Editing George C. Marshall (section)

==Early life and education==
George Catlett Marshall Jr. was born in [[Uniontown, Pennsylvania]], the youngest of three children born to George Catlett Marshall and Laura Emily (née Bradford) Marshall.{{sfn|George Catlett Marshall Timeline}}{{sfn|Zajac|2003}} Both sides of his family were long from [[Kentucky]], but cherished their [[Virginia]] roots.{{sfn|Unger|Unger|Hirshson|2014 |p= 2}}{{efn-ua|In an interview late in his life, when asked whether he regarded himself a Virginian, he answered: 'My family are Kentucky. I myself was the only member of the family born up north... I married two Virginians, very ardent Virginians, and I went to school in a very ardent, historical Virginia section school. I might say also that I pay taxes in Virginia" {{harv|Unger|Unger|Hirshson|2014 |p= 5''n''}}}} He was also a first cousin, three times removed, of former [[Chief Justice of the United States|chief justice]] [[John Marshall]].{{sfn|Higginbotham|1985|p=106}} He was also a distant cousin of [[Richard Marshall (United States Army officer)|Richard J. Marshall]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Marshall Genealogy |url=https://homepages.rootsweb.com/~marshall/esmd1.htm#id7808 |access-date=2024-06-04 |website=homepages.rootsweb.com}}</ref> Marshall's father was active in the coal and [[Coke (fuel)|coke]] business.{{sfn|Zajac|2003}} Later, when asked about his political allegiances, Marshall often joked that his father had been a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]] and his mother a [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]], whereas he was an [[Episcopal Church (United States)|Episcopalian]].{{sfn|Stoler|2015}}

Marshall was educated at Miss Alcinda Thompson's private school in Uniontown and spent a year at Uniontown's Central School.{{sfn|Zajac|2003}} Having decided early in life that he desired a career in the military, but unlikely to obtain an appointment to the [[United States Military Academy]] because of his average grades, he looked to the [[Virginia Military Institute]] (VMI) for a formal education.{{sfn|Cray|1990|pp=23–24}} Marshall's brother Stuart, a VMI alumnus, believed George would not succeed and argued that their mother should not let George attend out of concern that he would "disgrace the family name."{{sfn|Early Career}} Determined to "wipe his brother's face," Marshall enrolled at the age of sixteen in December 1897.{{sfn|George Catlett Marshall Timeline}}{{sfn|National Portrait Gallery: Marshall children}} To pay for his tuition and expenses, Marshall's mother sold parcels of land she owned in Uniontown and [[Augusta, Kentucky]].{{sfn|Cray|1990|pp=23–24}}

[[File:1900 VMI Keydets football team marshall encircled.jpg|thumb|left|[[1900 VMI Keydets football team]]. Marshall circled]]
At the start of his college career, Marshall was subjected to a [[hazing]] incident in which upperclassmen positioned an unsheathed bayonet with the point up and directed him to squat over it.{{sfn|Behrman|2007|p=10}} After twenty minutes, Marshall fainted and fell.{{sfn|Behrman|2007|page=10}} When he awoke, he had a deep laceration to one of his buttocks.{{sfn|Behrman|2007|page=10}} While being treated for his injury, Marshall refused to inform on his classmates.{{sfn|Behrman|2007|page=10}} Impressed with his bravery, the hazers never bothered him again.{{sfn|Behrman|2007|page=10}}

During his years at VMI, Marshall always ranked first in military discipline and about midway academically.{{sfn|George Catlett Marshall Timeline}} He attained the rank of first captain, the highest a cadet could achieve, and graduated 15th of 34 in the Class of 1901.{{sfn|George Catlett Marshall Timeline}}{{sfn|Taylor|2020|p=2}}{{sfn|Skutt|1997|p=86}} Marshall received a diploma, not a degree.{{sfn|Skutt|1997|p=86}} At the time of his graduation, the top five or six VMI graduates received bachelor's degrees.{{sfn|Skutt|1997|p=86}} The rest received diplomas attesting to their status as graduates.{{sfn|Skutt|1997|p=86}} He played [[Tackle (gridiron football position)|offensive tackle]] on the [[Gridiron football|football]] team and [[1900 College Football All-Southern Team|in 1900]] he was selected for [[College Football All-Southern Team|All-Southern]] honors.{{sfn|Stevens|Williams|2009|p=123}}