Robert B . McClure Robert Battey McClure ( September 15 , 1896September 15 , 1973 ) was a Major General in the United States Army who served in World Wars I and II as well as 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 " Dutch " 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 . McClure was born on September 15 , 1896 , in Rome , Georgia . 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 . World War I and interwar period . Commissioned as a Second Lieutenant , McClure fought in World War I with the 26th Infantry Division on the Western Front , and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions at Bellieu Bois on 27 October 1918 during the Meuse - Argonne Offensive . He remained in the army following the end of World War I , and spent from 1927 to 1933 in Tientsin , China with the 15th Infantry Regiment , becoming fluent in Chinese . One of his fellow officers was Albert Wedemeyer , under whom he would serve during the latter stages of World War II . He entered the Army War College in 1938 , where he made the acquaintance of Joe Collins , an instructor at the college at the time . After graduation , McClure then spent time on the staff of the 25th Infantry Division as divisional G - 4 ( handling logistics and supply ) . World War II . When Collins was made commander of the 25th Infantry Division in 1942 , he made McClure commander of one of the division ' s regiments , the 35th Infantry Regiment . McClure led the regiment during the Guadalcanal and New Georgia campaigns , as well as during the capture of Vella Lavella . Having spent time as ADC to Collins , in 1943 he returned to the United States as a Major General , and put in command of his own division , the 84th Infantry Division . After six months preparing the division for combat in the European Theater of Operations , he returned to the Solomon Islands as commander of the Americal Division , which was then participating in the Bougainville Campaign . In November 1944 , McClure returned to China to act as chief of staff to Albert Wedemeyer , his former comrade from the 15th Infantry Regiment . Wedemeyer had replaced General Joe Stilwell as commander of United States forces in China . Shortly after his arrival in China , McClure was sent into the field and made commander of Chinese Combat Command , remaining in this capacity until the end of the war . He was twice awarded the Distinguished Service Medal during the war . Korean War . In December 1950 , the commander of the 2nd Infantry Division , Major General Laurence " Dutch " Keiser was sacked for the division ' s performance during the Battle of the Ch ' ongch ' on River ( although his dismissal was dressed up as being for medical reasons ) . McClure was named as his replacement , although his tenure as divisional commander would transpire to be short - lived . The division , previously part of IX Corps , was redeployed to X Corps and now came under the jurisdiction of Major General Edward Almond , the corps commander . Almond began to be critical of McClure ' s leadership , citing a " lack of supervision " in reports back to the then commander of Eighth Army , Lieutenant General Matthew Ridgway . After a period of refitting , the division was ordered to Wonju , which had been deemed by Ridgway to be " second only to Seoul " in tactical importance . During the battle for Wonju , McClure found his position to be increasingly indefensible especially when flanking South Korean troops were overrun by the North Korean People ' s Army . He ordered his division to withdraw to a position much further to the rear than agreed upon by Almond , who was angered by McClure ' s disobedience . After little more than a month as divisional commander , McClure was relieved of his command on the grounds of " poor leadership " . He was replaced as commander of the division by Major General Clark L . Ruffner , in a move endorsed by Ridgeway . Following his dismissal , McClure commanded the 6th Infantry Division , which was then based at Fort Ord in California . McClure retired from the army in 1954 . In 1956 , he was awarded his third Distinguished Service Medal for services during the Cold War . Robert Battey McClure died on September 15 , 1973 , and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery , in Virginia .