We Like Ike! The Rise of Eisenhower and the D-Day Invasion

Join Glenn Flickinger with our featured guests Michel Paradis, author of The Light of Battle: Eisenhower, D-Day and the Birth of the American Superpower. Michel’s book is a unique look at Eisenhower’s rise from obscurity to Supreme Commander of Operation Overlord in a two-year period. He looks at the key figures who influenced Ike’s development and what, who and how molded him into the supreme commander. It is a unique view of General Eisenhower never before seen from this perspective.

Michael Paradis’s new book offers a sweeping examination of Dwight D. Eisenhower’s leadership during the Normandy invasion, and how D-Day not only shaped the outcome of World War II but also laid the groundwork for America’s emergence as a global superpower. He will talk about Eisenhower’s challenges in forging and leading the largest multinational military force in history, the decisions that shaped the success of the landings, and what D-Day means in the broader arc of American and world history.

D-Day, known as Operation Overlord, marked the beginning of the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi control. The landings involved over 150,000 Allied troops from the United States, Britain, Canada, and other nations, who stormed the beaches of Normandy under withering fire. The cost was staggering, but the operation’s success was a turning point in the war, hastening the defeat of Nazi Germany.

This Veterans Breakfast Club conversation will be an opportunity not just to recount the historical facts but to listen to personal stories, explore the human side of history, and honor the courage of those who fought. Expect an engaging and moving discussion that deepens our understanding of D-Day’s significance, both then and now.

We’re grateful to UPMC for Life  for sponsoring this event!