American Valor Quarterly Issue 8 - Winter 2010/2011 | Page 16

It should serve as no surprise that during the darkest days of
West Point’s cheating scandal in 1977 that he was called upon to
come out of retirement, and asked to take a demotion to Lt.
Gen. in order to become the 51st Superintendent. Both the cheating
scandal and the admission of women were huge challenges to
overcome and during the next four years overcome them he did
by strong leadership. The admission of women was a divisive
issue that Gen. Goodpaster addressed by informing the staff
and faculty that he would “escort them to the door with a
handshake” if they failed to make them welcome at West Point.
It was hardly a surprise that when the Eisenhower Memorial
Commission was formed in 2003 that Gen. Goodpaster would
be called upon to play a key role in formulating Dwight
Eisenhower’s legacy. I had the honor to serve under him on a
sub-committee that formulated Ike’s legacy in military and security
affairs. It was during those few occasions that I had an opportunity
to see Gen. Goodpaster at first-hand and I can tell you that it was
an unforgettable experience.

Lt. General Andrew J. Goodpaster signs in as Superintendent of the
United States Military Academy in 1977. He had retired as NATO
commander in 1974, a four star general. Yet after West Point’s reputation
was ravaged by a cheating scandal, Goodpaster agreed to come out of
retirement - and accept a demotion to the rank of lieutenant general
which accompanies the position of Superintendent - in order to restore
the Academy’s standing. With the universal respect he enjoyed, many
believed that his mere presence would go far in rebuilding the reputation
of West Point.

Then came the day that my telephone rang and on the other end
was Gen. Goodpaster calling to discuss some of the issues we
were working through. The first thing he said to me was: “Please
call me Andy.” But old habits die hard and it was the only time I
ever disobeyed a four-star general – and I replied “Yessir.” Bless
him, he tried again and once again I could not bring myself to
call him “Andy.” At that point I think he gave up. And I heaved a Eisenhower had long since come to trust the soldier-scholar who
sigh of relief.
had graduated second in his West Point class of 1939. So important
did he become to the President as an advisor and policy maker
While I very much appreciated the gesture, that I should call the that he soon was known as Ike’s alter ego.
officer who, during World War II commanded an engineer
battalion and who led his unit across a German minefield under Gen. Goodpaster was successful precisely because he never let
enemy fire – for which he received the Distinguished Service his ego get in the way of his duty. And while he preferred staying
Cross - “Andy” – was quite simply, incomprehensible.
in the background to the limelight, he was not afraid to challenge
his boss when he believed it was the right thing to do. During
Serving on this committee gave me a unique opportunity to honor discussions over troop reductions in Europe, which Eisenhower
one great American while learning from another. It was an wanted accomplished, Gen. Goodpaster made the point that it
unforgettable experience that I will always treasure.
was not possible until the Europeans possessed the ability to fill a
gap that we had created.
Which brings me to the heart of my talk this evening. When I
began to think about my subject I asked myself the question: At this point Eisenhower’s legendary temper got the better of
“What would Gen. Goodpaster have suggested?” And the answer him, prompting Gen. Goodpaster to seek out Secretary of State
became obvious. Of the many people he served throughout his John Foster Dulles, who attested to the accuracy of his judgment.
years of public service, the person he was closest to was Dwight Their disagreement led Eisenhower to bemoan: “Foster, I’ve lost
Eisenhower.
my last friend.”
In 1954 Pres. Eisenhower summoned him to serve as staff
secretary in the White House. Their relationship dated to Ike’s
command of NATO, where Gen. Goodpaster served as an
assistant to Ike’s chief of staff, Gen. Alfred Gruenther. In that
capacity he played a key role in organizing NATO and formulating
the political and military aims of the alliance.

Not so. But it did lead to this observation by Gen. Goodpaster
that: “We both knew that it was our duty, and the president knew
it perfectly well. He was just sounding off, and that was part of
our role, to let him relieve some of the pressure but to make sure
that he didn’t make that kind of mistake.”
One of the great advantages of being a writer is the freedom to
choose your subject. During the writing and research of five
previous books, Ike had been a key player and I believed strongly

AMERICAN VALOR QUARTERLY - Winter 2010/11 - 16