IV 111th CONGRESS 2d Session H. RES. 1356 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES May 12, 2010 Mr. Skelton submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services RESOLUTION Recognizing the 150th anniversary of the birth of General John J. Pershing, an American military hero.

Whereas John Joseph Pershing was born near Laclede, Missouri, in 1860, to his parents, John Fletcher Pershing and Ann Elizabeth Thompson Pershing; Whereas Pershing completed his high school education in 1878 and supported his family, in his father’s absence, by teaching in the public education system of the State of Missouri, City of Laclede; Whereas Pershing entered the Kirksville Normal School, now Truman State University, in Kirksville, Missouri, in 1880; Whereas Pershing applied to the United States Military Academy and left Missouri to be sworn in as a West Point cadet in 1882; Whereas Pershing was tapped early for leadership and became successively First Corporal, First Sergeant, and First Captain, the highest cadet rank before his West Point graduation in 1886; Whereas Pershing reported for active military duty on September 30, 1886, and began his extraordinary military career, distinguishing himself in the Spanish-American War, the Philippine-American War, and the Punitive Expedition into Mexico; Whereas Pershing’s great personal tragedy, the loss by fire of his wife Frances Warren Pershing and three young daughters, did not dampen his dedication to military service, and when President Woodrow Wilson named Pershing Commander of the American Expeditionary Force, following America’s entrance into World War I, he commanded nearly 2 million men in Europe; Whereas in 1919 the United States Congress recognized Pershing’s distinguished service during World War I and authorized the President to promote Pershing to General of the Armies of the United States, the highest rank possible for any member of the United States Armed Forces, outranking even five-star generals and bestowed on only one other American, General George Washington, posthumously in 1976; Whereas General Pershing served as mentor to the next generation of America’s great military leaders, including George C. Marshall, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and George S. Patton; Whereas General Pershing died of congestive heart failure on July 15, 1948, and the City of Laclede, the State of Missouri, and the entire United States mourned the loss of a national hero; Whereas General Pershing was buried in Arlington National Cemetery on July 19, 1948, after lying in state in the Rotunda of the United States Capitol; Whereas the life and career of General Pershing continue to inspire members of the United States Armed Forces; and Whereas the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, the Missouri Division of State Parks, the Pershing Days Committee, and the Pershing Park Memorial Association plan to have a celebration honoring General Pershing at Pershing Days on September 11, 2010, in Laclede, Missouri: Now, therefore, be it

That the House of Representatives— (1)recognizes the 150th anniversary of the birth of General John J. Pershing; and (2)extends the appreciation of a most grateful Nation for his service to the United States.