Colonel Joaquin Enrique Zanetti was born in the Dominican Republic on January 20th, 1885. He received his PhD in chemistry from Harvard University in 1909 and then began a distinguished teaching career at Columbia University leading to his appointment as full professor in 1929 and professor emeritus in 1953.

During World War I he was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Chemical Warfare Service. In the interwar years he served as a Chemical Officer in the reserves and was a consulting expert for the League of Nations on chemical warfare.

A pioneer in incendiary warfare in the 1930s, he was called to active duty in 1941 to take charge of the critically important incendiary bomb program.

Colonel Zanetti’s numerous awards include the Order of the British Empire, the French Legion of Honor, and the U.S. Distinguished Service Medal.

Colonel Zanetti died on January 26, 1974.