GCM*****

It's time to tell you about one of my heroes.

George Catlett Marshall.  

I am always surprised that more people don't know who he was.   I believe him to be the greatest "George" since George Washington.  I know that sounds odd.  But I honestly believe it to be the case.

Marshall was born in Uniontown, Pennsylvania near the old National Road.  His father taught him to hunt and fish and love history.  (The best history teachers are like that - they love a good story.)

Marshall graduated from VMI in 1901 as First Captain of the Corps of Cadets.  He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the infantry and spent the next forty-four years on active duty.  Forty-four years. That's a lot of bad food, a lot of hardship, and a lot of nights away from home and loved ones.

But that's not why he is one of my heroes.

I admire him because while he was one of the greatest warriors of all time, he was also one of the greatest peacemakers of the 20th century.  In fact, he is the only professional soldier to receive the Nobel Prize for Peace, which was bestowed on him in 1953.  The prize was given to him for his leadership of the  European Recovery Program, known as the Marshall Plan, which aimed at the economic recovery of Western Europe after World War II.

A few other notable facts:

He served as Chief of Staff of the United States Army from 1939-45. He was selected as Time Magazine "Man of the Year" twice - 1943 and 1947.  He served as Secretary of State from 1947-49 and as Secretary of Defense in 1950-51.  A full life, don't you think?

Marshall finally retired to his home, Dodona Manor, in beautiful Leesburg, Virginia.  It was there he spent his final days with his beloved Kathryn.  He died at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, DC on October 16, 1959.  His grave can be seen in Section 7 of Arlington National Cemetery.  (I have visited it many times, most recently last May with the 10th graders.)

Harry Truman said, "In a war unparalleled in magnitude and horror, millions of Americans gave their country outstanding service; General of The Army George C. Marshall gave it victory."

A fitting tribute to a true American.

The greatest American since the Greatest American.