McNair, Lesley (James) (1883–1944)

US soldier. A 1904 West Point graduate, he served with Gen John Pershing's expedition into Mexico (1916–17) and then at Pershing's headquarters in France in World War I. Making his way through a series of command posts, by March 1942 he was commanding general of the army ground forces; he supervised the mobilization and training of more than 3 million US soldiers and exercised his authority to keep the infantry at the core of the army. As commanding general of the First Army group, he went to Normandy, France, after the invasion, and was killed there on 25 July 1944, by US bombs falling short of their target. McNair was born in Verndale, Minnesota.