General of the Armies John Joseph Pershing (September 13, 1860 – July 15, 1948), nicknamed "Black Jack", was a senior United States Army officer. He served most famously as the commander of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) on the Western Front during World War I, from 1917 to 1918. In addition to leading the AEF to victory in World War I, Pershing notably served as a mentor to many in the generation of generals who led the United States Army during World War II, including George C. Marshall, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Omar Bradley, Lesley J. McNair, George S. Patton and Douglas MacArthur.During his command in World War I, Pershing rejected British and French demands that American forces be integrated with their armies, essentially as replacement units, and insisted that the AEF would operate as a single unit under his command, although some American divisions fought under British command, notably in the Battle of Hamel and the breaching of the Hindenburg Line at St Quentin Canal, precipitating the final German collapse. Pershing also allowed (at that time segregated) American all-Black units to be integrated with the French Army.
Pershing's soldiers first saw serious battle at Cantigny, Chateau-Thierry, Belleau Wood June 1–26, 1918, and Soissons on July 18–22, 1918. To speed up the arrival of American troops, they embarked for France leaving heavy equipment behind, and used British and French tanks, artillery, airplanes and other munitions. In September 1918 at St. Mihiel, the First Army was directly under Pershing's command; it overwhelmed the salient – the encroachment into Allied territory – that the German Army had held for three years. For the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, Pershing shifted roughly 600,000 American soldiers to the heavily defended forests of the Argonne, keeping his divisions engaged in hard fighting for 47 days, alongside the French. The Allied Hundred Days Offensive, which the Argonne fighting was part of, contributed to Germany calling for an armistice. Pershing was of the opinion that the war should continue and that all of Germany should be occupied in an effort to permanently destroy German militarism.
Pershing is the only American to be promoted in his own lifetime to General of the Armies, the highest possible rank in the United States Army. Allowed to select his own insignia, Pershing chose to continue using four stars. After the creation of the five-star General of the Army rank during World War II, his rank of General of the Armies could unofficially be considered that of a six-star general, but he died before the proposed insignia could be considered and acted upon by Congress.
Some of his tactics have been criticized both by other commanders at the time and by modern historians. His reliance on costly frontal assaults, long after other Allied armies had abandoned such tactics, has been blamed for causing unnecessarily high American casualties. Pershing was also criticized by some historians for his actions on the day of armistice as the commander of the American Expeditionary Force. Pershing did not approve of the armistice, and despite knowing of the imminent ceasefire, he did not tell his commanders to suspend any new offensive actions or assaults in the final few hours of the war. In total, there were over 11,000 casualties, dead, missing, or injured during the final day of the war on November 11, which exceeded even D-Day casualty counts seen later in 1944. Of those, 3,500 were American casualties directly attributable to Pershing's actions. Pershing was later questioned by Congress as to why there were so many American casualties on the final day of the war.
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Some of their strengths
John J. Pershing has many admirable traits.
Based on spiritual traditions from around the world, they are someone who can be described as Intelligent, Practical, Hardworking, Loyal, Generous, Imaginative, and Kind.
Smart and Hardworking
According to Mysticism’s Astrology tradition, John J. Pershing is someone who is a smart, hardworking, reliable, and loyal person, who is detail-oriented and orderly, but also generous and optimistic. A person who sees life as a journey not a destination.
Adventurous and Free
Based on Daoism’s Ba-Zi or ‘Chinese Zodiac’ tradition, people who know John J. Pershing well know them as someone who can be talented, wayward and free, like a big river or the ocean.
Active and Ambitious
According to Hinduism’s Jyotisha or ‘Vedic Astrology’ tradition, many would also describe John J. Pershing as someone who is active, ambitious, bold, and courageous.
A person who is driven and organized, is wise with money, who knows how to tell a good story, likes physical activity, and who loves learning.
Exacting and Achievement-oriented
Based on the Mayan Tzolk’in or ‘Mayan Astrology’ tradition, John J. Pershing is someone who has very high expectations for people, and who can be extremely focused on achieving goals and objectives.
They are also someone who is curious, dynamic, and positive, and who enjoys inspiring and communicating with other people.
Patient and Perseverent
According to Judaism’s Kabbalah tradition, John J. Pershing tends to be someone who is patient, faithful, hardworking and persistent, and who wants to achieve a lot in life. Who tends to be rather private when it comes to expressing feelings, enjoys being independent and self-sufficient, and who is not afraid of any obstacle.
Some of John J. Pershing's challenges
While John J. Pershing has many strengths, nobody is perfect. They also have some challenging traits they need to manage.
For example, John J. Pershing can be Stubborn, Suspicious, Hesitant, Narcissistic, Idle, Impulsive, and Aggressive.
Suspicious and Stubborn
One of John J. Pershing's key challenges is that they are someone who can be suspicious and stubborn.
John J. Pershing must also exercise caution as they can be excessive and unrealistic.
Impulsive and Aggressive
John J. Pershing is someone who can be impulsive, aggressive, and confrontational, can have difficulty listening to others, be moody and high strung, have conflict with authority figures, be too judgmental of others, and who can be overindulgent and extravagant.
Callous and Stubborn
Finally, John J. Pershing also can come across as cold and unemotional, be too dismissive of others' opinions, and be overly suspicious, selfish and crafty.
