Carl Reddel Obituary

Carl W.
Reddel
May 31, 1937
July 10, 2025

Carl W. Reddel, 88, a retired Air Force brigadier general and resident of Colorado Springs, Colorado, passed away peacefully on Thursday, July 10, 2025, at his home surrounded by his family.
During his 36-year Air Force career, Reddel held numerous positions in various locations around the world. He entered the Air Force as a Distinguished Graduate of Officer Training School in 1962. His first assignment was to Toul-Rosières Air Base, France, where he was Chief of Administrative Services for a communications group. In his off-time, he taught Russian and Soviet history for the University of Maryland and studied at the Université de Nancy. In 1967 he began the first of four assignments to the Air Force Academy's Department of History, 1967-1968, 1971-1976, 1977-1981, and finally Permanent Professor and Department Head of History 1982-1999.
His widely traveled career included a tour in Vietnam in 1968, as well as serving as the first active-duty officer on the official educational exchange with the Soviet Union at Moscow State University (1975). He was assigned by the Air Force as the liaison officer to the Western world's leading Soviet military historian at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland (1981-1982), and completed a research associateship at the National Air and Space Museum (1994), as well as an assignment in Turkey. He also reestablished and chaired the Academy's Area Studies Program. Reddel is a Russian and Soviet scholar and author of numerous publications and presentations. From 1988-1991, he provided outstanding service to the nation as Team Chief for the On-Site Inspection Agency, leading missile destruction teams and performing inspections in the Soviet Union to ensure compliance with the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. He was also a member of Rotary International and supported a number of public health initiatives in various countries.
After his Air Force retirement, he had a second career building The Eisenhower Memorial in Washington D.C. Reddel became President and CEO of the Eisenhower World Affairs Institute in 1999-2000, and a Fellow in the Center for Public Service at Gettysburg College. From 2001-2021, he served as Executive Director of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission, charged by Congress with establishing a national, permanent memorial to the Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in World War II and the 34th President. The memorial was dedicated on September 17, 2020, in Washington, D.C.
Reddel was born in Gurley, Nebraska, in 1937, to Walter and Friedora Reddel. He attended Drake University on a track scholarship and earned his bachelor's degree in history and education in 1959. He was awarded a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship to attend Syracuse University and a Ford Foundation Fellowship to complete his master's degree in Russian studies in 1961. He received his doctorate in 1973 from Indiana University.
Reddel is survived by his wife of 62 years of marriage, Colette Marie Antoinette Reddel, and his two sons: Eric W. Reddel (Lisa M. Reddel) of Fairfax, Virginia, and Damien O. Reddel (Dawn M. Reddel) of Centennial, Colorado. He is also survived by one brother, Stan Reddel (Paulette Reddel) of Melrose Park, Illinois; and two sisters: Karen Faye Luebbe (Richard Luebbe) of Oxford, Ohio, and Mary Lou Wagoner of Clarinda, Iowa. His brothers, Gene and Mark, preceded him in death. Carl Reddel will be buried at the Air Force Academy.
Thank you to our family and friends for your support and love through so many years.