On 25 June 1950, in an attempt to unify the Korean peninsula, North Korean forces swept across the 38th parallel, and the line of latitude demarcating the border between the two Koreas. Desperate fighting by U.S. and South Korean forces eventually stemmed the advance at the city of Pusan (now Busan) in the south east […]
Two years ago the Marshall Foundation hosted a talk by Dr. Frank Settle that examined the role played by General Marshall in the Manhattan Project. Dr. Settle’s talk, as part of the Weapons of War sequence of the Marshall Legacy Series, built upon his book that sheds new light on the Manhattan Project itself but […]
Today, Friday 26th May, marks the 77th anniversary of the beginning of ‘Operation Dynamo’ the code name for the evacuation of the remnants of the British Expeditionary Force (the BEF) from the beaches of Dunkirk, France. The evacuation, which saw more than 200,000 British troops together with another 100,000 troops, mainly French, from other Allied […]
Last night at the Marshall Foundation we heard from three distinguished historians who explored some of the more popular myths of World War II. Dr. Mark Stoler, professor emeritus at the University of Vermont, Michael Adams, Professor Emeritus at the University of Northern Kentucky and Dr. Conrad C. Crane, Chief of Historical Services for the […]
In the photo to the left, Secretary of Defense Marshall is receiving a poppy from Mrs. Genevieve Frye, President of the Auxiliary of American Legion Post 109 in 1951. The remembrance poppy is an artificial flower that has been used since 1921 to commemorate military personnel who have died in war, and represents a common […]
This past Wednesday, 30 November, was Winston Churchill’s 142nd birthday (he was born in 1874). The occasion was accompanied, as often is, by various dinners around the world and myriad toasts offered to the great man’s memory-and appropriately so. Winston Churchill, bon viveur, is an easy man to commemorate in such a fashion. That fact, […]
On the evening of 8th September the Marshall Foundation was delighted to present its first “Marshall Legacy Series on the Road” event in Washington, DC. This public lecture delivered by retired USMC General John Allen and co-sponsored by PricewaterhouseCoopers and The Heritage Foundation, which hosted the occasion, was titled “Seizing the Future.” It examined the […]
In the fall of 1977 the George C. Marshall Foundation newsletter, Topics, reported that Director, Fred Hadsell, had secured support from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission to undertake a major documentary editing project; the Papers of George Catlett Marshall would complement the magisterial four-volume biography written by Forrest Pogue. The initial project scope […]
Earlier this month, I had the distinct pleasure of speaking in Vancouver, Washington. This is this second year that I have attended the annual General George C. Marshall Public and Youth Leadership Awards conducted by the Fort Vancouver National Historic Trust. The Trust presents two leadership awards, in General Marshall’s name, to a senior and […]
On Saturday January 9th, the George C. Marshall Foundation together with the Society for Military History (SMH) co-hosted the annual Marshall Lecture at the American Historical Society. Since the late 90s, the Marshall Foundation and SMH have sponsored this event aimed surely at both keeping Marshall’s memory alive and stimulating interest in the study of […]
Recently I gave a brief history lesson about Veterans Day to Wesleyan School students, alumni, and family. This is an excerpt of that speech: As most know, Veterans Day grew out of the commemoration Armistice Day, the moment when the fighting of World War I ended. After World War I, President Wilson proclaimed that the […]
Few today doubt the wisdom of the European Recovery Program, known, colloquially of course as the ‘Marshall Plan’ in honor of of the man who conceived of it and even fewer doubt the vastly positive impact it had. From re-building the war-torn economies of western Europe, both friend and foe, and tilling the soil of […]
As we all know, George C. Marshall is a man of many parts: soldier and statesman; father and husband; diplomat. One of the less well known facts about this fascinating individual, however, is that he was also part of a fraternity, a member of the Kappa Alpha Order (KA). KA was founded at the then […]
Every now and again there comes a war movie that transcends the genre and speaks to a far wider audience than just “history buffs” or “war movie fans.” These films both tell their story more adeptly but also speak to deeper issues about the nature of our society. All armies are, of course, a reflection […]
The Nobel Prize season has just concluded. As always, the announcement of the winners in five disciplines, Chemistry, Physics, Medicine, Economics and Literature, are eagerly awaited. The winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, however, holds special significance. Unlike the other prizes, the Peace Prize is distinctly different because it represents a recognition of something less […]
SIGAR (Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction) may have been throwing up his hands in disbelief when he announced last week the total aid given to Afghanistan since our recent involvement will soon exceed total Marshall Plan assistance following World War II. “SIGAR calculates that by the end of 2014, the United States will have […]
Welcome to the first of what will be a regular series of blogs from the GCMF. These blogs will pertain to General Marshall, his life, times and legacy and the vitally important role of the foundation in ensuring that those considerations find expression both today and tomorrow. Here at the Marshall Foundation we are preparing […]