George Marshall was born on December 31, 1880 in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. Marshall attended the Virginia Military Academy or VMI . He was commissioned a second lieutenant in February 1902. Marshall rose rapidly through the hierarchy of the army elite. In 1938, he became chief of the War Plans Division and in the spring of 1939, Marshall was appointed Army Chief of Staff.
Marshall was involved in all aspects of war planning and participated in all of the war conferences. He worked closely with President Franklin Roosevelt and there was reportedly great mutual respect between them. Marshall went on to become Secretary of State under Truman. As Secretary, he was acclaimed for his "Marshall Plan" to aid Western Europe in its recovery from World War II.