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HS315: Leadership Lessons from Great Commanders
October 17, 2021

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John J. Pershing was born in 1860 in Laclede, Missouri.  At a young age, he began a teaching career in Prairie Mound School in his home state for young African Americans. After seeing an advertisement for the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, he applied and graduated four years later ranking 30th out of a class consisting of 77 students.

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The Legacy of General John J. Pershing | Nebraska Stories

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Pershing inspired individuals with a certain style of discipline, including the way uniforms are worn and how military personnel are presented.

Pershing also, during a time of racial inequality, expressed praise for African American troops.

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General Pershing held a propensity to treat everyone similarly with an unwavering view of how individuals should approach discipline. His disciplinary tactics were not best-suited for all individuals that filled the ranks of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) who were not as hardened as others.

Pershing was not a compassionate individual. After the death of his wife and daughters in a fire with one surviving son, many sources note that Pershing threw himself into his work.

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Biography.com Editors. (2020, August 18). John J. Pershing. Retrieved October 17, 2021, from https://www.biography.com/military-figure/john-j-pershing#citation

Gabel, C. R., & Willbanks, J. H. (2012). Great Commanders. Fort Leavenworth, Kansas: US Army Combined Arms Center.

History.com Editors. (2009, October 29). John J. Pershing. Retrieved October 17, 2021, from https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/john-j-pershing

Nebraska Public Media (Writer). (2016, March 22). The Legacy of General John J. Pershing | Nebraska Stories | NET Nebraska [Video file]. Retrieved October 17, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiAWJ56SPo0

Reed, L. (2017, November 9). 11 things you probably didn't know about John J. Pershing. Retrieved October 17, 2021, from https://news.unl.edu/newsrooms/today/article/11-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-john-j-pershing/