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View a eulogy for Arthur William Oberbeck, USMA '37, who passed away on September 7, 1989.

Arthur William Oberbeck

West Point, 1937

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by D. R. Johnson (Formerly) 531st Transportation Company on December 11, 2003:

He was truely one of the great generals. I was sorry to come and check online and finding out about his passing. Below is his resume as of January 3 1963.

Major General Arthur William Oberbeck - Commanding General 1ST Infantry Division

Arthur W. Oberbeck was born in Chicago, Illinois, 13 January 1912. He graduated from Lane Technical High School and attended the Armour Institute of Technology in Chicago for three years until his appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point. He graduated at the top of his class in 1937 and was commissioned in the CVorps. of Engineers. He recieved a Master of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of California in 1940.

When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. General Oberbeck was on duty with the 3d Engineers at Schofield Barracks. For most of the next three years he was commander of the unit and Division Engineer of the 24th Infantry Division in the Central and Southwest Pacific areas. In late 1944, he was assigned in the officeof the Chief Engineer in General MacArthur's headquarters, serving in New Guinea and the Philippines until the end of the war.

Following World War II, General Oberbeck began work in our atomic energy program with his assignment to the Manhattan Engineer District in 1945. Since then his work with atomic weapons has covered many aspects of the program. He commanded two national atomic weapons storage sites, trained service units in the handling of atomic weapons, worked on atomic energy and guided missle strategic planning, and participated in research to determine the Army's requirements for atomic warfare.

Prior to assuming command of the 1st Infantry Division and Fort Riley, he was the Director of Coordination and Analysis in the Office of the Chief of Staff, United States Army for two and one-half years, coordinating Army policy and long-range planning and conducting special research for the Chief of Staff and the Secretary of the Army.

He assumed command of the 1st Infantry Division and Fort Riley, Kansas, 3 January 1963

 
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