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General Robert W. “Bob” Sennewald, Retired

BOB SENNEWALD (Jan 1947)

Robert Sennewald was a member of the Student Council, Routh Rider staff, played football and baseball and also played rugby in a Forest Park league.  In 1947, he entered Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa.  He was a distinguished graduate in 1951 and was commissioned a second lieutenant in field artillery.

Robert served in combat in Korea and commanded artillery batteries in Europe and the United States.  In Vietnam, he led the 6th Battalion, 15th Artillery Infantry Division from March 1968 to April 1969.  He served in Washington,DC on the Department of the Army and the Joint Staff.  Sennewald attended the National War College in 1971 and obtained his Master’s degree in International Relations from George Washington University.  In May 1974, Colonel Sennewald commanded the division artillery, 4th Infantry Division, at Fort Carson, Colorado.  He was promoted to Major General in July 1978 and commanded the Army Training Center at Fort Dix, New Jersey.  In 1980, he began four and one half years in the Pacific.  He was assigned as the Assistant Command, joint operations, chief of operations for the ROK (Republic of Korea)/U.S. Forces in Korea.  He was promoted to Lieutenant General in July of 1981 and assigned to Camp Smith, Hawaii, the joint headquarters of all U.S. forces in the Pacific Theater where he served as the Deputy Commander in Chief.  Promoted to the rank of general, he returned to Korea and assumed the duties of Commander In Chief of the United Nations Command and combined forces of ROK/U.S. forces in June 1982.  Two years later, on June 18, 1984, he assumed Commanding General, U.S. Army Forces Command, including all active operational forces in the U.S. and all Army reserve units. Sennewald retired June 30, 1986.

Robert has since served as a consultant on national security issues to the Department of Defense, private industry and senior review panel for the Director of Central Intelligence.  He was chairman of the board for the Armed Forces YMCA and chairman of the board for the Army/Air Force Mutual Aid Association.  He was also on the board of directors for the Campagnia Center, a non-profit group dealing with disadvantaged youth.  Sennewald helped with the Korean War commemoration display, exhibiting sacrafices by veterans in those battles.

Robert’s wife, Nancy (Vance) Sennewald, died in 2003.  She is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.  He is the father of one son and two daughters.  He remarried Susan Horn and they live in an 1840 house in historic Alexandria, Virginia.

General Sennewald passed away on March 17, 2023, and was interred at Arlington National Cemetery on July 25, 2023.

For additional information, you may Google his name.

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