“No
commander was ever privileged to lead a finer force; no commander ever
derived greater inspiration from the performance of his troops.”
― John J. Pershing
John
Joseph "Black Jack" Pershing (September 13, 1860 – July 15, 1948), was a
general officer in the United States Army who led the American
Expeditionary Forces in World War I. Pershing is the only person to be
promoted in his own life time to the
highest rank ever held in the United States Army—General of the Armies
(a retroactive Congressional edict passed in 1976 promoted George
Washington to the same rank but with higher seniority). Pershing holds
the first United States officer service number (O-1). He was regarded as
a mentor by the generation of American generals who led the United
States Army in Europe during World War II, including George C. Marshall,
Dwight D. Eisenhower, Omar N. Bradley, and George S. Patton.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_J._Pershing
(Lincoln Lodge 19, NE)