Born on December 31, 1880, in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, George Catlett Marshall spent his youth there until leaving in the fall of 1897 to attend the Virginia Military Academy, where he distinguished himself academically and as a leader. Commissioned a second lieutenant by the U.S. Army in 1902, Marshall commanded troops in the last months of heavy combat in the Philippine-American War (1899–1902). Afterward, Marshall rotated through a succession of peacetime postings. He helped revitalize officer education in the army and taught a variety of courses at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. He served on General John J. Pershing’s staff during World War I and helped plan the largest American offensives of that war. Widely regarded as one of the most capable officers in the army, Marshall continued to rise through the ranks after the war. President Franklin Roosevelt appointed him chief of staff of the army in 1939, and Marshall served in that position throughout World War II, helping lead the nation’s mobilization and war effort.