Pinehurst again moves monument to Gen. Marshall

Marshall, who conceived the plan for rebuilding Europe after World War II and also served as secretary of state and secretary of defense under President Harry Truman, spent the last 15 years of his life in Pinehurst after his wife fell in love with the village in 1944.

"While he lived in Pinehurst, the Marshalls were visited by Gen. (Dwight) Eisenhower, President Truman, Queen Frederica of Greece, Madame Chiang Kai-shek, (socialite) Lady Astor, just to name a few," local historian Marty McKenzie said.

Although Marshall, who died in 1959, is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, Pinehurst still boasts its connection with the nation's first five-star general.

"We are pleased he made his home right here in the Village of Pinehurst," Mayor Nancy Roy Fiorillo said.

Pinehurst's monument to him was initially erected near the Village Green, but it was moved twice as the village grew.

"I think we should have put it on wheels," McKenzie said.

Now, it has finally settled in Marshall Park, at the corner of N.C. Highway 2 and Carolina Vista Drive.

"Gen. Marshal is by far one of the most decorated Americans that ever lived. This is a man who served his nation for 50 years, probably our finest leader that we've ever known," Army Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond Odierno said Friday at the latest dedication of the monument.