Introduction John Pershing was an exemplary officer in the United States Army. He served with distinction in various conflicts ranging from the Spanish American War to the 1 st World War. Although later in his career critics called him a desk soldier since he commanded far from the frontlines, his previous engagements proved he had the mettle and intelligence to lead men into battle. Furthermore, his successes in the previous battles speaks volumes of his leadership abilities and justifies the promotion to the highest rank ever held by a united states officer in his lifetime; the rank of General of the Armies. “Black jack” Pershing is also accredited for mentoring the golden generation of American generals who led the United States Army in the liberation of Europe from Nazi Germany in the 2 nd World War. These include Marshall, Patton, Bradley and Eisenhower. (Vandiver, p 69) Background Pershing grew up at a farm in Laclede, Missouri and attended an exclusive school that only admitted kids who had a slightly higher intelligence than others. Not just any child could be admitted into this institution; you had to come from a high profile family. His father operated a general store in the local town and with the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861; he sold food and other supplies to the 18 th Missouri Volunteer Infantry. He never served in the military. Maybe it’s these close ties with the Military by his father that played a part in Pershing’s decision to enlist later in life. After graduating from High School in 1878, Pershing was employed as a teacher and was actively involved in educating African American children who were suffering from the racial divide that affected America in the late 19 th century. Through this, Pershing was able to cultivate a deep tolerance of the racial divide and this experience came in handy later in his military life during his command of the racially mixed infamous Buffalo Soldiers. In 1882, Pershing applied to the United States Military Academy, WestPoint mainly to further his college education rather than serve the military, as he later admitted. His leadership qualities at WestPoint were immediately noticed and he rose through the ranks from First Corporal to First Captain, the highest possible rank for a cadet at WestPoint. One of his achievements at WestPoint while serving as Cadet First Captain was the ex-officio command of the WestPoint Honor Guard of the funeral escort of President Ulysses S Grant Pershing graduated in 1886 and was highly recommended by General Wesley Merritt as a student processing “superb ability” when it comes to leadership skills. He considered delaying his commission so as to study Law but immediately withdrew it and was later commissioned as a 2 nd Lieutenant in the United States Army. This was the “start of an illustrious military career that would span over 30 years and culminate at the 1 st World War” (Lacey, p 192) Military Career His first taste of combat came with the 6 th US Calvary in New Mexico. He was assigned to Fort Bayard where he participated in the suppression of the various uprisings of native Indian communities. His bravery in battle was noted especially against the Apache. Pershing served with the 6 th Calvary up t