The newly appointed commander of the American Expeditionary Forces, Pershing, had a lot to do.
For example, organizing recruitment, formulating training plans for the troops, assigning instructors, and so on. He should have stayed in the United States with the troops.
However, as soon as he left the White House, Pershing took his chief of staff Hubbard and flew to New York.
(The picture above shows James Hubbard, a capable assistant to Pershing during World War I. He was responsible for the daily organization and logistics coordination of the Expeditionary Force. In the early stages of the war, the US Army didn't have helmets, and officers often wore French or English helmets. Hubbard wore a French-made Adrian helmet.)
(Some American officers did the same, removing the badge from the Adrian helmet and writing "US" on it.)
The plane landed at New York airport, and Pershing immediately got into the car that had been waiting there.
