Come into The Picture Store and get your own 6x8 photograph of General Pershing, just 30¢  Selling the war involved selling the heroes of the war.  General Pershing was an inspiration to many Americans.  It never hurts to upsell a family their sons portrait before he ships off to war either.

The Superstar 100 Years Ago

General John "Black Jack" J. Pershing had a vaulted career.  Several of his military highlights were West Point Honor Guard for President Grant's funeral procession, charging up San Jaun Hill in Cuba leading his 10th Cavalry (an all black regiment, where he got his nickname from), chasing Pancho Villa in Mexico and being promoted three ranks to Brigadier General over 800 other more senior officers.  Any of those actions could have him noted in history, but Pershing's greatest accomplishment was to be the General of the National Army during the American Expeditionary Force (AEF).

He quickly became a household name as he took the 27,000 professional soldiers of the Army and expanded them to over 2 million hard trained soldiers in two Armies with a third Army in training at wars end.  General Pershing's service with African-Americans gave him a perspective where he believed that blacks could fight every bit as well as white soldiers, but political issues from President Wilson prevented them from fully integrating into the Armies.  In response to this, General Pershing allowed for the 92nd and 93rd Infantry, all black units to serve entirely under French Command.  He is also the first General to allow United States Military to fight under the Australian flag, to get first hand combat experience in the war.  The French and British wanted the AEF to act as replacement units for their own armies.  Pershing refused those requests, and took an entirely untested American military into Battle under their own command into the Great War.