General John J. Pershing, America's War Hero - When General John J. Pershing died on July 15, 1948 the nation mourned the loss of its greatest military hero and only living 6 star general. He was laid in state in the United States Capital Rotunda and buried at Arlington National Cemetery. A thousand miles away, the small town of Laclede Missouri reflected on its most famous son.
 | John Joseph Pershing, throughout his life known as "Jack" was born September 13th, 1860. The Pershing family moved into the house in Laclede when Jack was a young boy and stayed there until 1885. There is little in Pershing's boyhood history to suggest that one day he would become a national war hero. His typical boyhood included hunting, fishing and mischief making. Chores on the family's two farms introduced him to strenuous labor early in life. In the panic of 1873, the Pershings lost all their holdings with the exception of the home and one of the farms. Jack and his brother James gained the complete responsibility of the farm when their father took a job as a traveling salesman. Pershing also accepted a teaching position at Prairie Mound School and eventually saved enough money to attend Kirksville Normal School(now Truman State University), where he received his teaching degree in June 1880. He returned to Prairie Mound School until the fall of 1881. It was then that Pershing saw a newspaper article concerning the competitive exam for entrance into the US Military Academy at West Point. Pershing took the test on Oct 20, 1881, qualified and was nominated to West Point where he graduated in 1886. |
Between 1886 and his military retirement in 1924, Pershing advanced through the military ranks gaining the respect of his leaders and peers as a tough, dedicated, mission oriented professional. His first assignment was with the sixth Calvary at Fort Baynard, NM against the Apache Indians led by Chief Geronimo. He fought with the 6th Cavalry in 1891 on the Dakota Nebraska border where Chief Sitting Bull was killed and the Tenth (Black) Calvary in the Battle of San Juan Hill during the Spanish American War in 1898. He was awarded a medal for heroism and one of his superiors stated he had never seen a braver soldier in his life. It was his association with the Tenth Cavalry that led to his students, while teaching at West Point, to brand him "Blackjack" a nickname that Pershing considered an honor. In 1900 he was assigned to the Philippine Islands, was an observer of the Russo-Japanese war in Manchuria in 1905 and in 1906 was promoted to Captain Brigadier by President Theodore Roosevelt. He returned to the Philippines where in 1901, he became governor of the Moro province, thoroughly defeating the Moro Rebels. In 1914, Pershing took command of the American forces on the Mexican border in the campaign against the revolutionary leader Francisco Pancho Villa. Pershing used Air Corps assets marking the first time Aviation was deployed in an armed conflict. Villa managed to escape, however, it marked an end to raids into the United States by Mexican forces.
In 1917, Pershing was sent to France as Commander-in-chief of the American Expeditionary forces in World War I. His mission was to organize, train and supply an small inexperienced Army that quickly grew to more than two million Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines. A horrible war that had been mired in the soggy trenches in France ended quickly with Blackjack Pershing leading the way. In 1919 Congress promoted Pershing to General of the Armies of the United States(one rank above 5 star general) becoming America's only living 6 star General.
During his brilliant military career, Pershing was a professor at the University of Nebraska where he organized the famous Pershing Rifles drill team that is found on universities all over the country. He taught tactics at West Point and married Francis Warren in 1905, had four children three of which perished in a tragic fire with their mother at the Presidio in 1915. In 1932, Pershing won the Pulitzer Prize for his book "My Experiences in the World War".
Today, visitors can tour his boyhood home, museum, wall of honor and the beautiful grounds in Laclede Missouri free of charge.
Curtis No. 53, a JN3 of the 1st Aero Squadron, at Casas Grandes, Mexico, 1916
