John J Pershing

In 2013, I attended a Masonic conference in Kansas City.  The headquarters hotel was within a couple of blocks of the World War I Museum.  I played hooky one afternoon and visited the museum. 

At that time, there was an exhibit about the American cemeteries in France.  Over 53,000 Americans died in combat in World War I, many of them unidentified.  Seven cemeteries were established and maintained by the governments of the United States and France[1].

General John J Pershing was the commander of the American Expeditionary Force in France.  After the war, President WarrenHarding appointed him to oversee the establishment of the American cemeteries.  According to the exhibit, Pershing insisted that the graves of unknown soldiers have Stars of David, rather than crosses, in the same proportion as the graves of the identified soldiers.  “That sounds like a Masonic type thing to do,” I reflected.

It turns out I was right.

Pershing attended West Point, where his instructors were Civil War veterans.  He fought in the Indian wars, and was present (in a supporting cadre of soldiers) during the Wounded Knee massacre.  He commanded a troop of Buffalo Soldiers (Black American), where he gained the nickname, “Black Jack.”

Pershing commanded the American forces in the Philippines during the insurgency there.  He became quite active in Pilipino Masonry and became adroit at negotiating with the natives and rebels as well as effective as a military strategist.

He chased Poncho Villa into Mexico in 1916-17.

And, finally, he was appointed Supreme Commander of the American Expeditionary Force during World War I.  After the Great War, Pershing was promoted to General of the Armies -Five Star.  The first to attain that rank since George Washington.

I admire Pershing because he treated his troops, especially the Buffalo Soldiers, with firmness and fairness.  He treated his adversaries in the Philippines with respect. 

And he provided Stars of David for a percentage of the graves of the unknowns.

You don’t have to be a bleeding heart to be tolerant and respectful.  You can be a badass military man and true American hero.[2]

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[1] https://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries-memorials#.WeTVcTCP7IU

[2] See the excellent two-volume biography of Pershing:  Black Jack:  The Life and Times of John J. Pershing, by Frank E. VanDiver (Texas A&M University Press 1977).