Myself: Now and Five Years Ago What it takes to make a man great is his foundation, training, and drive for the dreams that his mind ponders. Greatness is a term not often used with a name of one human being. Dwight Eisenhower is a great man, and I use that term in the most noble way. He was a man formed by his country like an artist forms a piece of clay. He was molded and fired for strength, but his inner soul has more meaning, such as a piece of Greek Sculpture that has been around for centuries. Most know him by the name of “Ike”, but very few know the man in the comforts of the White House, as he paces back and forth, or the long nights in the tent down in Africa fighting for his country in one of the most terrifying wars of the world. He was a war hero and a defender of freedom and democracy. Not only for his own nation, for any man or woman that searched for such riches in their hearts and homes.Nestled in the dancing wheat of the Kansas plains is a small farm town by the name of Abilene. The clear rolling waters of the Smokey Hill River were just a stone throw away. It is in this place that the molding for greatness would begin. Dwight Eisenhower was born in a small dusty town in Texas. On October 14, 1890 he lay cradled in the arms of his mother, as his father looked down at his newborn son and wondered what they would do. The business was going under. That next spring his family would move back to their roots of Kansas. As a boy Ike worked hard and played even harder. Ike’s child hood was that of a young farm boy. If he was not found in the classroom, or doing his chores, he could be found along the banks of the Smokey Hill River. This was the place that Dwight would spend his summer days with his friends. Fishing and hunting while he camped along the banks of the clear water. (Steenwyk) Brought up by his mother, because his father worked long hours as a mechanic, she installed a strong ...
