Alvin Roubal Luedecke (10 October 1910 – 9 August 1998) was a

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

general during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. He commanded the

Armed Forces Special Weapons Project The Armed Forces Special Weapons Project (AFSWP) was a United States military agency responsible for those aspects of nuclear weapons remaining under military control after the Manhattan Project was succeeded by the Atomic Energy Commission on ...

after the war. After retiring from the Air Force in 1958, he was General Manager of the

United States Atomic Energy Commission The United States Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) was an agency of the United States government established after World War II by U.S. Congress to foster and control the peacetime development of atomic science and technology. President ...

, Deputy Director of the

Jet Propulsion Laboratory The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is a federally funded research and development center and NASA field center in the City of La Cañada Flintridge, California, United States. Founded in the 1930s by Caltech researchers, JPL is owned by NASA an ...

and President of

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...

Early life and career

Alvin Roubal Luedecke was born in

Eldorado, Texas Eldorado ( , -) is a city in and the county seat of Schleicher County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,951 at the 2010 census. Eldorado is located on U.S. Highway 277 some north of Sonora and south of San Angelo, Texas. Geograph ...

, on 1 October 1910, the oldest of eight children of John H. Luedecke, a rancher, and his wife Lizzie. He grew up on the family ranch. He earned a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...

degree in chemical engineering from the

Texas A&M Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...

in 1932. Luedecke was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the field artillery reserve on 28 May 1932, and was posted to Camp Bullis, Texas, on

Reserve Officers' Training Corps The Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC ( or )) is a group of college- and university-based officer-training programs for training commissioned officers of the United States Armed Forces. Overview While ROTC graduate officers serve in al ...

duty. He became a flying cadet on 21 February 1933. After completing his flight training at the Primary Flying School at Randolph Field, Texas, and the Advanced Flying School Bomber course at March Field, California, and Hamilton Field, California, he received a reserve commission as a second lieutenant in the

United States Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical r ...

on 20 February 1935. Luedecke was posted to the

11th Bombardment Squadron An international call prefix, international dial-out code or international direct dial code (IDD code) is a trunk prefix that indicates an international phone call. In the dialling sequence, the prefix precedes the country calling code (and, furt ...

at Hamilton Field. The next year he became group operations and intelligence officer of the 7th Bombardment Group there. On 1 October 1938 he was commissioned as a regular second lieutenant in the Army Air Corps, and was posted to the

25th Bombardment Squadron Fifth is the Ordinal number (linguistics), ordinal form of the number 5, five. Fifth or The Fifth may refer to: * Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, as in the expression "pleading the Fifth" * Fifth column, a political term * Fifth ...

France Field France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

in the Panama Canal Zone.

World War II

Luedecke was assistant military attaché for Air to Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Panama and Nicaragua from 23 January 1940 to 19 August 1942. He then became executive air officer at the field office of the Military Intelligence Services, Quarry Heights in the Panama Canal Zone. There he was promoted to captain on 1 February 1942, major on 19 November 1942, and lieutenant colonel on 5 January 1943. That month he returned to the United States as chief of the Operations Branch, Air Control Group, American Intelligence Command at Miami Beach, Florida. The next month he became chief of the Latin American Branch, American Intelligence Command. For his service in Central America, he was awarded the Colombian Order of Boyaca. On 12 May 1943 he was appointed deputy commander of the 39th Bombardment Group, based at Davis-Monthan Field, Arizona. He became executive officer of the

16th Bombardment Operations Training Wing The 540th Combat Crew Replacement Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last active in 1946 at Colorado Springs, assigned to Continental Air Forces. History Prewar The 16th Bombardment Wing was first activated at Langley Fie ...

there on 27 June, with a promotion to

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

on 22 July 1943. In August 1943 he was appointed Chief of the Operations and Training Section of the Army Air Forces in the India-Burma Sector of the

China-Burma-India Theater China Burma India Theater (CBI) was the United States military designation during World War II for the China and Southeast Asian or India–Burma (IBT) theaters. Operational command of Allied forces (including U.S. forces) in the CBI was offi ...

. On 18 August 1944 he was promoted to

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

at the age of 33. He became Deputy Chief of Staff in November 1944. In July 1945 he was made Assistant Chief of Air Staff for Plans, Operations, Training and Intelligence in the China Theater. For his service in China, he was awarded the Chinese

Order of the Cloud and Banner The Order of the Cloud and Banner () also known as the Order of the Resplendent Banner is a military award of the Republic of China. It was instituted on June 15, 1935 and is awarded in nine grades for contributions to national security. The insig ...

