It would be difficult to be part of a "ring of boys"—six brothers of assorted sizes—and not learn the priceless lesson of teamwork. Dwight Eisenhower used that knowledge to unite the whole free world.

Back in Abilene, Kansas, when "Little Ike" was a boy, each member of the family had chores to do. It didn't matter who did what, the boys' father said, as long as the job got done. So the brothers would squabble a bit, then the door would bang six times, and off they would go, each on his appointed errand.

Ten years later, young Dwight was finding it hard to submit to the many rules and regulations of West Point. But when World War I came, he realized he was part of a team, a long gray line of soldiers stretching from the past into the future.

In the peacetime years that followed, many of his army assignments were not exciting. Ike could not know then that he was gaining experience which someday would make him the one person qualified to command the D-Day Invasion.

This book is not only a stirring account of the dangers and decisions that faced the Supreme Commander during World War II. It is also an inspiring story of a boy whose sense of fair play and teamwork brought him to the Presidency.

From the dust jacket