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2013 SESSION


HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 235
Celebrating the life of Brigadier General Earl C. Acuff.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 23, 2013

 

WHEREAS, Brigadier General Earl C. Acuff, the Commandant of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets from 1973 to 1980, died on February 13, 2013; and

WHEREAS, a native of Iowa, Earl Acuff learned to box as a young boy and became a Golden Gloves champion while in high school; he earned a full football scholarship to the University of Idaho, where he met his wife, Mary-Low, and enlisted in ROTC; and

WHEREAS, after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Earl Acuff was shipped to the Aleutian Islands in Alaska, where he served as the executive officer to the 1st Intelligence Combat Platoon; and

WHEREAS, Earl Acuff provided strong leadership as the unique unit scouted Japanese forces in the Aleutian Islands without resupply or personal contact with the outside world; after the war, the unit mapped the entire western coastline of Alaska; and

WHEREAS, Earl Acuff briefly left the military, working as a bush pilot, a big game guide, and a high school teacher in Anchorage before he was asked to rejoin the United States Army to teach Arctic survival skills; and

WHEREAS, Earl Acuff went on to serve as commander of the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry, 7th Infantry Division, and led the fight to defend Hills 255 and 266 during the Korean War; and

WHEREAS, Earl Acuff’s extraordinary valor resulted in his being awarded a Purple Heart, second Combat Infantryman Badge, a Silver Star with Oak Leaf Cluster, and a Bronze Star with four Oak Leaf Clusters and V for Valor; and

WHEREAS, Earl Acuff was a Master Parachutist who provided important insight as the United States Army revaluated its Ranger training program; in 1965 he became the oldest man to successfully graduate as a United States Army Ranger at the age of 47; and

WHEREAS, Earl Acuff then earned a master’s degree from George Washington University and worked for the United States Department of State before rejoining the battlefield as commander of the 3rd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division Republic of Vietnam, where he earned his third Combat Infantryman Badge; and

WHEREAS, in 1969 Earl Acuff became the Deputy Post Commander at the U.S. Army Infantry School; one year later, he joined the faculty at Virginia Tech as a military science instructor; and

WHEREAS, in 1974 Earl Acuff was promoted to Brigadier General and became the commandant of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets, where he continued the proud tradition of training young men and women to become the nation’s military leaders; and

WHEREAS, Earl Acuff also began a competitive career in racquetball, earning 20 gold medals at major national and international tournaments and induction into several halls of fame; and

WHEREAS, predeceased by his wife, Mary-Low, and son, William, Earl Acuff will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by his children, Thomas, Dan, Ardis, Rodney, Janice, Teresa, and Dawn, and their families; and numerous other family members, friends, and admirers; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Delegates hereby note with great sadness the loss of a distinguished military leader, Brigadier General Earl C. Acuff; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Brigadier General Earl C. Acuff, as an expression of the House of Delegates’ respect for his memory.