The Making of a Leader

“Superb . . . [A] singular achievement.” —Air Mail (Editor’s Pick)

“[An] engaging and admiring biography . . . Paints a revealing picture of the quiet man who grew into a titanic military leader.” —Barbara Spindel, The Christian Science Monitor

“An excellent book for junior officers in today’s Army who may not appreciate the importance of staff time or feel discouraged about their career prospects due to not receiving certain assignments or jobs.” —Association of the United States Army, Lt. Col. Joe Byerly

“If I were to coach an executive about assuming a very senior leadership role, I would recommend they read The Making of a Leader . . . Bunting, who has emphasized literature and humanities as a university educator, brings Marshall’s development to life with expert storytelling and exquisite prose. Bunting’s vocabulary is as wide-ranging as Marshall’s own hunger for learning. The leadership lessons imparted will enable anyone seeking to ‘lead big’ to learn to ‘lead small’—taking care of those who depend upon you for direction, counsel and compassion.” —John Baldoni, Forbes

‘Wrapped in the life and times of George C. Marshall, this book is a well-written introduction to the art of leadership that senior leaders can recommend to rising junior officers. It may stimulate further reading and study on the pathfinders of our profession.” —Wylie W. Johnson, US Army War College Press

“The Making of a Leader is a real contribution to understanding a great American and the American Century.” — Larry Thornberry, The American Spectator

“Today’s politicians could learn a lot from the selfless career of Gen. George C. Marshall . . . Forrest Pogue authored a masterful, comprehensive biography of this great leader. Josiah Bunting has done a fine job of supplementing and enriching that mammoth work.” — Arthur I. Cyr, Chicago Tribune

“Mr. Bunting conveys a keen sense of balance and perception. Keeping a focus on the big inflection points of Marshall’s life, the author does not turn every incident into a saintly miracle or salutary story. Offering context and interconnection, mixing warts and paeans, he ably narrates the grit and dedication that went into making an American leader.” —Jonathan W. Jordan, The Wall Street Journal

“Illuminating . . . A superb account of the early life of an unsullied American hero . . . [Bunting] doesn’t aim to add another standard biography but rather to examine Marshall’s formative years, [and he] makes it clear that Marshall was a significant figure long before he became nationally known.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“No one could be better qualified to write this superb evocation of General George Marshall’s early life than Si Bunting. A US Army major himself, Si was superintendent of Marshall’s alma mater the Virginia Military Institute, and has immersed himself in all the archival sources for this jewel of a book. Deeply researched, beautifully written, and profoundly wise on many aspects of life both military and non-military, this book will become an instant classic about how to see a great man’s career through the prism of his early life.” —Andrew Roberts, author of Churchill: Walking with Destiny

“Architect of Allied victory in World War II, namesake of the plan that rebuilt Europe—the deeds of George C. Marshall have been memorialized in excellent monographs, including those by Mark Stoler and David Roll. In The Making of a Leader, Josiah Bunting focuses closely on the experiences that made Marshall ready for the Herculean tasks he would later confront. From his Pennsylvania boyhood through the crucible of VMI to the singular challenges of World War I, Bunting provides invaluable, often vivid evidence of a young man slowly, sometimes painfully finding his skill as a logistician, organizational genius, and shrewd political thinker. The author has filled a niche long needed for a thorough, thoughtful examination of the roots of Marshall’s success. All of us in the field owe him a debt of thanks.” —Paul A. Levengood, president of the George C. Marshall Foundation

“George C. Marshall is rightly celebrated for his remarkable military accomplishments and famous plan. The Making of a Leader expertly reveals the path of formation by which Marshall “learnt how to learn” and enabled this winner of the Nobel Peace Prize to develop the knowledge, habits of character and leadership abilities that were at the heart of his extraordinary success.” —Dr Edward Brooks, Executive Director of the Oxford Character Project, University of Oxford

“George Marshall’s commanding presence in World War II was due not just to his singular genius or his distinguished military record, but rather to his unique morality and his innate ability to lead men to do the impossible. Josiah Bunting’s new biography of Marshall’s formative years weaves together his childhood, his schooling, his marriages, and his early Army career to explain why and how Marshall became the towering presence of World War II and the postwar Marshall Plan. A beautifully written and analytical biography by a distinguished biographer, soldier and scholar.” —Victor Davis Hanson, author of The Second World Wars

“A lucid and penetrating analysis of General George Marshall’s character development.” —John B. Hattendorf, Editor-in-Chief, Marlborough: Soldier and Diplomat