Rick Atkinson

Author Event: Rick Atkinson
An Army at Dawn
May 27, 2004 

Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter, historian and public servant, Rick Atkinson, spoke about his book, An Army at Dawn, at the National Press Club as part of The Eisenhower Institute's author events. An Army at Dawn is the first volume of the Liberation Trilogy, a narrative history of the American Army in North Africa, Italy, and Western Europe during World War II. Atkinson, on extended leave from The Washington Post, provided timely insight into the personalities of World War II with the recent 60th anniversary of D-Day and the dedication of the World War II Memorial.

Although World War II has been a widely researched topic, Atkinson chose to focus on it because it presents a great opportunity for discovery, as no one person is capable of grasping the full spectrum of its history. Furthermore, World War II remains a compelling subject because of its magnitude and moral imperative in the ongoing struggle against the world's evils. After speaking about the impressive cast of figures in World War II, Atkinson highlighted General Eisenhower as an example of a hero, possessing authenticity, integrity, vigor, and humility. According to Atkinson, Eisenhower was a great leader because he continued to fulfill his duties in the wake of his mistakes. Atkinson described the new WWII memorial in Washington, DC as a representation of the sacrifice, leadership and determination of a great generation of veterans and a reminder of the lessons learned in World War II.