John J. Pershing: General of the Armies

The essential biography of the man, the general, the war hero, John J. Pershing. One of America’s most famous Army officers, Pershing was born in Missouri on September 13, 1860. He graduated from West Point in 1886 and served in the Spanish-American War, the Philippines Insurrection, the Mexican Expedition and was the overall American Commander in Europe during World War I. Following the war, he served as Army Chief of Staff.

He died at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington on July 15, 1948. His funeral service, one of only a handful ever held at the Memorial Amphitheater in Arlington National Cemetery, was attended by thousands of American citizens as well as by the leaders of government and the military.