MAJOR GENERAL ALVIN LOUIS PACHYNSKI Alvin Louis Pachynski was born in Chicago, Ill., in 1904. He graduated from Crane Technical High School, Chicago, Ill., in 1922 and entered Crane Junior College. In 1923 he received a Congressional appointment to the U.S. Military Academy. He graduated from the academy in 1927. He received his master of science degree from Yale University in 1928 and graduated from the Company Officers' Course, Signal Corps School, at Fort Monmouth, N.J., in 1929. Lieutenant Pachynski's first assignment was that of project officer, Sound and Light Section, Signal Corps Laboratories, engaged in development of underwater sound ranging systems and research in wire recorder techniques. While in Panama from 1931 to 1933 he established important radio nets including an aircraft warning net, certainly one of the first so employed. From 1933 to 1937 he worked for the chief signal officer in Washington, numbering among his many projects the installation of the WE 10-channel 400-watt ground set (first set specialized in aviation use). Between 1937 and 1940 he was with the Third Signal Company, two years as commanding officer. In 1940, General Pachynski became one of those Signal Corps pioneers to whom the Air Force owes a great deal. He was the first commander of the 4th ACW Company -- organizing, equipping and training it from scratch and gleaning much important doctrine and operational experience for later use. When World War II started, he was given more than 3,000 8-weeks trainees and 150 officers, mostly inexperienced. He welded them into an aircraft warning signal regiment, an aircraft warning signal battalion, two aircraft warning reporting companies and two aircraft warning construction companies. From late 1942 until VJ-Day he served throughout the Southwest Pacific, serving as signal officer, Fifth Air Force and Allied Air Forces, Southwest Pacific area and Air Communications Officer, Ear East Air Forces where he planned, organized and established wire and radio communications and aircraft control and warning systems initially in and between Australia and East New Guinea and expanding through New Guinea, the Philippines, Okinawa and finally to Tokyo, Japan, and connecting with the Air Forces, Central Pacific. From 1945 to 1949, with one year at the National War College, he was chief of the Plans and Policies Division, Directorate of Communications, Headquarters, U.S. Air Force. From 1949 to 1952 General Pachynski was commanding officer, Watson Laboratories and director of electronic development and vice commander, Air Force Rome Air Development Center where he was responsible for the administration and technical supervision of laboratories conducting research and development for all ground communications electronics equipment and systems required by the Air Force. He also planned and organized the move of Watson Laboratories (1,500 people, 50 percent engineering and technical personnel) from Red Bank, N.J., to Rome, N.Y. From 1953 to 1958 General Pachynski served as director and deputy director of Communications-Electronics, Headquarters U.S. Air Force. General Pachynski's actual date of retirement was July 31, 1957 but he was requested and agreed to stay on for another year.