Considered to be one of the greatest American war heroes of all time, Dwight David Eisenhower was born to a family of nine in 1890. He led an average childhood, after finishing school he went on to West Point Military Academy in 1911. Eisenhower first served his country in World War I, acting as an instructor to get newly recruited troops ready for the war.

He was promoted to Major in early 1920, reflecting his service in WWI. During the next ten years he would serve under some of most famous generals in U.S. history, including, General Patton, General Pershing, and General McArthur. After many recommendations, most from McArthur, Eisenhower had progressed to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

During the early onset of U.S. involvement in the Second World War, the U.S. military named Eisenhower Brigadier General. He was also named the Senior War Planner, by General George Marshall. Due to his brilliant tactics and war strategies, he was named Commanding General for the European Theater in 1942.

By late 1942, Eisenhower was appointed Supreme Commander, and was asked to devise a strategy for the storming of Mission Beach and Normandy. After the U.S. victory in the war, the general settled down and retired from the military. He continued working at Columbia University as the president of the school.

As 1951 neared he was appointed as the head of NATO (North American Treaty Organization). After gaining much media and national attention, he decided to run on the republican ticket for President in 1958. Eisenhower is also credited with officially ending the U.S. involvement in the unpopular Korean War. He passed away in 1969, but left behind one of the greatest legacies of any President of the United States.

Labels: commanding officer, President Dwight David Eisenhower, US Military, WWI, WWII

John “Black Jack” Pershing was a distinguished officer in the U.S. Army. He is the only person to rise to the highest rank ever held in the U.S. Army, General of the Armies, while still alive. He led the American Expeditionary Force in World War I and was a mentor for the generation of American generals who led the U.S. Army during World War II.

Pershing got his first major action in the Spanish-American War. He was commissioned a Major of Volunteers in 1898 and fought with distinction during the war, and was cited for gallantry and was awarded the Silver Citation Star. In 1932 this was upgraded to the Silver Star Medal.

When World War I started, Pershing’s superior in Mexico, Frederick Funston, was considered for the Commander of the American Expeditionary Force. He died of a heart attack, however, in 1817 and Pershing was named to the command. During this time George C. Marshall and Douglas MacArthur served under him. During his time in command, he went from major general to general and was responsible for the organization, training, and supply of all Army forces that grew from only 27,000 men to over two million soldiers.

After the war in 1919, the U.S. Congress authorized the President to promote Pershing to General of the Armies of the United States. This position was created just for him and gave him the highest ranking possible in the U.S. armed forces. He is the only person to hold the rank besides George Washingon, who was promoted to the rank posthumously by President Gerald Ford in 1976.

Labels: WWI

Sir Douglas Haig was a central member of the British army during World War I. He was also the center of much controversy surrounding himself and his, then, superior Sir John French. Haig and French butted heads over a number of things, but mainly over the positioning of the British army upon the outbreak of World War I. French had decided that troops should be positioned in Belgium during the way, contrary to the ideas that Haig had. Haig insisted the British troops would be better off attacking from France, since Belgium has very little means of protection – it turned out that Haig was right, Belgium forts simply could not withstand German fire.

Haig lost his fight and half of the British troops were sent to Belgium, where French was set to command them. Due to the geography of the Belgian town, Haig’s troops had to be separated from French’s own company, which tore the two British troops apart. This left a great opening for the Germans who seized their opportunity and attacked both Haig’s and French’s troops simultaneously. Legend has it that French began to panic and somewhat lost his mind when Haig frantically sent him a message stating that they were losing the battle. French eventually pulled his troops from the small town frightened by the number of casualties that the other troops were experiencing. Although French retreated, he was ordered back to battle grounds where his troops fought for one more day. The Germans eventually surrendered to British troops, and Haig was awarded the title of General – underneath his, now, enemy John French. Eventually, the pressure of the war and the mistakes that he had made caused John French to act rashly and unintelligently, which resulted in his removal from the front lines. In his place as Commander of the BEF? Why, none other than Sir Douglas Haig. Haig went on to fight other wars in far away lands, and he is remembered as a war hero today for his correct instincts and unmatched bravery.

Labels: civil war, leaders, WWI

Being the son of an officer in the Royal Navy, John French had combat in his blood. French understood the art of war, and took his knowledge to the battle field with him. Originally, French decided to try out his sea legs and join the Navy, but later found that the British Army suited him much better. Almost immediately, the British army saw French’s stellar capabilities as a leader and they appointed him lieutenant-colonel of the 19th Hussars. Along with this prestigious title came the responsibility of acting as part of the cavalry in the Second Boer War (1899-1902). Continuing his successful tactics, French was soon appointed Field Marshal in 1913. Certain of his own capabilities, and confident in his military expertise, French was not shy about voicing his opinion when it came to going against his superiors.

French believed that attacking German soldiers from France was relatively useless, and (much to the dismay of Cabinet members Lord Kitchener and Sir Douglas Haig) he insisted that troops be sent to Belgium instead of to the originally planned France. French believed that British troops would have a much better chance attacking from small Belgian towns – and it seemed that he had a great distrust of the French in general. However, French’s battle scheme did not work out so well as his troops became pummeled while on Belgian soil. For the first time ever it seemed as though French was unsure of what to do. Eventually, after many meetings and various steps taken to re-assess his original ideas, French was replaced by Douglas Haig in 1915. Although his moves on the battle field were largely unsuccessful, Britain recognized his great tactical mind and utilized his strengths by making him Commander of the British Home Forces. French remained Commander until the war ended, but he went on to assist in other wars including the Irish uprising in 1916, after which he was crowned Earl of Ypres.

