Ogden Standard-Examiner | 1920-06-08 | Page 4 | General Pershing to Retire

IJj ' GENERAL PERSHING TO RETIRE. ,! iITaving had all the worries and all the glory that come to few men, .General John J. Pershing seeks to retire from active service, i Trom obscurity, John J. Pershing became one of few men with a record that will outlast this generation and receive attention when i every person now alive has joined the silent caravan of the dead. ' I ..Sixty years ago, a Missouri home was gladdened by the arrival I ' of a", boy That was at a time when America was torn by civil strife. h Later he developed into a clever youngster and he was sent to "West Point. Up to the beginning of the Spanish-American war. Pershing had gained no great distinction, in fact he was not sufficiently high ; 1 in rank at that time to receive the highest honors without being I jumped over- a large number of officers of equal rank. With the outbreak on the Mexican border in 1913, he was given ' his big opportunity to hold the center of attention and he made good: Then lie was selected by President Wilson to lead the American Ameri-can expeditionary forces. The bestowing on Pershing of this dis-j dis-j j tinction caused General Leonard Wood to harshly criticize the Pres- iUcht, as General Wood was quite certain the hand of destiny point ed to none other than Leonard Wood, and so a presidential candi-1 candi-1 I date was developed. ! - Pershing, in his directing of the American forces in Prance, by the aid of a wonderful organization created at home, fought a successful suc-cessful war and he must be given due credit for the historic achievement. achieve-ment. He did not escape criticism, as adverse comment would have been offered if he had been perfection and all the men under him i : j had been supermen. But it must be said to Pershing's credit that the commander of the American forces made no serious blunders. I " With their machine-like organization planneda nd worked out over j ! a period of 40 years, the Germans were not able to say as much. i In the very opening of the war, the German command made the fatal j j mistake of driving the infantry too far in advance of supporting ! heavy artillery and the sustaining commissary, and, as a conse-i conse-i ( imencc, suffered defeat at tfic battle of the Marne. y I Ji.1, Oli 1M.111UZ1 X CJL Sillily JlUVlU 1113 tlULllLV IU HIU11V.11 U11U OUVi- cessfully carry through a major attack on a highly fortified area, which had been held by the enemy four years without evidence of ' j weakness. ' In the Argohne an .almost impossible task was undertaken. I Driving through to south of Sedan, the Americans broke the back-I back-I bone of Teutonic resistance and were in position to coop up a big , l fraction of the opposing forces had the conflict gone on another 30 I days. ' I But Pershing's greatest generalship was shown in his decision to hold the Americans together and keep them as a fighting unit " 1 under their own commanders. This preserved the morale of the ' j troops that went overseas and upheld the confidence with which the 1 bpj's went out to the world war. i j i In retiring, General Pershing carries with him to private life tho ' ' j I esteem of the American people.