The Commandant of the Command and General Staff College and four members of the college's faculty were interviewed for portions of an upcoming documentary on President Dwight D. Eisenhower May 3. CGSC and Fort Leavenworth became involved in the project after the producer, Dr. George Colburn, visited the fort last winter and learned of Eisenhower's accomplishments at the college and the college's importance in developing Army leaders in Eisenhower's time and today.
According to Colburn, writer and producer for "Ike: from Normandy to the White House," the new documentary focuses on Eisenhower's leadership in World War II and afterwards in the early Cold War years, and during the period when he campaigned for President. "Linking his military career with his political career -- and analyzing what it meant to the United States and the world generally to have Ike in key positions of power and authority during the early Cold War years -- is the goal of this program," Colburn said.
For his new work, Colburn interviewed Lt. Gen. Robert B. Brown, Commandant of the Command and General Staff College, Dr. Pete Schifferle from the School of Advanced Military Studies, and Drs. Greg Hospodor, Sean Kalic, and John Curatola from the Command and General Staff School's Department of Military History. Brown talked about the importance of leadership and developing leaders and how CGSC is instrumental in developing Army leaders today just as it was in Eisenhower's time. Brown also noted how Major General Fox Connor and others acted as mentors for Eisenhower from infantry lieutenant to senior officer.
The historians then added information from their areas of study. Schifferle addressed D-Day and the early stages of war in Europe. Curatola explored the leadership challenges of coalition war in Europe and how Eisenhower handled the Battle of the Bulge. Hospodor focused on the early war efforts including Africa, Sicily, and Italy, and Kalic covered the post-war period and beginnings of the Cold War. Throughout the interviews they dropped tidbits about Eisenhower's tenacity, intellect, patience, and humility that were important as Eisenhower's wartime service prepared him for the greater challenges that laid ahead in civilian life.
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