. He was also given a British

mention in despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

and made a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

. He was awarded the Legion of Merit on 8 January 1944, with an

oak leaf cluster An oak leaf cluster is a ribbon device to denote preceding decorations and awards consisting of a miniature bronze or silver twig of four oak leaves with three acorns on the stem. It is authorized by the United States Armed Forces for a speci ...

on 25 October 1945, the Bronze Star Medal on 19 November 1945, and the

Commendation Ribbon The Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military decoration presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. Each branch of the United States Armed Forces issues its own version of the Commendation Medal, with a fifth ...

on 29 May 1946. He was also awarded an honorary

Legum Doctor Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation refers to the ear ...

(LLD) degree by Texas A&M in 1946.

Cold War

Luedecke returned to the United States in February 1946, and was assigned to the Joint War Plans Committee in Washington, D.C., as the senior Army Air Force member. On 22 October 1947 he became Assistant Director of the Joint Strategic Plans Group. On 14 June 1949 he was posted to the Military Liaison Committee of the

as executive military secretary. On 16 March 1951 he became the Air Force Deputy Chief of the

. After the Chief of the Armed Forces Special Weapons Project, Major General Herbert B. Loper, had a heart attack and was forced to retire, Luedecke stepped up to become chief, with the rank of major general. Starting with

Operation Crossroads Operation Crossroads was a pair of nuclear weapon tests conducted by the United States at Bikini Atoll in mid-1946. They were the first nuclear weapon tests since Trinity in July 1945, and the first detonations of nuclear devices since the ...

in 1946, the practice had been to form a joint task force to plan and conduct each series of nuclear tests in the Pacific. When they became more frequent, the Joint Chiefs created Joint Task Force 7 as a permanent body. Luedecke assumed command of Joint Task Force 7 on 1 April 1957. On 10 June he was succeeded as Chief of the Armed Forces Special Weapons Project by Rear Admiral Edward N. Parker, but remained commander of Joint Task Force 7. As such, he was responsible for the planning, preparation and conduct of

Operation Hardtack I Operation Hardtack I was a series of 35 nuclear tests conducted by the United States from April 28 to August 18 in 1958 at the Pacific Proving Grounds. At the time of testing, the Operation Hardtack I test series included more nuclear detonation ...

and

Operation Hardtack II Operation Hardtack II was a series of 37 nuclear tests conducted by the United States in 1958 at the Nevada Test Site. These tests followed the ''Operation Argus'' series and preceded the '' Operation Nougat'' series. With test moratoriums on ...

. For his services, he was awarded the

Air Force Distinguished Service Medal The Air Force Distinguished Service Medal (AFDSM) is a military decoration of the United States Air Force and United States Space Force and is presented to airmen and guardians to recognize distinguished and exceptionally meritorious service to ...

Later life

Luedecke retired from the Air Force in 1958 to replace

Kenneth D. Nichols Major General Kenneth David Nichols CBE (13 November 1907 – 21 February 2000), also known by Nick, was an officer in the United States Army, and a civil engineer who worked on the secret Manhattan Project, which developed the atomic bomb d ...

as General Manager of the Atomic Energy Commission. In 1964 Luedecke was appointed Deputy Director of the

. Over the next three years he worked on the unmanned

Ranger A Ranger is typically someone in a military/paramilitary or law enforcement role specializing in patrolling a given territory, called “ranging”. The term most often refers to: * Park ranger or forest ranger, a person charged with protecting and ...

Mariner A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship. The profession of the ...

, Surveyor and Voyager space exploration programs. For his services to NASA, he was awarded the

NASA Exceptional Service Medal The NASA Exceptional Service Medal is an award granted to U.S. government employees for significant sustained performance characterized by unusual initiative or creative ability that clearly demonstrates substantial improvement in engineering, ae ...

in 1968. That year he returned to Texas A&M as an associate dean of engineering, engineering research coordinator and associate director of the Texas Engineering Experiment Station. He became acting president for seven months after the death of

Earl Rudder James Earl Rudder (May 6, 1910 – March 23, 1970) was a United States Army major general. As a lieutenant colonel, he commanded the historic Pointe du Hoc battle during the Invasion of Normandy. He also commanded the US troops at the Battle of ...

in 1970. He then served as executive vice president for six years. A science building on the campus was named in his honor in 1994. He died in

San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

, on 8 August 1998 and was buried at

Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery in the city of San Antonio in Bexar County, Texas. Administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, it encompasses , and as of 2014, had over 144,000 interme ...

in San Antonio. He was survived by his wife Isabelle, son, Alvin R. Luedecke Jr., daughters Jan Lee Maynard and Miriam Luedecke, and six sisters.

Notes

References

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Luedecke, Alvin 1910 births 1998 deaths Honorary Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Recipients of the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal Recipients of the Legion of Merit People from Eldorado, Texas Texas A&M University alumni United States Air Force generals United States Army Air Forces pilots of World War II Presidents of Texas A&M University Texas A&M University faculty Burials at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery Military personnel from Texas 20th-century American academics