junctures. But that is the beauty of biography; by virtue of the human subject, readers are given the opportunity to speculate, wonder and pose a host of questions that far extend beyond the pages.

Admittedly, one could make a case that Eisenhower is one-sided and biased. Folksy, turn-of-the-century reminisces such as his brother Edgar's assessment that, " 'Our lives as youngsters were full and purposeful.' " Or, that his humble alma mater, Abilene High School, was situated on the second floor of city hall and, as observed by one teacher, to have given students their educations, " 'midst the howling of dogs, the wailing of prisoners and the odor of onions being cooked for the marshal's dinner,' " could prove to be too contrived for those who prefer a more straightforward, report-like presentation, free of subjectivity and partiality. This is the ultimate 'catch 22' that threatens all biographical accounts: the challenge to present an accurate picture without sounding fanatic. Yet, in order to devote years of one's life to thoroughly examining a figure, historical or otherwise, there has to be some level of enthusiasm. And such enthusiasm should be translated onto the page. D'este's fervor for Eisenhower and military history is one of the book's many exceptional qualities and the author does this with zeal and skill.

For World War II buffs, the author's name may ring familiar. A respected military historian and retired United States Army colonel, D'este has written authoritatively about the war in Europe as well a 1996 biography on Patton. For those not as well versed in this subject matter, readers will find D'este's prose accessible and engaging. But readers should not let its volume intimidate. The author encapsulates Eisenhower's pre-Presidential years with concise, to-the-point sentences and compact chapters and rarely fails to hold the audience's attention. Granted, military history comprises the bulk of the text. However, D'este manages to balance the military and the man in what manifests itself in a comprehensive, highly informative and pleasurable read. Historians, biography enthusiasts, armed forces aficionados and general bibliophiles can all find something to appease their appetites in Eisenhower.

While the book is unequivocally about Dwight Eisenhower, one may also view this text as a testament to not only the soldier, but also to the era in which he lived. There is a verbal charm D'este employs that transports the reader into Eisenhower's time period.

The language and meter move gracefully like a waltz, invoking a reverence and dignity, while simultaneously painting a portrait that is reminiscent of a bygone era. He not only incorporates direct quotes from men and women of Eisenhower's age, but also uses phraseology that is waning from modern parlance. "Whenever he was not in school or working, young Eisenhower could be found sipping a sundae at Case's Department Store, riding precariously on the handlebars of a friend's bicycle, wading or fishing in nearby Mud Creek, shooting rabbits, general horseplay, engaging in fisticuffs, or competing in all manner of sports." Yet, D'este's pace is never sluggish. His word choices appear deliberate and achieve the most basic writing goal: to successfully tell the story.

We often forget that heroes are created to fill some void in our collective psyche or to enhance a cultural identity, not the other way around. Moreover, it is in this same construction that we often overlook the fact that heroes are, were and always will be humans first, then heroes. For only when this is recognized, can the human then be elevated - flaws and all - to mythical proportion. D'este's text illustrates this duality and never disconnects the hero from the mortal, showing us a steadfast, authoritative commander who, by his intellect and ability to lead, helped bring down a triad of dictators, but who also, similar to all who lived during those tumultuous times, wrestled with the moral and ethical questions that accompany war. In this light, Eisenhower's "I hope to God I know what I'm doing," assumes a much more poignant, heavier meaning that transcends wartime. One only has to come face-to-face with a difficult decision to be able to empathize with Eisenhower's anxiety and trepidation. It is through this exhibition of sheer human fallibility coupled with human resolve, which makes Eisenhower: A Soldier's Life a literary and historical treasure.

*******

08/07/2002