Arthur Gilbert Trudeau (5 July 1902 – 5 June 1991) was a

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

. He is best known for his command of the 7th Infantry Division during the Battle of Pork Chop Hill in the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

Early life and education

Trudeau was born in

Middlebury, Vermont Middlebury is the shire town (county seat) of Addison County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,152. Middlebury is home to Middlebury College and the Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History and the adjacent ...

, on 5 July 1902, and entered the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

at West Point in 1920. He graduated in the Class of 1924 and later served in the 104th Engineers of the

New Jersey National Guard The New Jersey Army National Guard consists of more than 6,000 Citizen-Soldiers. The New Jersey Army National Guard is currently engaged in multiple worldwide and homeland missions. Units have deployed to Iraq, Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Guantan ...

Career

In 1944, Trudeau was promoted to brigadier general. Considered a specialist in amphibious warfare as the prior chief of staff of the Engineer Amphibian Command, he assumed command of a secret base in the Philippines in 1945, assisting in the preparation for an invasion of Japan that never happened. In January 1946, Trudeau was appointed as a judge at the military tribunal of Gen. Masaharu Homma in view of the

war crimes A war crime is a violation of the laws of war that gives rise to individual criminal responsibility for actions by combatants in action, such as intentionally killing civilians or intentionally killing prisoners of war, torture, taking hos ...

committed by his command during the invasion of the Philippines, sitting on the bench along with Major General Leo Donovan, Major General

Basilio Valdes Basilio José Segundo "Basil" Pica Valdes (July 10, 1892 – January 26, 1970) was a Filipino doctor, general and minister. Valdes was chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1939, and was in 1941 appoin ...

, Brig. Gen. Robert G. Gard, and Brig. Gen. Warren H. McNaught. After the war, he served in Germany, before becoming deputy commander of the

United States Army War College The United States Army War College (USAWC) is a U.S. Army staff college in Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania, with a Carlisle postal address, on the 500-acre (2 km2) campus of the historic Carlisle Barracks. It provides graduate-level instru ...

in 1950. During the Korean War, Trudeau commanded the 1st Cavalry Division, and later the 7th Infantry Division. He received the

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against a ...

by personally leading a reconnaissance team to scout a strategic position, Pork Chop Hill, while it was under heavy enemy fire. He was named chief of army intelligence in October 1953, but was relieved of his command 20 months later when Allen W. Dulles,

Director of Central Intelligence The director of central intelligence (DCI) was the head of the American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) from 1946 to 2004, acting as the principal intelligence advisor to the president of the United States and the United States National Se ...

, sent a scathing memorandum of complaints to

the Pentagon The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense, in Arlington County, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. The building was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As ...

. Although the contents of the memorandum were not made public, Trudeau was noted for his vigorous

anti-Communist Anti-communism is political and ideological opposition to communist beliefs, groups, and individuals. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in Russia, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, when th ...

statements, and he often clashed with other government officials over their differing views of communist intentions. He returned to Korea to take command of I Corps. On 18 October 1956, Trudeau was promoted to

.Engineer Memoirs, Lieut. Gen. Arthur Trudeau - USACE Publications
/ref> In 1958, he returned to Washington as director of Army research and development.

Later life and death

Upon retirement from the army in 1962, Trudeau went on to head Gulf Labs of the Gulf Oil Corporation in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

until 1968. He then served as a special adviser to the chairman of Pittsburgh's

Rockwell International Rockwell International was a major American manufacturing conglomerate (company), conglomerate. It was involved in aircraft, the space industry, defense and commercial electronics, components in the automotive industry, printing presses, avioni ...

aerospace firm until 1972. Throughout his military service, Trudeau was an outspoken advocate of racial integration of the military. He also said it was in the nation's best interests that educational opportunities be provided for the disadvantaged so they could take advantage of new career openings. Trudeau is a member of the Military Intelligence Hall of Fame. Trudeau died on 5 June 1991, in

Chevy Chase, Maryland Chevy Chase () is the colloquial name of an area that includes a town, several incorporated villages, and an unincorporated census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland; and one adjoining neighborhood in northwest Washington, D ...

, and was buried at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia. ...

Awards and decorations

* Distinguished Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters *

with oak leaf cluster *

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States military, military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievemen ...

Bronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious a ...

Air Medal The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight. Criteria The Air Medal was establi ...

* Philippine Liberation Medal * Commander of the Order of Leopold II * Order of Boyacá *

Order of the Rising Sun The is a Japanese honors system, Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge feat ...

* Knight Commander of the Order of the Sword * United Nations Medal

References

External links

* * *Arthur Trudeau's

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

files, hosted at the

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...

:
Part 1

Part 1A

Part 2Arlington National Cemetery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Trudeau, Arthur United States Army generals 1902 births 1991 deaths United States Army personnel of the Korean War United States Military Academy alumni United States Army War College alumni People from Middlebury, Vermont Military personnel from Vermont New Jersey National Guard personnel Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Articles containing video clips United States Army generals of World War II Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Commanders of the Order of Leopold II Recipients of the Air Medal Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun Recipients of the Order of the Sword