George Catlett Marshall Jr. was born on December 31, 1880, in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. Socially awkward and a poor student, he gradually developed a strong drive to succeed. His father had served in the Civil War (1861-65), and Marshall decided to attend the Virginia Military Institute. He thrived in the disciplined environment, graduating as the top cadet in his class. He married Elizabeth Carter Coles shortly after he received a commission as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army in 1902. After serving in the Philippines, he returned to the United States to attend an infantry training school and then the army's command and general staff school. He taught for two years at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

During World War I, Marshall was among the first members of the American Expeditionary Force sent to France in 1917 when the United States entered the war. He served as chief of...