General “Black Jack” Pershing
A story had come my way from a listener to my radio show (which I have not been able to totally confirm as anything more than myth) in response to my comments on 2/6/03. Since then I have received several E-mails regarding the facts surrounding the incident. I have provided a little background on General Pershing for background.
The following is the story that was sent to me. I am not totally convinced that the story is true, there may be some truth to it.
How General Perishing got rid of the terrorist problem before W.W.I
The Answer
General “Black Jack” Pershing was born September 13th, 1860 near Laclede,
MS., Died July 15th, 1948 in Washington, D.C.
1891 Professor of Military Science and Tactics University of Nebraska…..
1898 Serves in the Spanish-American War
1901 Awarded rank of Captain
1906 Promoted to rank of Brigadier General
1909 Military Governor of Moro Province, Philippines
1916 Made Major General
1919 Promoted to General of the Armies
1921 Appointed Chief of Staff
1924 Retires from active duty Education West Point.
Just Before World War One — there were a number of terrorist attacks on the United States by; you guessed it, Moslem extremists. They were indeed Moslem, the Moros of the islands of Mindanao and Samar that had been earlier proselytized by Moslem missionaries beginning in 1380 AD.
The attacks were not against the continental USA. They occurred on US territorial lands comprising the Philippines. The land which the USA had taken by right of conquest during the Spanish-American War. The attacks occurred during the American occupation of the archipelago.
General Pershing captured 50 terrorists and had them tied to posts execution style. One important thing to note beforehand is that Moslem detest pork, because they believe pigs are filthy animals. Moslem are very Kosher. Some of them simply refuse to eat it, while others won’t even touch pigs at all, nor any of their byproducts. To them, eating or touching a pig, its meat, its blood, etc., is to be instantly barred from paradise and doomed to hell. He then had his men bring in two pigs and slaughter them in front of the, now horrified, terrorists. The soldiers then soaked their bullets in the pigs blood, and proceeded to execute 49 of the terrorists by firing squad. The soldiers then dug a big hole, dumped in the terrorist’s bodies and covered them in pig blood, entrails, etc. They let the 50th man go. And for the next forty-two years, there was not a single Muslim extremist attack anywhere in the world. We had no contacts with Moslem on their own turf or sand until 42 years later
Although Pershing may have been charged with carrying out the death warrants some time between 1909 and 1913, regular army troops were slowly supplanted between 1899 and 1905-6 by an American civilian police force known as the American Philippine Constabulary. It was this “PC” (and not US troops) that kept the peace, and until Manuel Queen became president in 1935, that was attacked by those Moro insurgents who were later executed in this peculiar fashion.
Read “Jungle Patrol” by Vic Hurley, copyright 1939, for the full details of America’s thirty-six year’s jungle warfare in the Philippines.
Thanks to William N. Gail lard for your input regarding this story.