One hundred years ago on Independence Day 1917, in a moment that marked the first appearance of American leadership on the world stage, General John Pershing marched 1,000 U.S. soldiers of the 16th Infantry past ecstatic crowds on the streets of Paris. In the darkest days of World War I, the spectacle galvanized a faltering country with a military on the verge of mutiny and energized our exhausted allies across Europe. In today’s geopolitical climate, such a surreal scene would never recur, but Pershing’s type of “break the Internet” march may be what’s needed to break the gridlock in our domestic and international relations.
Today’s news is filled with intense negativity of our leaders – mayors, governors, Congress, the President, police officials, CEOs and religious leaders – and we must look to Pershing for inspiration and guidance in finding a resolution that brings together our soldiers, our government, America’s allies and critics of the military.
In 1917, when Pershing arrived in Paris, the Allies were in grave danger. The last offensive had failed. The French had suffered more than 200,000 casualties and men from more than 90 divisions refused to fight.
In 2017, we’re in more than one war, with thousands of U.S. soldiers fighting overseas in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and every place across the globe where ISIS threatens innocent lives. Progress is being made every day – notably with the recent death of ISIS head Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi – but most days the conversation on Twitter and on cable TV news makes it sound like we’re losing.
Pershing – widely known as “Black Jack” for his unwavering support of African-American “Buffalo Soldiers” – personified America’s ascendant and complicated role in the free world. Daring, bold and innovative like any great military strategist who has won a war, Pershing was also one of the most diplomatic leaders in U.S. military history and always chose negotiation over bloodshed whenever possible.
This visit on July 4, 1917 to Paris also allowed Pershing to personally visit the gravesite of Lafayette, a French aristocrat who helped the fledgling U.S. in the Revolutionary War. In a shrewd political move that would rally disparate groups across borders, he made “Lafayette, we are here!” into the battle cry of the war. Few military, diplomatic and political leaders have been able to match Pershing’s delicate balancing act.
Pershing persisted in physical battles against the enemy, introducing the concept of the combined arms maneuver, which revolutionized the coordination of airplanes, artillery, tanks and infantry.
He persisted in political battles against the Prime Ministers of England and France, who demanded American troops be sent into battle under foreign commanders. No, Pershing insisted. Americans would fight together, under their own leadership.
He persisted in remaining accountable to the citizens of the United States and its representative government, as he alone had the responsibility to keep Americans from being subsumed into Allied units.
His skills for working across lines – particularly racial and cultural ones – were legendary across the globe at a time long before Twitter. In 1915, when Pershing’s wife and three daughters were killed back in the U.S., he received a sympathetic telegram from Pancho Villa, the same man Pershing would soon be tasked with fighting in Mexico. In the Philippines, he was steadfast in avoiding armed conflict, a risky move that ultimately saved lives and helped forge a 40-year peace. According to Dr. Dayle D. Hartnett, the producer of Black Jack, The Life & Legacy of General John J. Pershing, the extraordinary feat earned Pershing an honorary title of “Sultan.”
It’s easy to lose perspective and think today’s opposing sides have hardened their positions beyond anything experienced a hundred years ago, yet the mutual respect Pershing commanded and offered is something that can still exist in 2017. As societal frustration reaches new levels, we should look to American legends like Pershing on how to exemplify toughness under fire – both at the point of a gun and with diplomacy, respect, and inclusion.
Special thanks to former Captain David A. Poe, a 10-year veteran of the United States Army and the War on Terror, for his assistance in sharing Pershing’s story.