March, Peyton, << PAY tuhn, >> Conway (1864-1955), was chief of staff of the United States Army during World War I (1914-1918). He directed the operations that landed about 2 million American troops in France. March has been called the father of the modern U.S. Army. He combined the Regular Army, the National Guard, and the National Army divisions into a single force. He also reorganized the War Department, and he built a small, well-organized army around a core of professional soldiers. March believed a small corps of trained officers could build a large, powerful army in time of emergency.
March was born in Easton, Pennsylvania, on Dec. 27, 1864. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy (West Point) in 1888, and fought in the Spanish-American War (1898). He retired from active service in 1921. He described his World War I experiences in The Nation at War (1932). March died on April 13, 1955.
