Military Leaders: The Life of Colonel McBride

Introduction. Common Attributes of military leaders are just that, common. The accomplished Generals, Colonels and Majors that contributed to the most successful wars of our country have been molded a certain way. They are molded through vigorous training both in scholastic training and in the field along with rigorous mentorship. Colonel Lewis McBride was a rare exception to the rule. As a renowned Chemical museum curator so distinctively puts it, he was, without a doubt, one of the most interesting and industrious officers in the history of the US Army Chemical Corps.

The kindling of invention. Before the he chemical core was known as CBRN(Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear), back when the Chemical Warfare Service was labeled CWS, Colonel McBride chipped away at the barriers at the complexities of our chemical weapons and made a huge impact through his research to go along with it. Although Colonel McBride was predominately self taught, he began his success as an electrical engineer. The beginning of his military career started in 1904 when he was 25 years old. He accepted a commission to the National Guard in Colorado. Shortly after, World War I began and he transitioned to the Corps of Engineers. Sixteen years later, CPT McBride at the moment, moved on to the CWS thus began his dexterity for invention. This along with his interest in chemistry was a huge impact in the development of many weapons.

Greatest inventions. CPT McBride was assigned to Edgewood Arsenal, Maryland and started redesigning the 4-inch Stokes mortar. This mortar is named after Frederick W.S. Stokes who was an English inventor. Although the 4-inch Stokes mortar was an effective short-range weapon and it was capable of firing chemical-filled sh...

... middle of paper ...

... W. (1959). From laboratory to field (1st ed.). Washington,

DC: Office of the Chief of Military History, Dep. of the Army.

3Brophy, L. (1959). The Chemical Warfare Service (1st ed.). Washington: Office of the Chief of

Military History, Dept. of the Army.

4Brophy, L., & Fisher, G. (1959). Organizing for war (1st ed.). Washington, DC: Office of the

Chief of Military History, Dep. of the Army.

5Lindberg, K. (n.d.). Soldier, machinist, inventor, patriot--the legacy of Colonel Lewis McBride.

- Free Online Library. Retrieved May 17, 2014, from http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Soldier,+machinist,+inventor,+patriot--the+legacy+of+Colonel+Lewis...-a0137875684.

6Mauroni, A. (2014). The U.S. Army Chemical Corps | The Campaign for the National Museum of the United States Army. Armyhistory.org. Retrieved 16 May 2014, from https://armyhistory.org/09/the-u-s-army-chemical-corps/