Robert B. McClure participant of World War I
Major General Robert Battey McClure (September 15, 1896 – September 15, 1973) was a senior United States Army officer who served in World War I, World War II, and the Korean War.
Born in 1896, McClure joined the United States Army in 1917. He served on the Western Front during World War I and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. He remained in the army after the war, and served in China with the 15th Infantry Regiment. He served as a regimental commander during the Guadalcanal and New Georgia campaigns of World War II. He later commanded the "Americal" Division during the Bougainville Campaign. During the Korean War he replaced Laurence B. Keiser as commander of 2nd Infantry Division but was relieved of his command after only a month due to the division's poor performance during the battle for Wonju. He retired from the army in 1954 and died in 1973 at the age of 77.Early life and military career
McClure was born on September 15, 1896, in Rome, Georgia, and graduated from New York Military Academy as Cadet First Captain in 1915. Entering the United States Naval Academy in 1916, he was unable to maintain the academic achievements necessary to remain in the academy. He subsequently enlisted in the United States Army.After the American entry into World War I, McClure was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the Infantry Branch. He fought on the Western Front with the 102nd Infantry Regiment, part of the 26th Division of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF). He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions at Bellieu Bois during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive on October 27, 1918, where he was wounded.