So today I was scrolling through Twitter and saw someone mention FDR as a WWII president. Made me wonder – wait, how many US presidents actually served during that war? Like, personally served? Gotta check this properly.
Starting The Research Rabbit Hole
Grabbed my laptop, popped open like five browser tabs immediately. Googled “presidents in WWII” first. Got a bunch of websites talking nonsense – some included Eisenhower but didn’t mention if he actually was president during the war or just served in it. Messy. Head’s already spinning.
Remembered presidential libraries usually keep good records. Hopped over to FDR’s library site first. Okay, confirmed – Roosevelt was president when Pearl Harbor got bombed, died right before the war ended in ’45. That’s one.
Then tracked down Truman’s records. Found his military service docs – fought in WWI, but WWII? Nope. Became VP in ’45, switched to president when FDR died. So he was commander-in-chief at the tail end but didn’t serve in combat. Doesn’t count for my “personally served” question. Moving on.
The Eisenhower Confusion
Now Ike tripped me up bad. Every site calls him a “WWII president,” but hold up – he was Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Europe during the war, right? Didn’t become president until 1953! After digging through Army archives, realized people mix up his military service with his presidency. Solid “no” for my list. Felt kinda stupid for almost falling for that.
Scrolled further down the list. Ford? Served on a ship in the Pacific – got hit by a typhoon and everything. Carter? Naval Academy grad, served on submarines in the Atlantic during the war years. Kennedy? PT boat captain, got that medal for surviving a sinking. Johnson? Briefly in the Navy after Pearl Harbor attack. But here’s the kicker – none of these guys were presidents while serving! They all got elected later.
The Big Realization
Slammed my coffee mug down when it finally clicked. Started counting with my fingers:
- FDR – President from 1933 until he died in 1945
- Truman – President from April 1945 after FDR’s death
That’s it. Exactly two presidents held office during WWII itself. All those other guys with military service? Didn’t become presidents until years later.
The internet kept throwing confusing numbers at me – some articles said four, some said five. Total chaos. Ended up cross-checking presidential terms against enlistment records. Eisenhower? Military service during war, presidency after. Kennedy? Shot down in ’43, president in ’61. Different eras.
Wrapping It Up
Cleaned up my research chaos into simple bullets:
- Franklin D. Roosevelt – Led the whole country through almost the entire war
- Harry S. Truman – Took over for the final months, made the atomic bomb decision
So yeah. Just those two were actually sitting presidents while WWII was being fought. Everyone else wearing uniforms? They were soldiers or officers first, presidents much later. And that misinformation about Eisenhower? Buncha garbage sites mixing up his military role with the presidency. Gotta triple-check everything online these days.
Filed my notes properly this time. Simple question turned into a two-hour fact-checking marathon. But hey, now I won’t sound like an idiot if this comes up at the bar next weekend.
