Aef Paper

The American Expeditionary Force was the result of a lack in the United States Military prior to WWI and the need for an effective force to help aid the Allied Forces in Europe in the defeat of Germany. Prior to the war, the U.S Army was significantly smaller than most European forces, especially that of Germany. President Wilson, who had previously advocated for the position of isolation, found himself faced with a war the United States could no longer afford to stay out of. He now had to find a way to gain popular support to fund a military force that could aid the European allies as well as to find a leader who could accomplish such a monumental task. It is precisely because of this great responsibility that Wilson selected General John J. Pershing to command the newly formed American Expeditionary Force to send an army capable of defeating the Germans.
The commander of the American Expeditionary Force, General John J. “Black Jack” Pershing, was a man who led a distinguished military career. Born on September 13, 1860, Pershing grew up in the era of Reconstruction following the Civil War between the North and the South. Pershing spent some time early in his life as a schoolteacher before entering an examination for an appointment and winning a competition in 1882 to enroll at West Point. While Pershing was not the best student in his class, many of the officers noticed his innate leadership abilities. Pershing, who was always highly ranked in the Cadet Battalion during his time at West Point, was elected class president in 1886 and also commanded the Corps of Cadets for Ulysses S. Grant’s funeral train. After he held a post at the University of Nebraska as a Professor of Military Science and Tactics for four years, Pershing went on the pursue an extraordinary military career. In the years 1886 to 1890, Pershing performed a series of campaigns against the Sioux and Apache, which resulted in him being awarded the Silver Star Medal. In 1898, Pershing fought in

Bibliography: “American Expeditionary Forces in WWI.” American Battle Monuments Commission. http://www.abmc.gov/publications/VisitorBrochures/Suresnes_Brochure.pdf (accessed March 3, 2012) Barnes, Alexander F Gregory, Ross. The Origins of American Intervention in the First World War. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1971. Harper, Kimberly and Stephanie L. Kukuljan. “John J. Pershing.” The State Historical Society of Missouri. http://shs.umsystem.edu/historicmissourians/name/p/pershing/index.html (accessed March 9, 2012) Hoffer, Jeffrey A Johnson, Thomas M. & Fletcher Pratt. The Lost Battalion. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2000. Kingseed, Cole C. "The Fighting Doughboys of the American Expeditionary Forces." Army Magazine 60, no. 11 (November 2010): 45-50. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed March 2, 2013). Pershing, John J. My Experiences in the World War. New York: Frederick A. Stokes Company, 1931. “U.S [ 1 ]. “Who’s Who: John Pershing,” First World War, http://www.firstworldwar.com/bio/pershing.htm, (accessed March 25, 2013). [ 3 ]. “Who’s Who: John Pershing,” First World War, http://www.firstworldwar.com/bio/pershing.htm, (accessed March 25, 2013). [ 6 ]. Hew Strachan, The First World War (New York: Viking, 2003), 227. [ 8 ]. “Who’s Who: John Pershing,” First World War, http://www.firstworldwar.com/bio/pershing.htm, (accessed March 25, 2013). [ 9 ]. “The American Expeditionary Forces,” The Stars and Stripes, http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/sgphtml/sashtml/aef.html, (accessed April 2, 2013). [ 11 ]. John S. D. Eisenhower, Yanks: The Epic Story of the American Army in World War I (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001), 19. [ 31 ]. “The Dawes Plan of 1924,” History Learning Site, http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/dawes_plan_1924.htm, (accessed April 5, 2013). [ 37 ]. “’Lafayette, We Are Here,’” Encyclopedia, http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3401802291.html, (accessed April 7, 2013). [ 38 ]. “The American Expeditionary Forces,” The Stars and Stripes, http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/sgphtml/sashtml/aef.html, (accessed April 2, 2013).