Robert William Sennewald

Sennewald

Robert William Sennewald

Born on November 21, 1929 in St. Louis, Missouri and died on March 17, 2023 at Ft. Belvoir. Virginia

General Sennewald was the only child of Mabel and Ferdenand Sennewald. He was raised in St. Louis and went on to graduate from Iowa State University with a Bachelor of Science degree. He was named a distinguished military graduate and commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army in 1951. He went almost immediately to join the conflict in Korea. He was a graduate of the National Defense University and held a Master's degree from George Washington University. General Sennewald was preceded in death by his first wife, Nancy Sennewald, and his stepson Stephen Quatannens. He is survived by his wife, Susan Horne of Alexandria, and three children by his first marriage: Steven Sennewald of Bozman, Montana; Ann Sennewald of Alexandria, Virginia; and Julie Sennewald of Seattle, Washington as well as a daughter-in-law Eileen Quatannens of Alexandria, and a stepson John Quatannens of San Francisco. He is also survived by two grandchildren in whom he took a very special interest, Madeline and Connor Quatannens of Alexandria.

Over a 35 year career, General Sennewald rose from Second Lt. to Four-Star General, holding two four-star commands: Commanding General, US Army Forces Command and Commander in Chief, UN Command/Commander in Chief, Combined Forces Command/Commander, US Forces Korea/Commander, Eighth US Army. In his earlier career, he served in numerous troop assignments including combat in Korea and command of artillery batteries in Europe and the United States. In Vietnam, he commanded the 6th Battalion, 15th Artillery, 1st Infantry Division from March 1968 to April 1969. He then served in staff assignments within Headquarters, Department of the Army and the Joint Staff. From May 1974 to February 1976, General Sennewald commanded the 4th Infantry Division Artillery at Ft. Carson, Colorado. In May 1976, he was promoted to Brigadier General, then serving as the Deputy Director, Politico/Military Affairs, Joint Staff J-5. He was promoted to Major General in September 1978 and assigned as Commanding General of the US Army Training Center and Ft. Dix, New Jersey. In 1980, he began a tour of over four years in the Pacific, starting as the Assistant Chief of Staff, C3/J3 (Operations), for the Eighth US Army/UN Command/US Forces Korea/Combined Forces Command Korea. He was promoted to Lieutenant General in July 1981 and assigned to Camp Smith, Hawaii, at the joint headquarters of US Forces in the Pacific, where he served as Deputy Commander in Chief, US Pacific Command. After promotion to General in May 1982, he returned to Korea as the Commander in Chief, UN Command/Commander in Chief, Combined Forces Command/Commander, US Forces Korea/Commander, Eighth US Army. Two years later, he became the Commanding General for US Forces Command headquartered at Ft. McPherson, Georgia. He retired from active duty in June 1986.

In retirement, General Sennewald continued his life of service to his country, the community and the Army. He served on the board of the Armed Services YMCA, served on and chaired the Board of the American Armed Forces Mutual Aid Association from 1995 to 2006, acted as the trustee of his church, the Old Presbyterian Meeting House, and was a Senior Mentor in the National Defense University's Capstone Program. He also served on several city of Alexandria commissions focused on children and preservation of Alexandria's history as well as the Board of the Campagna Center. He was elected a member of the Cosmos Club in 2010. His favorite job in the civilian world was as a member of the Central Intelligence Agency's Senior Review Panel. He and his wife traveled widely, enjoying friends and each other. He loved his family, his friends and his country. He was the kindest and most thoughtful of men and will be dearly missed.

Services will be held at the Old Post Chapel at Fort Myer on July 25, 2023 at 1 p.m., followed by interment in the Arlington National Cemetery.