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Robert Creamer
12/20/21
HS315, Grantham University

John Pershing was a commander who made great strides in World War I with the American Expeditionary Forces who joined into war late to assist Europeans. He made a lot of tough choices not all were favored by allied leadership.

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John Pershing was born in 1860, and was oldest of 8 siblings. He grew up during the hard times of an economic depression in which his family lost most of there farms and their wealth.
John was head of house hold while his dad was a traveling salesman and eventually became a teacher and earn an education degree. Shortly after he took the entrance exam to West Point, and was accepted.

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Pershing was assigned after graduating West Point to the 6th Cavalry where he defended settlements from Native Americans.
Shortly after this he was assigned to the 10th Cavalry which was an all black regiment due to segregation at the time. He lead this regiment to great victories at battle of San Juan, Pershing often talked highly of the Black soldiers which was unusual for the time.
Fast forward to World War I when he was assigned to the expeditionary force as commander. He showed his leadership skills by making tough choices during this time which led to much controversy amonhst allied leadership.

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As a great leader Pershing was a great commander but all humans have Flaws. Pershing may have had some of the more desirable flaws such as his stubborn attitude. During World War I he refused to mix American troops with European troops. While this was a good leadership decision it made him many enemies in command.
He also prefered leading from the ground which was less effective in maneuvers then being able to see an entire battle field from the back lines. While a desirable trait it put himself in danger in situations were he may have been an important asset to Allied Command.

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Pershing was a great leader who lead his men well. He displayed high character in a time of segregation still leading excellent troops and complimenting them even though during the time Black soldiers were not looked at with the same respect as the rest of the military.
During World War I Pershing showed courage in his demands to be in the field and his arguments against Allied leadership of using US troops to fill "gaps" in European armies. He understood that the training between US troops and EU troops would cause problems and cost lives.
Pershing was responsible for some of the most talked-about names in history who served under his command. Names like General Patton, Harry Truman, General Geroge Marshall, making Pershing one of the most influential members of US military history.

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John Pershing displayed amazing leadership throughout his tenure in the United States military. Leading through multiple campaigns which all had their own historical significance grants him a rare spot in history.
From leading 10th Cavalry who was an all black segregated group which Pershing personally vouched for multiple times, to World War I leading a massive amount of troops into battle to defeat the Germans, he was a leader of great talent.
We need to understand how he commanded troops, motivated his men, and kept cool under immense pressure time and time again to prove himself.

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The New York Times. (n.d.). The New York Times. Retrieved December 20, 2021, from https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/bday/0913.html
Kukuljan, S. (2021, March 5). John J. Pershing. SHSMO Historic Missourians. Retrieved December 20, 2021, from https://historicmissourians.shsmo.org/john-pershing