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David E. Leue

Born

in Santa Ana (California), The United States

January 18, 1928

Died

January 25, 2015

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David E. Leue was born in Santa Ana, California to Ernest and Emily Leue’. His youth was spent in California playing on the beach on Balboa Island and his beloved Sierras up in Yosemite.

After his father’s death when he was 12, Leue went to live with his aunt and uncle in Winnetka, Illinois for a few years and later moved to Buffalo, NY to live with his mother and sister where he graduated from Buffalo Technical High School.

In 1946, Leue was accepted into the Navy's V-5 program and that summer began attending the University of Buffalo, followed by flight training in 1948 at NAS Pensacola, Florida which began his 32 year naval career. He received his Bachelor Degree in Physics from the University of California, Berkley in 1959 and a double David E. Leue was born in Santa Ana, California to Ernest and Emily Leue’. His youth was spent in California playing on the beach on Balboa Island and his beloved Sierras up in Yosemite.

After his father’s death when he was 12, Leue went to live with his aunt and uncle in Winnetka, Illinois for a few years and later moved to Buffalo, NY to live with his mother and sister where he graduated from Buffalo Technical High School.

In 1946, Leue was accepted into the Navy's V-5 program and that summer began attending the University of Buffalo, followed by flight training in 1948 at NAS Pensacola, Florida which began his 32 year naval career. He received his Bachelor Degree in Physics from the University of California, Berkley in 1959 and a double Master of Arts Degree in Engineering and Industrial Technology from the California State University, Fresno in 1979.

Dave’s naval career as a carrier pilot included flying over 30 different aircraft beginning in 1948 with his first solo carrier landing on the USS Wright off of Pensacola, Florida and culminated with his last carrier landing in an A7, Corsair II on the USS Midway in 1976 off of Naples, Italy.

Leue survived 332 combat missions in the Korean War and the Vietnam War earning four Distinguished Flying Crosses, a Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal with 26 Stars, three Navy Commendation Medals, Korean PUC, China Service, Korean Theater 7 Stars, U.N. Ribbon, and National Defense Medal. He was the Commanding Officer of VA-153 in Vietnam on board the USS Constellation in 1966 and was Captain of the USS Canisteo, an underway replenishment ship from 1972-1974. At his last duty station he served as Chief of Staff at NAS Lemoore, California. He retired as a Captain in 1977.

Leue started Leue Solar in 1982, a solar energy efficiency business years ahead of his time. He was the President, of ASHRAE, San Joaquin Chapter, 1983-1984. In 1984, he began his thirteen year career as a Professor at Fresno State in Construction Management in the school of Engineering.

In 1992, Leue was hired part-time with PG&E as an engineering sales representative, which was extended to full time and lasted 20 years until he retired in 2011 at the age of 83. Dave then devoted himself full time to writing. He developed his writing style under the tutelage of Janice Stevens and her Writing for Publication group in Clovis, California. He published his memoirs in two books, 'Korean Combat' and 'Vietnam Combat'.

Leue had been married twice. He married Jane Louise Febrey on June 30, 1951 in Buffalo, New York. They had seven children together and had 37 years together before Jane passed away from cancer in 1988. Leue later remarried Stella Irigoyen Hinds, in Clovis, California who had four children of her own. They remained married for 25 years until Leue's death. ...more