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New National Security Adviser Pick Hails From Philly

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- President Donald Trump has selected a man with Philadelphia ties to become the country's next National Security Adviser.

Army Lt. General H.R. McMaster was the selection. The President made the announcement on Monday in Florida.

McMaster was born in Philadelphia in 1962. He graduated from Valley Forge Military Academy in 1980.

The Academy's current president Colonel John Church Jr. knows the one-time company commander well.

"I met him when he was a major and I was a captain. The world's so small. I saw him again in Iraq when we were both serving over there. And then I met him a couple times through various events," he said.

He expects nothing but success for McMaster in his new role

"He was successful through his entire military career. He has a reputation for calling it like it is, speaking truth to power, being very forthright, and very empathetic towards the needs and issues of other individuals," Church said.

He says McMaster excelled in the classroom, on the athletic fields, and militarily while at Valley Forge.

After the announcement, Eyewitness News spoke with McMaster's dad who lives in Brookhaven, Delaware County.

 

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Herbert McMaster (credit: CBS 3)

"I'm very proud of him," said Herbert McMaster. "He has never disappointed anybody who knows him or he ever served with. He's been a real blessing and he'll do wonders for I hope the country in this job."

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McMaster replaces Lt. General Michael Flynn who resigned last week amid controversy over misleading the vice president regarding communications with Russia.

KYW's Andrew Kramer contributed to this report.

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