March, Peyton, PAY tuhn, Conway (1864-1955), was chief of staff of the United States Army during World War I. He directed the operations that landed about 2 million American troops in France. March has been called the father of the modern U.S. Army. He combined the Regular Army, the National Guard, and the National Army divisions into a single force. He also reorganized the War Department, and built a small, well-organized army around a core of professional soldiers. March believed a small corps of trained officers could build a large, powerful army in time of emergency.