Dwight D. Eisenhower

What is the first thing that you think of when you hear the word hero? You might think of someone with superpowers who saves large amounts of people at a time or someone who pleases everyone. To me, however, a hero is something more than that. There are heroes among us every day, heroic people who command personal traits such as courage, integrity, and honor. I believe that all of these traits are what make people heroes. However, I also believe that one person portrayed all of these traits extraordinarily well. This person was Dwight D. Eisenhower. He, who portrayed all of these amazingly well was a man who commanded great courage, integrity, and honor. It was these traits that helped him succeed throughout his life and become the hero that he is today.

One place that Eisenhower demonstrated some of these traits was during his time in the military during World War II. He led the North African offensive attack deemed Torch all the way to victory. He accomplished many other things throughout the war that eventually led to his promotion to Supreme Commander of the allied forces during D-Day. Due to his impressive accomplishments, on December 15, 1944 Eisenhower was promoted to the highest rank possible, General of the Army. After the war he became the army's chief of staff and in 1948 he retired from service in the army. He later became the president of Columbia University and then the head of NATO in 1950. These accomplishments in his life portrayed his intense honor and courage.

Despite the fact that he was a hero, all heroes must start somewhere. Dwight D. Eisenhower was born to a poor family in Denison, Texas on October 14, 1890. He was one of 7 sons born to the Eisenhower family. The family later moved to Abilene, Kansas. Eisenhower did his part for the family by selling vegetables and working for a creamery in his spare time. Eisenhower was an average student. His heroes often consisted of military ones. Some examples of people he considered to be heroes were George Washington and Hannibal. He exceeded in football while at Abilene High and he graduated in 1909.  In 1911 he attended West Point. He was originally attracted to the school because there was free higher education. At the time he had no intention of being a soldier. There he was generally more interested in sports over his studies. His most favored sport, however, continued to be football. He graduated in 1915 and a year later he married Mamie Doud.

Eisenhower's integrity, honor, and courage took him farther than he ever expected. In 1952, he ran for President of the United States of America. He won by a landslide. While in office he demonstrated his integrity by strengthening programs such as Social Security and launching others that also helped the country. For example, he created the Interstate Highway system in 1956. This later became the single largest public works program in the history of the United States. In foreign relations, he continued negotiations over the New Deal and the Fair Deal programs. He also worked hard to balance the budget.

The accomplishments Eisenhower made during his life as both a war hero and as President of the United States are really what solidify his position to me as my hero. The comprehensive brooding way that he solved his problems really stood out to me. During his time serving in both World War 1 and World War 2, Eisenhower really demonstrated a strong sense of courage and honor. Something that can often be hard to find. During his time as President of the United States, Eisenhower demonstrated his integrity and his strong sense of honor. Throughout his time in office he accomplished things that only a hero could do. He did things that did not give him a stellar public opinion; however, he always made the decisions for the good of the people. It is for this reason and many others that Dwight D. Eisenhower is my hero.