Dwight D. Eisenhower

Dwight D. Eisenhower served as Supreme Commander of the Allied forces in WW II, uniting the world in the European battle front. Later he assumed the role of the 34th President of the United States. Eisenhower grew up primarily in Kansas, one of seven siblings, for which one brother lost an eye due to his carelessness of which he was quite remorseful. As a member of the Mennonite religious community, his mother did not believe in either war or baptism. However, it was her extensive collection of history books that sparked Eisenhower's enduring interest in military history. She was quite saddened when he was accepted into West Point. The well documented campaign led by Eisenhower, driving the Nazis out of Europe, is a significant part of history. However, a unique aspect that distinguishes him from others is that in 1953, just 10 days after becoming president, Eisenhower was baptized and welcomed into the Presbyterian Church. Eisenhower remains the only president ever to have been baptized while in office. Like others, he understood the importance of God: "Without God, there would be no American form of Government, nor an American way of life."