USASOC Headquarters Named For Robert Mcclure
United States Army Special Operations Command
Special Warfare, Fall, 2000
By Bob Porreca

   On Jan. 19, (2000) the U.S. Army Special Operations Command dedicated its headquarters building to Major General Robert A. McClure, the man who has been called the forgotten father of special operations.

   During the dedication, Lieutenant General Doug Brown, USASOC commander, cited McClure's contributions to Psychological Operations and Civil Affairs, and his 1952 selection of Colonel Aaron Bank to command a new unit called the 10th Special Forces Group, the forerunner of today's Special Forces.

   During the early years of World War II, McClure led the development of psychological warfare and military government (later called Civil Affairs) in both the Mediterranean and European theaters. Later, McClure organized the Army's first formally recognized special-warfare units.

   McClure's contributions went unrecognized for nearly 20 years, according to Dr. Alfred H. Paddock Jr., who is writing a biography of McClure.

   Paddock credits McClure with the establishment of the Psychological Warfare Center in 1952 at Fort Bragg. The PSYWAR Center, forerunner of the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, tested methods and doctrine in almost every aspect of Army special operations.

   USASOC officials dedicated a plaque and a portrait of McClure in the building's lobby and unveiled three-foot-high letters, "MG Robert A. McClure Building" above the front entrance.

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Second Publishing:  27-Sep-2005 04:18 PM   -   Last Update:  25-Feb-2006 09:15 PM
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