Eisenhower Presidential Library
ABILENE - General George Patton's combat leadership will be the focus of an Ike Lunch & Learn Thursday.
The program is scheduled to begin at noon either in person or online. The in-person program will be in the Eisenhower Presidential Library courtyard. Guests are encouraged to arrive by 11:45 a.m. Park in the south parking lot nearest the library building. A light box lunch will be served on a first-come, first-served basis.
You also have the following options to join online.
Patton's combat leadership will continue our look at The Making of a Leader during our bonus Lunch & Learn program. Our guest speaker, Kevin M. Hymel, is a contract historian for Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. The first chapter of his recently released book, Patton’s War: An American General’s Combat Leadership: Volume 1, details Patton's first day of combat in Morocco during World War II on Nov. 8, 1942. Hymel will cover all of Patton's actions on that crucial first day -from the moment Patton woke up on the USS Augusta and watched the first landing craft head to the beach, to his own landing on Fedala Beach, survived a strafing from a Vichy French fighter aircraft, barked out orders to his men, and fired his first shot of this war with one of his ivory-handled pistols. Patton's attack was just part of Operation Torch, the action by American forces against the Axis powers in the Mediterranean.
Hymel is also a historian/tour guide for Stephen Ambrose Historical Tours and gives World War II tours about D-Day and General George S. Patton’s battlefields. He is the author of several books, including Patton’s War: An American General’s Combat Leadership: Volume 1, Patton’s Photographs, and Patton: Legendary World War II Commander. He has served as the Research Director for Sovereign Media which publishes WWII History and WWII Quarterly magazines, for which he continues to write articles. He holds a master’s degree in American History from Villanova University.
The 2022 Lunch & Learn series is made possible courtesy of the Eisenhower Foundation with generous support from the Jeffcoat Memorial Foundation.
About the Eisenhower Presidential Library
The Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum is one of 15 Presidential Libraries operated by the National Archives and Records Administration. Presidential Libraries promote understanding of the presidency and the American experience. They preserve and provide access to historical materials, support research, and create interactive programs and exhibits that educate and inspire. Public programs and exhibits at the Eisenhower Presidential Library are made possible in part through the generous support of the Eisenhower Foundation. To learn more, visit eisenhowerlibrary.gov.