Military Review English Edition May-June 2016 | Page 143

BOOK REVIEWS

In Memoriam
John J. McGrath
September 29, 1956March 30, 2016
Our staff at Military Review was deeply saddened
in March by the sudden passing of our friend and
colleague, John J. McGrath. John worked as a historian for our sister organization under the Army
Press, the Combat Studies Institute. A prolific author, he wrote numerous books, articles, and studies,
and was a recent contributor to our journal.
Before his tenure at the Combat Studies Institute,
John spent several years as an archivist and historian at the U.S. Army Center of Military History
in Washington, D.C. He also served for more than
twenty years as a commissioned officer in the active
Army and Army Reserve.
John’s gruff exterior hid a brilliant, incisive mind.
As a historian and writer, his research was meticulous and his attention to detail was exacting. He was
a perfectionist when it came to getting the story just
right; this was exemplified by his painstakingly thorough recounting of tactical-level operations.
John was highly regarded among military historians and Army leadership. His book The Brigade: A

MILITARY REVIEW  May-June 2016

History and his subsequent research paper on that
topic were influential in Army-level plans for the future brigade structure. He was also one of the few
historians who wrote about small-unit actions in
Afghanistan.
A private man, John was a voracious reader and a
rabid fan of all Boston sports teams. He was fiercely
opinionated and defended his opinions passionately, and he could be brutally honest. But, he was also
highly principled, hardworking, focused, and totally
dedicated to the Army.
John McGrath will be sorely missed and fondly
remembered.

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