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I think you did an excellent job on your assignment this week.  You have a clear understanding of what type of leader John Pershing was. I agree with your statement that the past is just as important as the future. I believe that we have a foundation of great commanders to go by, which set up room for the new commanders to build upon and grow.

Gayles, J

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Chris, well done on your Padlet. It honestly looks and reads very similar to my own E-poster. Your presentation is clear and to the point and houses relevant information regarding General Pershing's leadership style,  and his successes and failures. I felt Pershing was for the most part a well-balanced leader. He was dedicated to duty and many times consider rigid but also had empathy and understanding for his subordinates. You did well using the Padlet as a platform to communicate your studies throughout this week's material.

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Pershing's nickname, “Black Jack,” derived from his service with a black regiment early in his career, had come to signify his stern bearing and rigid discipline. His determination and dedication had gained him the respect and admiration of his men, if not their affection.

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The Legacy of General John J. Pershing | Nebraska Stories

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The past is just as important as our future. An old axiom holds, "those who fail to learn from the past are doomed to repeat it." In many cases we want to repeat the past, namely our successes. By studying past leaders, past battles, and past decisions, we learn not only about ourselves as people, but we learn to recognize situations as they arise and this allows us to create an informed decision.
Learning about success is just as important as learning about failure. We cannot stress one more than other or we risk losing information that will benefit not just the current generation of leaders, but the future leaders as well. The lessons learned from the past can be used a guide to our own future. In this way, we can work to avoid the disasters of the past and increase our chances of success in the future. We study the past because it inspires us to be more than we are.
In the case of John "Back Jack" Pershing, we study his accomplishments and his failures so they can get a sense of the "real man" behind the veneer of history. History has a way glorifying or vilifying individuals into legendary things that no longer represent the real person. By understanding the person inside the suit, the man in photo, we can better understand why they made the decisions they did. We can place a small piece of ourselves into the context of the time and situation and ask ourselves if we would have done anything different. It is the role of history to be a guide. By looking at where we have been, we can predict where we are going.
John Pershing was an exception man, a stalwart leader, a family man, and a consummate soldier. After losing his family (except one son) in a fire while stationed in Presidio, California, he devoted his life to the country he loved so much and to the Army he knew he could make better. Not just for current soldiers, but for all of the soldiers that would come after him.
He created many things for the Army that we still use today, such as Officer and Noncommissioned Officer evaluation boards that determine promotion, and removal from the Army.
His dedication to duty, his political savvy, and hardline stance when he knew he was right aided in the creation of our modern Army. In the book, Great Commanders it reads in part, "while not a "great commander," he was simply "Great War Good Enough."" As commander such as Pershing move farther from the battle field, as the range of weapons has increased beyond the horizon, we will need examples of leaders such s Pershing, who may have failed at the title of "Great Commander", but managed to set the example of the Great Administrator.

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Failed to hunt down Pancho Villa in Mexico, called it, "finding a needle in a haystack"

Accepted high casualties in Europe with little gain

Split the American Army, which was the right thing to do for one victory, but left inexperienced men to fight in Meuse-Argonne which resulted in 26,277 American casualties

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Philippines, 1899, learned the local language and used "benevolent assimilation" to subdue local resistance to American authority

Philippines, 1909-1913, continued use of the "carrot & stick" philosophy while serving as Military Governor over the Moro Peoples

Built, trained, equipped, and commanded a new American Army of four million to fight in Europe for WWI

The only acting Six Star General in American History

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Gabel, C. R., & Willbanks, J. H. (2012). Chapter 5. In Great commanders. Fort Leavenworth, Kan.: US Army Combined Arms Center.

Zabecki, D. T. (n.d.). Racing Headlong.

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Strengths

Steadfast

Fair

Willing to accept criticism

Loyal

Great administrator

Great politician

Weaknesses

Could be seen as cruel

Workaholic

Rigid once a decision was made

Willing to accept significant casualties

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1917 ordered to build an Army for fighting the Germans in WWI and named commander of American forces in Europe

Established the American First Army in 1918

Split the massive army into two in order to improve command and control

Achieved decisive, but costly victories in Europe

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Served in the Philippines in 1899 where he learned "benevolent assimilation" of the locals worked better than brute force

Appointed Military Governor of Moro Provence 1909 to 1913

Took command of 8th Brigade in Presidio, California in 1914 and occupied Vera Cruz Mexico

1916 given orders to hunt down Pancho Villa while at the same time supporting the defect government of Mexico

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20 DEC 2020
HS-315
Week 6 Padlet

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John "Black Jack" Pershing was not only the American Commander in WWI, he was also a great commander whose life was as storied as his military record.

In this padlet, we will look at his strengths, his weaknesses, and his relevance in the 21st century.

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John Pershing was born 13 September 1860

Became a teacher in a rural one-room school house in North Norman, Missouri in 1882

Entered the United States Military Academy at West Point and graduated in 1886, 30th in his class of 77 cadets

His rigid demand for soldiers to adhere to cadet levels of discipline earned him the irreverent nickname "Black Jack" during the Spanish-American War

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September 13, 1860 – July 15, 1948