Born in Laclede, Missouri, John J. Pershing graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1886. From 1886 to 1890 he fought in campaigns against American Indians on the frontier. Pershing taught at the University of Nebraska and at West Point. Although he participated in the Spanish-American War in 1898, Pershing made his mark in the Philippines. President Theodore Roosevelt promoted him from captain to brigadier general. Pershing again served in the Philippines from 1906 to 1913. He returned to the United States and led the failed effort to capture Mexican Pancho Villa in 1916. After the United States declared war on Germany in 1917, Pershing was given command of the U.S. forces that were to fight in Europe. He organized and trained over 1 million troops. The American Expeditionary Force (AEF) assisted the Allies against German attacks in the spring of 1918 and was vital in bringing about the end of the war. In 1919 Pershing received the title General of the Armies of the United States, a title held previously only by George Washington. His book, My Experiences in the World War, published in 1931, won the Pulitzer Prize in history.
