Notables of the First World War
When we Americans think about World War I, we may recall the names of certain personalities, such as the leader of the American military forces, General John Pershing, or the flamboyant leader of Germany’s “Flying Circus,” Manfred “The Red Baron” von Richthofen. But there are other personalities whom we associate with World War II who were major players in their own right during World War I, such as the noble Douglas MacArthur and the ignoble Adolf Hitler. Yet the evil that Hitler later inflicted on the world after acquiring the reins of power in Germany was by no means representative of the German people, many of whom, like the men in the opposing trenches they faced, were Christian. While we (non-German) Americans view Germany as the enemy during World War I, we must also consider that German soldiers fought patriotically for what they viewed as Germany’s rightful place in the world. With all of this in mind, we offer the following four brief biographies.
John Joseph Pershing
John Joseph Pershing was born into a family of modest means in Laclede, Missouri, on September 13, 1860. He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1886 as president of his class.
Pershing’s first active service was in the last series of Indian Wars fought in the American West, when he served in the cavalry. He received a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1893 while teaching at the University of Nebraska, and later taught military tactics at West Point. His academic career was interrupted by the outbreak of the Spanish-American War in 1898, when Pershing went to Cuba and won a Silver Star. Soon afterward he was transferred to the Philippines, where he joined the hard campaign the Americans were waging against the Moros in Mindanao, ultimately winning the praise of President Theodore Roosevelt.
JBS Member or ShopJBS.org Customer?
Sign in with your ShopJBS.org account username and password or use that login to subscribe.
Subscribe Now
- 24 Issues Per Year
- Digital Edition Access
- Exclusive Subscriber Content
- Audio provided for all articles
- Unlimited access to past issues
- Cancel anytime.
- Renews automatically
Subscribe Now
- 24 Issues Per Year
- Print edition delivery (USA)
*Available Outside USA - Digital Edition Access
- Exclusive Subscriber Content
- Audio provided for all articles
- Unlimited access to past issues
- Cancel anytime.
- Renews automatically