General John J. Black Jack Pershing
Gen. John J. “Black Jack” Pershing is the only man in U.S. military history to, in his lifetime, be promoted to the rank of General of the Armies – which equates to being a six-star general. George Washington also reached that same rank, though it was bestowed upon him 177 years after his death.
Pershing was born in the small town of Laclede and is one of the most well-known and highly regarded military leaders in history. Growing up, he worked on his father’s farm and later taught at the Prairie Mound School in Laclede. He decided to attend West Point, not to become a soldier, but to earn what he thought would be a fine education.
United States Army General. He is remembered world-wide for serving from 1917 to 1918 as the commander of the American Expeditionary Forces on the Western Front during World War I. Born in Laclede, Missouri, he was the son of a railroad switchman. At the age of 17, he taught in a rural school for African-American. Pershing Share: Copy Link. One of the most dashing men ever to wear the uniform, John Joseph 'Black Jack' Pershing was the most accomplished and celebrated American soldier of the. Black Jack in Cuba: General John J. Pershing’s Experience in the Spanish-American War by Kevin Hymel To most Americans, San Juan Hill conjures up images of Teddy Roosevelt and his Rough Riders dashing up the hill to victory, but other soldiers also played an important role in driving the Spanish off the heights overlooking Santiago, Cuba. General of the Armies John J. Pershing State Funeral 15-19 July 1948. General of the Armies John J. Pershing, then the nation's highest ranking military official, died on 15 July 1948, at the age of eighty-seven, at the Army's Walter Reed General Hospital, Washington, D.C. Pershing, whose military career included a stint with the University of Nebraska Military Department (1891-1895), was once the nation’s best-known military commander. After he led U.S. Forces during World War I, he was honored as the highest-ranking general in the history of the U.S. Army until his death in 1948.
He did join the Army, and during his career, Pershing was involved in frontier duty against Sioux and Apache Indians, led an expedition in pursuit of Pancho Villa, and under his leadership, saw the Army grow from some 25,000 soldiers to nearly 3 million during World War I.
General John J. Black Jack Pershing Ii
Pershing is often seen as a mentor to many of the famous generals who served the U.S. in World War II. These famous generals include George S. Patton, Dwight D. Eisenhower and Omar Bradley, who, incidentally, hails from the Missouri Highway 36 corridor city of Moberly.