Harold M. McClelland Military person

Harold Mark McClelland (November 4, 1893 – November 19, 1965) was a United States Air Force (USAF) major general who is considered the father of Air Force communications. He founded and led the 19th Bombardment Group in the early 1930s, commanded Rockwell Field for a year then was groomed for higher leadership, becoming the inspector for the General Headquarters Air Force (GHQ) in 1937.Between 1934 and 1938, McClelland researched the technical and logistical aspects of long-range air communications, an effort which resulted in the establishment of the Army Airways Communications System. Following this, he worked in the Operations and Training Division of the War Department General Staff, and served as chief of the Aviation division.During World War II, McClelland organized the largest communications system the world had yet seen. McClelland, rated a command pilot, served as the chief of communications for the Central Intelligence Agency in the early 1950s.In the USAF, an award is given annually in McClelland's name, for excellence in large unit communications.

Personal facts

Harold M. McClelland
Birth dateNovember 04, 1893
Birth place
Tiffin Iowa
Date of deathNovember 19, 1965
Place of death
Washington D.C.
Resting place
Arlington National Cemetery

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Military person

award
Distinguished Service Medal (U.S. Army)
Legion of Merit
Order of the British Empire
military operations
World War II
military branch
United States Army Air Service
United States Army Air Corps
Central Intelligence Agency
United States Army Air Forces
military command
19th Bombardment Group
Airways and Air Communications Service
Rockwell Field
service start1917
service end1951

Harold M. McClelland on Wikipedia

External resources

  1. http://www.af.mil/AboutUs/Biographies/Display/tabid/225/Article/106319/major-general-harold-m-mcclelland.aspx