(The Story of the Bushmasters is the history of the 158th ...)
The Story of the Bushmasters is the history of the 158th Regimental Combat Team which Douglas MacArthur calls "the greatest fighting combat team that ever deployed for battle." Although their organization was one of the first combat units in the Pacific war, the Bushmasters received little publicity and all too little recognition for their campaigns. After softening up New Britain for the Marines, securing landing areas for paratroops on Noemfoor, being relieved by entire divisions in the toughest fighting of the war, the 158th was selected to spearhead the invasion of Japan, under orders to go in two days ahead of D-Day to silence Japanese air-warning stations south of Kyushu.
The A.E.F. Of A Conscientious Subaltern Illustrated Edition
(A Short but very valuable memoir from a future General of...)
A Short but very valuable memoir from a future General of the American Army who faced his first baptism of first in the trenches of the First World War. Includes a number of sketches of the men with whom he served and the frontline.
“Memoir, 1917-1918. MacNider was a lieutenant in the 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Division. This short memoir provides vignettes of fighting near Soissons and St. Mihiel.”- p. 232, Edward Lengel, World War I Memories, 2004, The Scarecrow Press, Lanham Maryland, Toronto, Oxford.
Today MacNider is considered one of Iowa's greatest war heroes, wartime leaders, and an effective politician during the inter-war years. He is one of a very few individuals to be awarded three Distinguished Service Crosses.
Background
Hanford "Jack" Macnider was born on the 2nd of October 1889 in Mason City, Iowa, United States. He was the son of Charles Henry McNider, a banker, and May Elizabeth Hanford.
Until his teenage years, he used the name McNider. When it was discovered that his grandfather had dropped the "a, " his father, who was unable to change his own name because of legal complications, insisted that Hanford return to the original spelling.
Education
From 1903 to 1907 Hanford Macnider attended Milton Academy, a preparatory school in Massachusetts, then he attended Harvard University. While at Harvard, he was a member of the theatrical club Hasty Pudding and served as the editor of the Crimson, the Harvard college newspaper. Hanford Macnider finished his studies in 1911.
After graduation, Hanford Macnider returned to Mason City to work as a bookkeeper in his father’s bank. He joined the Iowa National Guard and served as a first lieutenant during the 1916-1917 Mexican Border Campaign. When the United States entered World War I, Hanford Macnider accepted a commission as a second lieutenant in the regular army and was assigned to the Ninth Infantry Regiment of the Second Division, but upon arriving in France was detached to teach in an officer candidate school behind the lines. After six months, Hanford Macnider left his post without permission to join his unit at the front. He served with distinction, rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel, and earned 13 medals, including two Distinguished Service Crosses.
After the war, Hanford Macnider returned to his father’s bank in Mason City and became active in the newly organized American Legion. He was elected state commander of the American Legion in 1920 and national commander in 1921. In 1928, after his father s death, Hanford Macnider again returned to Mason City to manage the family’s interests. During the Great Depression, he took control of the troubled Northwestern States Portland Cement Company in Mason City, returning it to profitability. He served as president of the company until 1960, building it into one of the nation’s largest cement producers.
In 1930 President Herbert Hoover appointed Hanford Macnider to be the U.S. envoy to Canada. Upon his arrival in Ottawa in August 1930, he created a stir and broke tradition by presenting his credentials while wearing his military uniform. His most notable success as Canadian envoy - he served until August 1932 - was to negotiate a treaty concerning the proposed St. Lawrence Seaway.
Throughout the 1930s Hanford Macnider continued his involvement in Republican Party politics. His name had been suggested as a vice presidential candidate in 1928 and 1932, and in 1940 he became Iowa’s "favorite son" candidate for the presidential nomination, although he received very little support from outside the state. An ardent isolationist, Hanford Macnider became an active member of the America First Committee but resigned three days before the attack on Pearl Harbor. After the attack, he went to the War Department in Washington and insisted on being recalled to active duty.
On August 17, 1942, Hanford Macnider was promoted to brigadier general and assigned to a staff position in New Guinea. In November of that year, he became the first American general to be wounded in the Pacific Theater. After a lengthy recuperation, during which doctors were unable to save the sight in his left eye, he returned to action and was given command of the 158th Regimental Combat Team ("The Bushmasters") in the Philippines. He continued to serve with distinction and received numerous awards and citations.
After the war, Hanford Macnider continued to serve in the army until he was required to retire in 1951, whereupon he returned to private life and his business interests in Mason City. In 1956 he was advanced to the rank of lieutenant general on the retired list.
(A Short but very valuable memoir from a future General of...)
Politics
His political views are clearly seen in his works. Hanford Macnider held to republican views, but first, he was saying: "I am not a politician and never was." In 1922 he declined an appointment by Governor Nathan Kendall to serve in the U.S. Senate. Although he did not consider himself a politician, Hanford Macnider became deeply involved in the Republican Party. In 1924 he founded the Republican Service League, which he used to support conservative candidates and causes. Drawing its membership primarily from Iowa Legionnaires, the league effectively functioned as a political action committee for the American Legion, which by its charter was required to be nonpartisan. MacNider’s prominence in Republican Party politics led to his appointment as assistant secretary of war, a position he held from 1925 to 1928.
Connections
Hanford Macnider was married and had three sons.
Father:
Charles H. MacNider
Mother:
May Cordelia Hanford MacNider
Spouse:
Margaret Elizabeth McAuley
Son:
Jack MacNider
Son:
Tom MacNider
Son:
Angus MacNider
References
Hudson, D., Bergman, M., & Horton, L. (Eds.) The biographical dictionary of Iowa