United States. Army. American Expeditionary Forces

John J. Pershing was the commanding general of the American Expeditionary Forces during World War I. Sent to Europe in 1917, he oversaw the growth, training, and deployment of U.S. troops as they joined the fighting on the Western Front.

Before World War I, Pershing had already built a long Army career that included service in the American West, the Philippines, and Mexico. His leadership during the war made him one of the most prominent American military figures of his era, and he was later promoted to the highest rank then granted in the U.S. Army, General of the Armies.

Pershing is often remembered not just for battlefield command, but for shaping how Americans understood the Army's role in a global conflict. For listeners interested in the history of the American Expeditionary Forces, his story offers a direct link to the people and decisions behind that wartime effort.