John Eisenhower, historian and Ike's son, dies

[Draggingtree]

John Eisenhower, historian and Ike's son, dies

 

Dec. 22, 2013 - 12:43PM

 

WASHINGTON — John S.D. Eisenhower, the son of a five-star general turned president who forged his own career in the U.S. Army and then chronicled the history of the American military in numerous books, died Saturday. He was 91.

 

Eisenhower lived on Maryland’s Eastern Shore in the community of Trappe, Md. In a statement, his family gave no cause of death.

 

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel called Eisenhower “a true patriot” and praised him as “an accomplished soldier, diplomat and author.”

 

John Sheldon Doud Eisenhower was born in Denver on Aug. 3, 1922, the second son of Dwight D. Eisenhower and Mamie Doud Eisenhower. Their first child had died of scarlet fever the year before at age 3.

 

Eisenhower grew up as his father rose in the ranks of the Army. During World War II, the senior Eisenhower became supreme commander of Allied Expeditionary Forces in 1943 and then general of the Army with five-star rank. He was elected president in a landslide in 1952 and again in 1956.

 

Both father and son graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, the son on June 6, 1944 — the day his father oversaw the Allied invasion of Europe. He spent 35 years in the Army, including 19 years on active duty and several years in the Reserve. He retired with the rank of brigadier general.