General John Joseph Pershing was born on September 13, 1860 in Laciede, Missouri. He went to elementary and high school in Laclede. He went ot what is now Truman State University from which he received a BA. He was accepted to the West Point from which he graduated from in 1886. He served in the Spanish-American War, and commanded US forces against the Philippine Moros. In 1916 Pershing led US forces into Mexico to capture Pancho Villa
Pershing was appointed by President Woodrow Wilson to lead the American Expeditionary Forces to Europe in World War I. The US forces helped turn the tide of the war, and Pershing returned to the US a hero.