Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 305, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 31 December 1918 — Pershing Had No Promotion For Seven Years After His Graduation From West Point [ARTICLE]

Pershing Had No Promotion For Seven Years After His Graduation From West Point

For seven years after bis graduation from West Point Pershing received no promotion. Nevertheless, with customary grit, he applied himself to master his profession. He became an -authority on military tactics, and was sent to West Point as an Instructor. He was there when the Spanish-American war broke out and immediately applied for a command. The war department sent him to the Tenth cavalry, a negro troop, as a first lieutenant, and then his rise began. His troop went to Cuba. He led it at the battle of El Caney, and came out of that engagement a captain “for gallantry in action.” Then he went to the Philippines. In 1906, In recognition of his ability, President Roosevelt made him* brigadier general and , jumped him over the heads of 862 men. The boy who had won his way to West Point by one point, the young man who had been given no promotion for seven years—think of that, you fellows who grumble that nobody takes notice of how hard you work —had at last come* into his own. —Boys’ Life.