Visitors at the National WWII Museum heard from Mark Calhoun, PhD, author of General Lesley J. McNair: Unsung Architect of the US Army.

General Lesley J. McNair (1883–1944), a man so instrumental to America’s military preparedness and Army modernization, remains little-known today, his papers purportedly lost, destroyed by his wife in her grief at his death in Normandy. This book, the product of an abiding interest and painstaking research, restores the general Army Magazine calls one of “Marshall’s forgotten men” to his rightful place in American military history. Because McNair contributed so substantially to America’s war preparedness, this first complete account of his extensive and varied career also leads to a reevaluation of US Army effectiveness during World War II.

General Lesley J. McNair: Unsung Architect of the US Army sheds light on McNair's extensive career, from his early days at West Point to his critical roles during World War II as Chief of Staff at General Headquarters and later as commander of the Army Ground Forces. 

Calhoun is the Senior Historian at The National WWII Museum's Jenny Craig Institute for the Study of War and Democracy. Calhoun earned his PhD in history from the University of Kansas in 2012.  A career US Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter pilot and war planner, Calhoun retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in 2008, after which he served for 14 years as an associate professor on the faculty of the US Army School of Advanced Military Studies at Fort Leavenworth.

Those interested in learning more about General McNair’s life and legacy can purchase the book through the National WWII Museum Store.