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Colonel Arthur A. McCrary
Colonel Arthur A. McCrary,
APC’s commander for four years from September 1954 to July 1958, assumed
command of the Army Pictorial Services Division in Washington following
the termination of his leave August 1, 1958. He was succeeded at
APC by Colonel James H. Fulton, who had served as deputy post commender.
He succeeded Colonel W. W. Lindsay, also a former APC commander,
who retired from the Army August 31, 1958.
A graduate of the United States Military Academy at West point, Class of
'33, Colonel McCrary came to the Center from Ft. Gordon, Georgia, where
he was chief of staff of the Signal Corps Training Center there.
Originally commissioned in the Coast Artillery, Col McCrary served first
at Fort Monroe, Virginia, and then overseas at Corregidor.
In 1937 Colonel McCrary transferred to the Army Signal Corps with duty
station at Fort Lewis, Washington. Two years later he was sent to
the Signal School at Fort Monmouth.
The colonel's next assignment came in 1940 upon completion of the Signal
School course, and took him to Fort Benning, Georgia, where he became
the Post Signal Officer.
The following year he made his first acquaintance with the Pentagon when
he was assigned to OCSigO as Requirements Officer for Aircraft Warning
Equipment. The Air Corps took over this job and Colonel McCrary’s
next chore was to represent the Army on committees charged with
supervising communications procedures throughout the services, and their
British counterparts. For his part in this work, he received the
Legion of Merit.
In January 1944, Colonel McCrary went to the European Theater of
Operations where he was Commanding Officer of the 3103rd Signal Service
Battalion, part of the Twelfth Army Group, and achieved the rank of
lieutenant colonel.
Following the cessation of hostilities, he returned to Washington and
headed the first Career Management Branch of the Army Signal Corps.
This tour of duty lasted until 1947 when he left to attend the Armed
Forces Industrial College.
Upon completion of this course, Colonel McCrary was assigned, in 1948,
as a member of the Special Joint Planning Group in the Pentagon which
made plans for the Continental United States’ defense.
Overseas duty was again on the agenda for Colonel McCrary in 1950 with
assignment to London and the Joint American Military Advisory Group, U.
S. representatives in NATO planning.
The London headquarters was moved in 1952 to Frankfurt, Germany, and
became the Military Assistance Division of USEUCOM. Col. McCrary,
as liaison officer with the NATO Annual Review Group, shuttled between
Paris and the headquarters in Germany. This international
commuting stopped in September 1953 when he returned to the U. S. for
the assignment to Fort Gordon.
Excerpted from InFocus, July 1958; posted December 24, 2007; updated
January 30 and June 11, 2019.
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