Bio
As the Chief of Staff, The Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia, during the Korean War, COL Karlstad created a center to train airborne Ranger companies. While converting it into an infantry junior leader course (today’s Ranger School), he met BG Robert A. McClure, Army Chief of Psychological Warfare (Psywar), who by-name requested him to lead the new Army Psywar Center at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. His prior service record made him a natural fit for the job.
MAJ Karlstad fought in the 338th Machine Gun Battalion, 88th Infantry Division (Haute-Alsace Sector and Meuse-Argonne Offensive) in WWI. COL Karlstad later led the 62nd Armored Regiment, 14th Armored Division, that spearheaded the Seventh Army assault across France into Germany. While racing to seize the Isar River bridges, BG Karlstad discovered the largest Allied POW camp at Moosburg, and freed 110,000 prisoners.
On 27 May 1952, COL Karlstad began work to get service school status for the Psywar Center. He produced quality Programs of Instruction, set high education standards, promulgated Psywar and Special Forces doctrine, established a qualification course, and prepared TO&Es to garner Army support. Following these successful efforts, BG Karlstad retired on 31 July 1953. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
