George+C.+Marshall

=George C. Marshall=

(December 31, 1880-October 16, 1959), America's foremost soldier during World War II, served as chief of staff from 1939 to 1945, building and directing the largest army in history. (1) Few Americans in the twentieth century have left a greater legacy to world peace than George C. Marshall. It fell to Marshall to raise, train, and equip an army of several million men.



Rise through the ranks
Born in a small town in western Pennsylvania to a coking coal manufacturer and his wife, Marshall's determination took him to Virginia Military Institute and to the military academy at Fort Leavenworth. His excellence in military studies and strength in leadership destined him for a steady rise through the ranks of the U.S. Army. (3) After he graduated, his first command was in the Philippines. He later became an instructor at the Army Staff College.

During WWI, Marshall was a captain. "In France, he successfully planned American Troop movements prior to the [|Argonne offensive]." (4) By the time the war ended, he had become a colonel. media type="custom" key="5125069"(If the video isn't playing, refresh your browser)

Under Franklin D. Roosevelt, Marshall finally won his first star as brigadier general. He was put in charge of the Civilian Conservation Corps. in several southern states.

George C. Marshall became the U.S. Army Chief of Staff on September 1, 1939, the very day that Adolf Hitler invaded Poland igniting WWII. "At the time he took office, the U.S. army ranked 19th in size among the world's armed forces, Marshall would build the armed forces to more than 8.5 million." (4)

media type="custom" key="5125089"

Many troops were drafted into the army by the Selective Service Act. Under Marshall, the army "Undertook a major root-and-branch reform of its organization by creating three separate commands - Army Ground Forces, Army Service Forces and Army Air Forces." (5) For his efforts in training, planning, and supplying the Allies, Britain's Prime Minister Winston Churchill called him the "true organizer of victory. (6) While not as well known as others, Marshall was one of the main architects of the final Allied victory.

After the War
=media type="custom" key="5125039" align="left" width="120" height="120"=

History will associate Marshall foremost as the author of the Marshall Plan. The idea of extending billions of American dollars for European economic recovery was not his alone. He was only one of many Western leaders who realized the tragic consequences of doing nothing for those war-shattered countries in which basic living conditions were deplorable and still deteriorating two years after the end of the fighting. (2) Marshall also served as President of the American Red Cross from 1949 to 1950, and Secretary of Defense from 1950 to 1951 during the Korean Conflict. (7) Marshall was the only professional soldier ever awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace. (6) (If the Video isn't showing, refresh your browser)

1. http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1953/marshall-bio.html 2. http://www.npg.si.edu/exh/marshall/marsh2.htm 3. http://www.marshallfoundation.org/about/index.html 4. The World War II 100, Howard J. Langer 5. World War II Commanders, Ian Westwell 6. http://gi.grolier.com/wwii/wwii_marshall.html 7. http://www.georgecmarshall.org/GeorgeCMarshall/Statesman_Years.asp