In 1936, George Marshall became the commanding officer at The Vancouver
Barracks. He was there for three years. He lived in the house named for
him, the Marshall House.
He was born on December 31, 1880 in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. In 1901 he
graduated from the Virginia Military Institute.
After spending 34 years in the Army he was made a brigadeer general. He
was made Army Chief of Staff in 1939 on the day World War II began in Europe.
With his help the US Army became the greatest fighting force in history.
After the war Europe and Asia were really messed up. George Marshall made
a plan to help get them fixed up. He made the European Recovery Program,
also called the Marshall Plan. The United States would spend billions of
dollars to help rebuild Western Europe under this plan. The Marshall Plan
is credited with helping to stop the spread of Communism in Europe. Marshall's
work was rewarded with the Nobel Peace Prize in 1953.
George Marshall died in October of 1959. Lexington, Virginia is the home
of the George Marshall Research Library.