Friday, November 17, 2006
War
What do I think about when I'm not thinking about iced coffee and teaching law? Why, WWII, of course.
I'm currently listening to a recorded version of Dwight Eisenhower's WWII memoir, "Crusade in Europe." It's one of those recorded books that's always on the library shelf -- I mean, this baby never gets checked out -- and I've passed it over more times than I could count. I just assumed that it would be extremely dull -- a self-serving, myopic "history" from someone who observed events from the mountaintop. I ended up checking it out only because there were slim pickings in the recorded books section.
Boy, was I wrong. Eisenhower (of course!) has a comprehensive perspective on the war and is also a master of detail. And his plain, unaffected, factual writing style becomes quite enjoyable as you realize how it reflects his personality: Eisenhower comes across as one of the most unpretentious and un-egotistical of great men, a man of sound judgment and supreme patience with the frustrations of command of a multi-national allied force.
As a military leader, he seems to have been such a straight-shooter. His presidential administration does not, of course, have this historical reputation, and one wonders whether the arena of politics was just too much for his personal integrity.
I'm currently listening to a recorded version of Dwight Eisenhower's WWII memoir, "Crusade in Europe." It's one of those recorded books that's always on the library shelf -- I mean, this baby never gets checked out -- and I've passed it over more times than I could count. I just assumed that it would be extremely dull -- a self-serving, myopic "history" from someone who observed events from the mountaintop. I ended up checking it out only because there were slim pickings in the recorded books section.
Boy, was I wrong. Eisenhower (of course!) has a comprehensive perspective on the war and is also a master of detail. And his plain, unaffected, factual writing style becomes quite enjoyable as you realize how it reflects his personality: Eisenhower comes across as one of the most unpretentious and un-egotistical of great men, a man of sound judgment and supreme patience with the frustrations of command of a multi-national allied force.
As a military leader, he seems to have been such a straight-shooter. His presidential administration does not, of course, have this historical reputation, and one wonders whether the arena of politics was just too much for his personal integrity.
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