Labels: leaders, war heroes, WWI

Most war heroes wind up returning to their homes at the end of the war to continue on with a normal life. Francis Grenfell was a war hero, but he was never able to see his home again. Grenfell was thirty-three years old when he joined the British military during World War I – not a very young age considering most of his comrades were in their twenties and younger! As such, Grenfell was made captain of his infantry, the 9th Lancers in the Queens Royal Army.

Grenfell was sent to Audregnies, Belgium, in August of 1914 with his unit to try and break up a German infantry that seemed impenetrable. All of Grenfell’s superiors perished in this battle and most of his soldiers as well, which left him to take over the title of senior officer. Although Grenfell survived the initial attack on the German infantry, while he was attempting to lift the spirits of his soldiers Grenfell was severely wounded by enemy fire, but this did not stop him. Along with his commander (Ernest Wright Alexander), he went into the active battled field in order to try and rescue some British guns that had been caught in the crossfire, and due to large causalities these guns could no longer be brought back to safety. Understanding the importance of maintaining all artillery, Grenfell was successful in bringing the majority of guns back to safe land. Unfortunately, he sustained serious injuries while running underneath enemy fire to rescue the guns, and he was killed in action. Francis Grenfell was awarded the Victoria Cross for his bravery, but he never saw it. Today, his cross can be seen by the public at the Regimental Museum of the 9th/12th Royal Lancers in Derby, England.

Labels: war heroes, WWI

World War I was full of heroes that received the prestigious Victoria’s Cross award for outstanding services in their respective regiments. Some of these medal winners committed brave acts, some had unshakable faith, and some were a combination of all three. Frederick William Holmes falls into this third category as he will always be remembered to for the support that he gave to his infantry during World War I.

At the young age of twenty-four, Frederick Holmes was already awarded the title of Lance Corporal of his 2nd Battalion within The King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry. Holmes was sent to France in order to help Britain fight off enemy forces from the ground up. When one of his own was badly wounded, Holmes took it upon himself to muster up all of his strength and courage to traverse through the trenches in order to find the wounded man and carry him to safety. While Holmes was desperately trying to single handedly carried this wounded soldier to safety, enemy fire was bombarding him from all angles and he suffered a serious leg wound that almost meant amputation. During the same battle, Holmes would continue his heroic legend by taking over the controls of a gun when the driver was critically wounded – a critical maneuver on his part. Later in his career Holmes would go on to gain the rank of Captain, and receive the Victoria Cross as an emblem of his war time bravery. Holmes’ death is one shared by many World War I heroes. Holmes’ wounds proved too much for him to bear and left him nearly helpless where he died in Australia on October 22nd, 1969.

Labels: war heroes, WWI

The story of Charles Jarvis is not a particularly intricate one, but Jarvis did manage to aid Britain against World War I enemies while risking his life. Jarvis, a native of Scotland, joined the British Army in 1907 following in the footsteps of his father’s own strict moral code (his father was a coastguard). Not that much is known about this war hero, but without the tasks the Jarvis completed against all odds, Britain may not have been so successful.

Jarvis had a penchant for things mechanical and so he joined the Royal Engineers in hopes of serving his duty working from behind the scenes. The army quickly found a use for Jarvis and sent him to serve in France with the British Expeditionary Force. Jarvis’ mission was seemingly simple, he was to blow up eight bridges that spread over the Mons-Conde canal in order to immobilize enemy troops. But his mission proved to be trickier than he had anticipated. As Jarvis sent out to rig the bridges and complete his mission, he came under thunderous enemy fire and was forced to complete his work with bullets whizzing over his head. Jarvis’ mission was successful, and on January 13th, 1915 he was awarded the Victoria Cross for his bravery and service. But Jarvis’ military career was to come to a somewhat sad end when, just shy of his eighteenth year serving the military, Jarvis was discharged and sent home. Jarvis died relatively unknown working at the Portsmouth Dockyard, but today he is remembered for his crucial acts that helped to win World War I.

Labels: war heroes, WWI

Known to his battalion as “Boy Cornwell” John Cornwell was only sixteen when he registered to fight in the Royal Navy during World War I. Cornwell was something of a rebel, having signed up to fight without his father’s permission. Some say that this boy had a mission, a real purpose in life that could not be reasoned with. On Easter Monday in 1916, Boy Cornwell left his home to head for Rosyth, Scotland, to fight German ships at sea. Cornwell found himself manning a gun on the HMS Chester smack in the midst of the Battle of Jutland.

Having just enlisted, Cornwell saw battle in a short amount of time as the Chester was attacked by four marine cruisers that were the same size as the massive Chester. Although Cornwell was stowed near the guns and ammunition at the bottom of the ship, the cruisers were heavily armed and their technology was top notch. As Cornwell gallantly tried to fight off enemy ships, the Chester was pummeled with enemy fire and Cornwell suffered many blows to his body. When the fight was finally over, this young boy was the sole gun operator still stuck to his weapon. When rescue workers found him, Cornwell was in dire shape. As he was being transferred to the hospital with bits of ammunition protruding from his young chest, his life was slowly slipping away. Cornwell died shortly after in the hospital, but his memory lived on. After his death, Cornwell was presented with the Victoria Cross for bravery and for remaining at his post even though he had been shot numerous times. Cornwell remains sort of a legend for current naval officers. Although he was young, he fought valiantly and never abandoned his ship.

Labels: war heroes, WWI