`  == Black Jack ==  Hi, Bugs. Despite our differences, you know I like you. (Or, at least I hope you do.) But were you serious that I stumbled across ``Black Jack`` Pershing due to my knoweledge of the game of blackjack? I'm not sure if you were joking or serious. In any case, my interest in Pershing is largely tied to my interest in World War I. I'm not really much of a war buff, but I've always been interested in World War I, as it's largely been relegated to an afterthought, in the wake of World War II. World War II was not only a direct result of World War I; it was basically just a continuation of it, after a 30 year truce. I've also always been interested in the ways that that war was fought. Europe had enjoyed decades of peace at the outbreak, and military technology reflected that. The war that began with bicycles, horses, and wooden ships, was finished with tanks, submarines, and airplanes. When Pershing took his troops across the Atlantic in 1918, he did so as the underdog, and came out victorious. In any case, maybe you were joking about the whole thing, but I hope that clarifies my interest in him for you.  `