After Dwight graduated in the middle of his class, he was stationed in San Antonio, Texas, at Fort Sam Houston. He met and married his wife Mamie Doud in that city. He met George S. Patton Jr and befriended him at Camp Meade, Maryland. They published articles in 1920, wanting better usage of army tanks to prevent the horrible style of trench warfare used back in World War 1. However, his superiors saw him as insubordinate rather than a visionary man, and threatened him with a court-martial if he went against official views on infantry warfare. He was soon transferred to the Panama Canal Zone and worked as an executive officer for General Fox Connor, who appreciated Dwight's critical thinking on infantry tactics and warfare. Connor became Dwight's patron and arranged an appointment that drove his career sky high.
He attended the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. There he graduated at the top of his class, quickly given assignment after assignment. Included in those assignments was being aide to General John J Pershing, then to General Douglas MacArthur. Dwight and Douglas never really agreed with each other often due to them being total opposites, but being the junior officer Dwight had to obey Douglas. He loyally served the General no matter what said General asked of him. He spent seven years with General MacArthur.
Once World War 2 started, he aided in various strategical training sessions for over 40,000 troops. His knack for strategy earned him a promotion to Brigadier General. A few days after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, he was moved to Washington D.C. to work on war plans, soon earning the attention and praise from Army Chief of Staff George C. Marshall, someone who was a stern judge of military ability and didn't give praise easily. Promotions and critical assignments flooded in afterwards. Dwight commanded troops in Africa known as Operation Torch, in November 1939. One year after that he directed the invasion of Sicily and Italy. In 1944 he was the supreme commander of Operation Overlord, plans to invade Nazi-controlled Western Europe. In a few years Dwight had gone from a simple lieutenant colonel to a four-star general leading one of the best military forces in history.
By being sympathetic with Allied leaders and cooperating well with them, Dwight was able to organize D-Day and carry it out quite effectively. Choosing to go ahead with the operation despite the warnings of terrible weather earned him the admiration of not only world leaders but of the soldiers who risked, and gave, their lives in that very invasion of Normandy's beaches.
He attended the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. There he graduated at the top of his class, quickly given assignment after assignment. Included in those assignments was being aide to General John J Pershing, then to General Douglas MacArthur. Dwight and Douglas never really agreed with each other often due to them being total opposites, but being the junior officer Dwight had to obey Douglas. He loyally served the General no matter what said General asked of him. He spent seven years with General MacArthur.
Once World War 2 started, he aided in various strategical training sessions for over 40,000 troops. His knack for strategy earned him a promotion to Brigadier General. A few days after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, he was moved to Washington D.C. to work on war plans, soon earning the attention and praise from Army Chief of Staff George C. Marshall, someone who was a stern judge of military ability and didn't give praise easily. Promotions and critical assignments flooded in afterwards. Dwight commanded troops in Africa known as Operation Torch, in November 1939. One year after that he directed the invasion of Sicily and Italy. In 1944 he was the supreme commander of Operation Overlord, plans to invade Nazi-controlled Western Europe. In a few years Dwight had gone from a simple lieutenant colonel to a four-star general leading one of the best military forces in history.
By being sympathetic with Allied leaders and cooperating well with them, Dwight was able to organize D-Day and carry it out quite effectively. Choosing to go ahead with the operation despite the warnings of terrible weather earned him the admiration of not only world leaders but of the soldiers who risked, and gave, their lives in that very invasion of Normandy's beaches.