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Joseph A. McChristian

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Joseph A. McChristian
Birth nameJoseph Alexander McChristian
BornOctober 12, 1914
Chicago, US
DiedMay 13, 2005
Jupiter, Florida, US
Allegiance United States
Service / branch United States Army
Years of service1933–1971
Rank Major General
Unit10th Armored Division
CommandsMilitary Assistance Command, Vietnam
Battles / warsWorld War II
Greek Civil War
Korean War
Vietnam War
AwardsSilver Star
Bronze Star Medal
Distinguished Service Medal
Legion of Merit
Alma materUnited States Military Academy (B.S.)

Joseph Alexander McChristian (October 12, 1914[1] – May 13, 2005) was a United States Army Major General and the assistant chief of staff for intelligence, Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (J-2, MACV) (then commanded by General William Westmoreland) from July 13, 1965 to June 1, 1967.[2] As J-2, MACV, he supported an increase in the official estimates of Viet Cong personnel strength in South Vietnam. His view was unpopular because the official policy was optimism, claiming that US and South Vietnamese forces were winning the war.

Early life and education

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Born in Chicago, Illinois, and raised in Miami, Florida,[3][4] McChristian enlisted in the Army on July 2, 1933. He was subsequently appointed to the United States Military Academy, earning a B.S. degree in 1939. McChristian later graduated from the Armed Forces Staff College in 1951 and the Army War College in 1955.[5][6][7]

Military career

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During World War II, McChristian served with the 10th Armored Division in Europe, participating in the Battle of the Bulge and Western Allied invasion of Germany. During the war, he earned a Silver Star Medal and four Bronze Star Medals.[7] In 1945 he was appointed a senior intelligence officer of Third Army by General George S. Patton.[8]

From 1949 to 1950, McChristian was a member of the Joint Military Assistance Group in Greece. During the Korean War, he served on the faculty at the Military Academy. After learning Greek, McChristian returned to Greece as Army attaché from 1956 to 1960.[7] From 1960 until 1962 he commanded the Armor Training Center. After that he became a member of the Staff of the Department of the Army where he served in the Intelligence Branch. Between 1963 and 1965 he was the G2 for the US Army, Pacific. The following two years he served in Vietnam as Chief of the J2 (Intelligence) Department of the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam.

In 1967, officers under McChristian decided that in MACV's estimates of enemy personnel strength in South Vietnam the figures for the "Irregular" and "Political" categories were far too low. By May they had persuaded McChristian that their evidence was solid, and he told General Westmoreland he intended to increase the estimates. Westmorland blocked the increase. [9] Long after the war, McChristian was interviewed about this for a CBS Television documentary, "The Uncounted Enemy." When General Westmoreland sued CBS for libel, McChristian testified as a witness for CBS.[10]

Between July 1967 and July 1969 he commanded the 2nd Armored Division. Afterwards until his retirement on April 30, 1971, he was assistant chief of staff for intelligence in the Department of the Army.[11]: 378 

McChristian received two Distinguished Service Medals and the Legion of Merit. He is a member of the Military Intelligence Hall of Fame.[7]

Personal

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McChristian was the son of Robert Lee McChristian Sr. and Lillian (Alexander) Stone.[3][12][13] They were married on June 7, 1910 in New York City,[14] but were divorced in 1929.[15] The family moved to Chicago after their first son was born, and then to Miami after their third son was born. McChristian's older brother Robert Lee McChristian Jr. worked in the sport fishing industry and invented a fishing reel mechanism,[4][16][17] while his younger brother Stanley Earl McChristian was a World War II veteran and retired Air Force major.[18][19]

After his death in Jupiter, Florida,[7] McChristian was buried at Arlington National Cemetery on July 29, 2005.[20] His wife Dempsie Catherine (Van Fleet) McChristian was interred beside him eight years later. She was the daughter of General James A. Van Fleet.[21]

Notes

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  1. ^ Cullum, George Washington; Edward S. Holden (1891). Biographical register of the officers and graduates of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. Vol. 8 (3 ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. p. 1276.
  2. ^ Major General Joseph A. McChristian, The Role of Military Intelligence 1965-1967 (Vietnam Studies), Department of the Army, Washington DC, 1974 (Library of Congress Catalogue Card number 74-600003)
  3. ^ a b "Joseph Alexander McChristian". Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007. Social Security Administration.
  4. ^ a b "Seamaster Reels". Antique Vintage Lures, Reels & Tackle Information. Retrieved 2021-11-18.
  5. ^ U.S. Army Register: Active and Retired List. Vol. I. Washington, D.C.: Department of the Army. January 1, 1966. p. 369. Retrieved 2021-11-12.
  6. ^ "Class of 1939—Register of Graduates". Official Register of the Officers and Cadets. United States Military Academy. 1969. p. 488. Retrieved 2021-11-12.
  7. ^ a b c d e "Major General Joseph A. McChristian" (PDF). Intelligence Knowledge Network. U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence. January 10, 2015. Retrieved 2021-11-12.
  8. ^ https://www.ikn.army.mil/apps/MIHOF/biographies/McChristian,%20Joseph.pdf
  9. ^ "Affidavit of Joseph A. McChristian" (PDF). Virtual Vietnam Archive, Texas Tech University. 20 April 1984. Retrieved 2024-06-20.
  10. ^ Bob Brewin and Sydney Shaw, Vietnam on Trial: Westmoreland vs. CBS. Atheneum, 1987.
  11. ^ Scheips, Paul (2005). The Role of Federal Military Forces in Domestic Disorders, 1945-1992 (PDF). US Army Center of Military History. ISBN 9781517253783.Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  12. ^ "Registration Card". Chicago, Illinois: Selective Service Administration. June 5, 1917.
  13. ^ Gast, Ron (March 2019). "Elaine Edwards McChristian: The woman with the man who made Seamaster fly reels" (PDF). Antique Vintage Lures, Reels & Tackle Information. Retrieved 2021-11-18.
  14. ^ Marriage Licenses. New York City Department of Records & Information Services. 1910.
  15. ^ "Dade County Certificate of Divorce". Divorce Index, 1927-2001. No. 2870. Jacksonville, Florida: Florida Department of Health. 1929.
  16. ^ "Robert L McChristian". Birth Index, 1910-1965. New York City Department of Health.
  17. ^ United States Patent 4,715,555, Robert L. McChristian, Jr., "Dual mode fishing reel assembly", published December 29, 1987 
  18. ^ "Stanley Earl McChristian". Cook County Birth Certificates, 1878–1922. Springfield, Illinois: Illinois Department of Public Health, Division of Vital Records.
  19. ^ "McChristian, Stanley Earl". ANCExplorer. U.S. Army. Retrieved 2021-11-18.
  20. ^ "McChristian, Joseph A". ANCExplorer. U.S. Army. Retrieved 2021-11-12.
  21. ^ "McChristian, Dempsie Van Fleet". ANCExplorer. U.S. Army. Retrieved 2021-11-12.

References

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  • Major General Joseph A. McChristian, The Role of Military Intelligence 1965-1967 (Vietnam Studies), Department of the Army, Washington DC, 1974 (Library of Congress Catalogue Card number 74-600003)
  • Jake Blood, The Tet Effect: Intelligence and the Public Perception of War (Cass Military Studies) Routledge 2005. ISBN 0-415-34997-4
  • Bob Brewin and Sydney Shaw, Vietnam on Trial: Westmoreland vs. CBS, Atheneum, 1987.
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