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Page's Oral Intro to the Padlet Presentation

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Page's Oral Intro to the Padlet Presentation

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The Legacy of General John J. Pershing | Nebraska Stories

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General Pershing bridged the gap from the old school Great Commanders to a Modern Era. Battlefields and technology changes, however requirements of great commanders seem to maintain.
"One of the major requirements for being a great commander in modern warfare is possessing a clear understanding of the political nature of war" (Gabel & Willbanks, 2012).
"John J. Pershing clearly understood this requirement and held the greatest political skill required of American generals: knowing when to keep his mouth shut" (Gabel & Willbanks, 2012).
His service matters as it directly contributed to other great successful leaders such as George Marshall, George Patton, Omar Bradley, Lesley McNair, Douglas MacArthur, President Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower (McCormick, 2018) .

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Who is General John J. Pershing and Why Should He Matter to Us Today?

o The first American general to exemplify the "great managerial commander" of the modern age (Gabal & Willbank, 2019).
o Worked on farm in his early years, at 17 began teaching the local African American School
o Received a degree in Scientific Didactics and joined West Point in 1882, was said to be a natual leader
o Upon graduation from West Point assigned to Sixth Cavalry Regiment on the Great Plains, fought series of Indian campaigns in New Mexico, Nebraska, and South Dakota
o 1891 accepted position at University of Nebraska as Professor of Military Science and Tactics for 4 years
o Next assignment was Montana where he led the Buffalo Soldiers of Tenth Cavalry and earned his nick name of "Black Jack"
o Went back to teach West Point until Spanish American War erupted. Returned to Tenth cavalry, sent to Cuba where he led his troops in the assault on San Juan Hill. Received Silver Star for heroism under fire.
o After war he returned to Washington to serve as Chief of Customs and Insular Affairs for Cuba and Puerto Rico
o Transferred to Philippines and assigned to Eight Corps and later Fifteenth Cavalry.
o Eventually serve as military attaché and observer of the Russo-Japanese War
o 1906 promoted to Brigadier General
o After Japan sent back to Philippines
o 1914 took command of the 8th Infantry Brigade
o March 1916 organized 10,000 men for expedition to capture Pancho Villa
o 1917 when United States entered World War I, he was given the command of American Expeditionary Force
o 1918 AEF fought at Belleau Wood, Chateau-Thierry, Saint-Mihiel and final offensive war, Meuse-Argonne
o November 1918, armistice was finally declared
o 1919 returned to United States and was promoted to a rank never attained before, General of the Armies.
o Served as Chief of Staff to the White House until end of his military career.
o 1924 after forty-two years of service he retired from Army.
o 1948 was buried beneath a simple gravestone in Arlington National Cemetery.

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Missouri Public Affairs Hall of Fame honors General John J. Pershing

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o Ability to control complex operations
o Knack for negotiating the political minefield (Gabel & Willbanks, 2012).
o Quite and dutiful Soldier who knew how to utilize proper channels to express his concerns
o A managerial mindset who understood infrastructure needed to supply, move, equip, and ensure health of his Soldiers while overseas as displayed once arriving in France (Gabel & Willbanks, 2012).
o Respected subordinates who dared speak truth to power or call him out when his actions where hasty or wrong
o Humble enough to seek out men that contained skillsets he knew he was lacking to help establish the AEF
o "Marshall maintained that Pershing’s willingness to listen to the council of others “was one of his greatest strengths” as a commander" (Gabel & Willbanks, 2012).

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o He seemed to place too much emphasis on his duties and pursuit of excellence at times.
o "Although the times and stakes justified Pershing’s callousness in summarily sacking those who he perceived as incompetent leaders, his reputation as a headhunter created a climate of fear within the AEF" (Gabel & Willbanks, 2012).
o Pershing’s desire to prove the American’s mettle at times led him to be somewhat short-sighted in his operational thinking. His Soldiers unfortunately experienced this by achieving a quick victory during St Mihiel. Remembering that rush and sill fresh on their minds they thought they'd achieve a similar feat during the Argonne offensive but met a different type of defensive force and the previous victory wasn't long enough to gain an accurate assessment of AEF C2, fire support, and logistics system.

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o Out of all of his numerous miliary campaigns (some mentioned previously), General Pershing's leadership of the American Expeditionary Forces in WWI was his greatest accomplishment. The AEF helped European allies secure the victory.
Over the course of his military career, General Pershing commanded several famous Americans, including fellow Missourian and future President Harry Truman, General George S. Patton, General and later U.S. Secretary of State George C. Marshall, and General Douglas MacArthur, making General Pershing one of America’s most influential military leaders.

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o what he did after the war may have had more far-reaching importance than his time as the commander of AEF (Gabel & Willbanks, 2012).
o Establish a series of investigating boards to capture lessons learned. Army still utilizes CALL (Cener for Army Lessons Leaned) center today in a digital platform.
o Created Army reforms and doctrinal development in 1920s and 1930s.
o Expanded Army school system and placed emphasis on importance of professional education in careers of officers.
o Led to creation of Army War College that ultimately helped to make the US the Arsenal of Democracy in World War II.

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o Gabel & Willbanks Framework / Great Commander?
I wouldn't say he necessarily challenged the political context; however, he knew how to navigate the political world and was somewhat shown by being promoted over 862 other officers above his seniority. I think he made the most of resources at hand but was often by the willingness to place others in his areas of weakness. He was humble enough to realize and appreciated their honest feedback. He mentored many successful leaders during his life. He may have lacked on exploiting technology as his thought process was more of open warfare but was still willing to understand other tactics and mold to them when needed. That was proved during his splitting of the AEF. His character traits did hold up under extreme stress. It's amazing the resilience he had to continue on with his service after losing his family in a fire.

o Clausewitz Theory of a Genius
He did display personal courage, energy, firmness, strength of mind and character. In several years of Indian fighting Pershing won further commendations for courage and efficiency. "He fought at El Caney, in the advance on Santiago de Cuba, and his conduct was so courageous that it attracted the attention of Theodore Roosevelt and drew from Pershing's own colonel the testimonial: "I have been in many fights, through the Civil War, but Captain Pershing is the coolest man under fire I ever saw in my life" (The New York Times).
These are only a few examples during his earlier years, as he was involved in countless operations to bring forth his strength of mind and ability to complete assigned tasks.

o Modern Theories of Leadership
Given all the successful leaders after his mentorship he clearly possessed the Transformational Theory. It also expanded beyond mentoring.
"His post-World War Army, recalling the logistical headaches of moving men and material across the continent during wartime, created a proposal for a national network of military and civilian highways. When Pershing presented the plan to Congress in 1922, its centerpiece, a map of the United States with inter-state highways plotted, became known as the “Pershing Map.” The Interstate Highway System, finally instituted in 1956, bears considerable resemblance to the earlier infrastructure planning proposed by Pershing"(2021).

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Gabel, C. R., & Willbanks, J. H. (2012). Great commanders. Combat Studies Institute Press, US Army Combined Arms Center.
General John J. Pershing display. Nebraska. (2021, July 2). Retrieved April 17, 2022, from https://www.unl.edu/general-john-j-pershing-display/
McCormick, J. (2018, May 29). Leading by example: John J. Pershing, prime mentor for future US Army Generals. WAR HISTORY ONLINE. Retrieved April 17, 2022, from https://www.warhistoryonline.com/world-war-i/leading-example-john-j-pershings-prominent-career-made-prime-mentor-future-army-generals-mm.html?edg-c=1
The New York Times. (n.d.). The New York Times. Retrieved April 17, 2022, from https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/bday/0913.html