Genesis of the Book
General of the Army
• General of the Army (Grant, Sherman, and Sheridan)
• General of the Armies (Pershing and Washington)
• General of the Army rank (temporary) reestablished by Public Law 78-482, 14 Dec 1944
• Army Reg 600-35 authorized five star insignia
• Public Law 333, passed in March, 1946, made five-star rank permanent
• Also established Fleet Admiral rank
Officer Education and the Fort Leavenworth Schools, 1881-1940
Fort Leavenworth 1881-1918
• School of Application for Infantry and Cavalry, est. 1881
• Spanish-American War and Root Reforms
• General Order No. 155, 27 Nov 1901
• School of the Line/General Staff College
• World War I • Langres Course, 1917-1918
Fort Leavenworth 1919-1940
• 1919-1923: pre-1916 Model followed
• Command and General Staff School established, 1923
• Two-year course established, 1928
• Reverted to one-year course, 1935
• Between the wars = 3,677 officers graduated from one and two year courses
Generals of the Army
• George Catlett Marshall • Douglas MacArthur • Dwight D. Eisenhower • Henry H. “Hap” Arnold • Omar N. Bradley
Biographical Chapters*
• Family and Early Life • Early Military Career • Leavenworth Experience • Rise to Greatness • Wartime Career • Post-War Career • Lasting Historical Significance
*Chapter Authors are serving Military History faculty at CGSC.
George C. Marshall • Born 31 Dec, 1880, in Uniontown, PA • Graduated from VMI In 1901 • Attended School of Application for Infantry and
Cavalry, 1906-1908 • Served as instructor in Department of Engineering,
1909-1910 • Deployed to France with 1st Infantry Division in
1917 • Finished the war as BG, deputy chief of staff for
operations, 1st Army • Became Assistant Commandant of Infantry School
in 1927 • President Roosevelt named him 15th Army Chief of
Staff on 27 April 1939 • Promoted to General of the Army in Dec 1944 • Served as Secretary of State and Secretary of
Defense • Died in 1959
Douglas MacArthur • Born 26 Jan, 1880, in Little Rock, AR • Stationed at Leavenworth with his father, 1886-
1889 • Graduated from West Point In 1903 • Served at Leavenworth, 1908-1912 • Deployed to France with 42nd Division in Oct,
1917 • Promoted to BG in June, 1918 • Became West Point Superintendant in 1919 • Became commander of Military District of Manila
in 1922 • Became Army Chief of Staff in Nov 1930 • Returned to the Philippines in 1935 • Escaped from Corregidor in Feb 1942 • Returned to the Philippines in Oct 1944 • Promoted to General of the Army, 18 Dec 1944 • Named UNC commander and directs Inchon
Landing • Relieved by President Truman in April 1951 • Died 5 Apr 1964
Dwight D. Eisenhower • Born 14 Oct 1890 in Denison, TX, but grew up in
Abilene, KS • Graduated from West Point in June 1915 • Trained troops during WWI • Attended Command and General Staff College
1925-26 • Served as MacArthur’s military assistant in the
Philippines, 1935-39 • Named Commander of ETO, June 1942 • Oversaw Operations TORCH and HUSKY, 1943 • Named Supreme Commander Allied Expeditionary
Force, Dec 1943 • Commander Operation OVERLORD, June 1944 • Promoted to General of the Army, 20 Dec 1944 • Became Army Chief of Staff, Nov 1945 • 34th President of the United States, 1953-61 • Died on 28 Mar, 1969
Henry H. “Hap” Arnold • Born 25 June, 1886, in Gladwyne, PA • Graduated from West Point in 1907 • Initially commissioned in the Infantry and
assigned to the Philippines • Took flight training in 1911 and became
close personal friend with Billy Mitchell • Attended Command and Staff College,
1928-29 • Named Assistant Chief of Air Corps in
1935 • Became Chief of Staff, Army Air Forces,
1938 • Promoted to 5-star rank on 21 Dec, 1944 • Died 5 Jan, 1950
Omar N. Bradley • Born 12 Feb, 1893, in Clark, MO • Attended West Point, 1911-1915 • Early assignments included Fort Wright, Fort
Benning, and Hawaii • Attended Command and General Staff College,
1928-29 • Commandant of the Infantry School, 1940-41 • Commander of the 82nd Division, 1941-42 • Commander of II Corps, 1943 • Commander of 12th Army Group, 1944 • Became Army Chief of Staff, 1948 • Became Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, 1949 • Promoted to General of the Army, 22 Sep 1950 • Died 8 April 1981
Afterword
“It is at the Command and General Staff College that field grade officers receive an educational experience that prepares them for the rest of their careers of service to the Army and the nation…” General David H. Petraeus, 2006
Questions?