Robert S. Lucas (July 6, 1930 – July 10, 2016) was a

rear admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

in the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mult ...

Biography

Lucas was born on July 6, 1930 in Hutchinson, Kansas. He graduated from Gresham High School in

Gresham, Oregon Gresham ( ) is a city located in Multnomah County, Oregon, in the United States of America, immediately east of Portland, Oregon. It is considered a suburb within the Greater Portland Metropolitan area. Though it began as a settlement in the mid- ...

before graduating from the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

Career

Lucas graduated from the United States Coast Guard Academy in 1952. He then served aboard , , and . From 1960 to 1962, Lucas served aboard . He returned to ''Wachusett'' to serve as executive officer. In 1967, Lucas assumed command of the cutter. During this time, ''Wachusett'' was deployed to serve in the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

, with

Coast Guard Squadron Three The coast, also known as the coastline or seashore, is defined as the area where land meets the ocean, or as a line that forms the boundary between the land and the coastline. The Earth has around of coastline. Coasts are important zones in n ...

as a part of

Operation Market Time Operation Market Time was the United States Navy, Republic of Vietnam Navy and Royal Australian Navy operation begun in 1965 to stop the flow of troops, war material, and supplies by sea, coast, and rivers, from North Vietnam into parts of Sout ...

. Afterwards, Lucas was stationed in

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

. While there, he supervised the construction of , , and . In 1980, he assumed command of the United States Coast Guard Yard. Afterwards, Lucas became chief of the Office of Engineering of the Coast Guard. Awards he received during his career include the

Navy Presidential Unit Citation The Presidential Unit Citation (PUC), originally called the Distinguished Unit Citation, is awarded to units of the uniformed services of the United States, and those of allied countries, for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enem ...

, the Coast Guard Unit Commendation, the

Bronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

, the

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...

, the Meritorious Service Medal, the

Coast Guard Commendation Medal The Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military decoration presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. Each branch of the United States Armed Forces issues its own version of the Commendation Medal, with a fifth ...

, the National Defense Service Medal, the

Coast Guard Arctic Service Medal The Coast Guard Arctic Service Medal was established on 20 May 1976 by Commandant of the Coast Guard Admiral Owen W. Siler. The medal is awarded to any member of the United States Coast Guard who performs twenty-one days of non-consecutive duty ...

, the Vietnam Service Medal, the Vietnamese Gallantry Cross and the Vietnam Campaign Medal.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lucas, Robert S. 1930 births 2016 deaths People from Hutchinson, Kansas People from Gresham, Oregon United States Coast Guard admirals Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Gallantry Cross (Vietnam) United States Coast Guard personnel of the Vietnam War United States Coast Guard Academy alumni Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni Gresham High School (Oregon) alumni Military personnel from Oregon