This Military Service Page was created/owned by
LTC Bob Thompson
to remember
Lutes, Leroy, LTG USA(Ret).
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Contact Info
Home Town Pittsfield
Date of Passing Jan 30, 1980
Location of Interment Arlington National Cemetery (VLM) - Arlington, Virginia
As the 3rd Army Assistant Chief of Staff for Logistics (G-4), then COL Lutes participated in the Louisiana manuevers.
Then BG Lutes commanded the 37th AAA BDE, based in Los Angeles, CA, from Nov 1941 to Mar 1942. On the night of Feb 24-25, 1942, the 37th AAA BDE shot over 1,440 AAA shells at phantom enemy aircraft. The 37th AAA BDE radars falsely indicated there were numerous Japanese aircraft flying over southern California. This action caused mass panic and confusion throughout the southern California area.
The War Department existed from 1789 until September 18, 1947, when it split into Department of the Army and Department of the Air Force and joined the Department of the Navy as part of the new joint National Military Establishment (NME), renamed the United States Department of Defense in 1949.
