After visiting the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum in Abilene, Kansas, I wanted to find a souvenir of the visit. The gift shop featured a nice variety of books where I had no trouble finding one - EISENHOWER IN WAR AND PEACE by Jean Edward Smith. Several reviewers consider it one of Ike’s best biographies.
We know about Eisenhower’s contributions to military and political life, but his story includes some of the simpler things in life, too. After the invasion of Europe had gotten well under way, he decided to relocate his headquarters from England to Normandy. In appreciation for the gift of liberation, some local farmers offered him a milk cow so he and his staff could enjoy fresh milk.
Smith included a humorous anecdote about the general’s staff members trying to milk the cow. Ike’s mess sergeant along with two others didn’t to know the technique of milking a cow. He said, “Each of us tried, pulling, squeezing, massaging, but we couldn’t get a drop.” Then Ike came on the scene and asked what was going on. When he learned they couldn’t get any milk from the cow, he sat down on the stool and began to milk it. After filling the bucket he stood and said, “You city slickers have a lot to learn.”
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