General John Pershing

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General John “Black Jack” Pershing General John Pershing was arguably one of the most creative, tactical commanders and of the last century. His commitment to his troops, his duty, and his loyalty to the United States and his sense of honor fashioned one of the greatest leaders our country has ever seen. His contributions to the modern army is beyond reproach (Perry, 2011). John J. Pershing was brought forth on 13 Sept. 1860, to the son of a railroad boss in Laclede, Linn County Missouri (Pershing, 2013). He was from a family with Alsatian origins, spelling their name "Pforsching" (Vandiver, 1977). At 17, Pershing would begin educating at an African American school in Laclede, to give the family help with finances that were still reeling from the economic depression of 1873. (Jr., 1990) During the month of September in 1886, now 2nd Lt. Pershing arrives for duty with 6th Cavalry at Fort Bayard, New Mexico. He was also present during the tragic Wounded Knee campaign (Channel, 2014). Pershing is then appointed to the University of Nebraska as Professor of Military Science and Tactics. He dedicates four years to educating the young minds of the Military, encountering future US Vice-President Charles Dawes and someone who will also be a subordinate general officer (Vandiver, 1977). In tandem with his duties, he would also study Law at Nebraska University. (Pershing, 2013) Soon Pershing would be posted all over the American Southwest. During his diverse Army career, Pershing executed frontier duty versus the Sioux and Apache from 1886-90 (Perry, 2011). Pershing, when assigned to the 10th Cavalry, fought at El Carney-San Juan Hill in the Cuban War in 1898, which was fame to Teddy Roosevelt and earn him the nick name “Black Jack” (Channe... ... middle of paper ... ...he AEF was organized. He led the first true combined force into battle. Because of him, we had a tank force that was integrated with infantry maneuvers to create a full spectrum force, a force that today, they call modular forces, then were flexible forces. Military strategy has not changed as much as many think over the years. Smart men have tweaked some ideas but the base idea is concrete. Our tactics and leader responsibilities have not changed. With my research, I did not find what I was looking for, but what I found was profound. I found a man that inspires me to be a better leader, tactician and student of my profession. I will close with my favorite quote from the late General of the Armies John “Black Jack” Pershing. “A competent leader can get efficient service from poor troops, while on the contrary an incapable leader can demoralize the best of troops.”

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