Portal:United States Air Force/Biography Spotlight
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Biography Spotlight list
Henry Harley "Hap" Arnold (1886–1950) was an aviation pioneer and Chief of the United States Army Air Corps (from 1938), Commanding General of the U.S. Army Air Forces (from 1941 until 1945) and the first and only General of the Air Force (in 1949). He is the only person to achieve five-star rank in two armed services.
Arnold was born 25 June 1886 in Gladwyne, Pennsylvania, to a strong-willed physician of Baptist beliefs and strong Mennonite ties. Hap graduated Lower Merion High School in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, with the class of 1903.
On 10 September 1913, he married Eleanor "Bee" Pool, the daughter of a banker and one if his father's patients, with Thomas D. Milling as his best man.
Arnold died 15 January 1950 at his home in Sonoma, California, and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
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General Curtis Emerson LeMay (1906–1990) was an aviation pioneer serving in the United States Air Force.
He is credited with designing and implementing an effective systematic strategic bombing campaign in the Pacific Theatre of World War II. After the war, he headed the Berlin airlift, then reorganized the Strategic Air Command into an effective means of conducting nuclear war.
Curtis Emerson LeMay was born in Columbus, Ohio on 15 November 1906. On 9 June 1964 he married Helen E. Maitland, and had one child with her (Patricia Jane LeMay Lodge). LeMay died on 1 October 1990.
General LeMay's positions included: Commander, 305th Bomb Group; Commander, 4th Bombardment Wing; Commander, 3d Bomb Division; Commander, XX Bomber Command; Commander, XXI Bomber Command; Deputy Chief of Air Staff for Research and Development; Commander, United States Air Forces in Europe; Commander, Strategic Air Command; Vice-Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force; Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force; and American Independent Party Vice-Presidential Candidate.
Francis Stanley "Gabby" Gabreski (born Franciszek Gabryszewski; January 28, 1919 – January 31, 2002) was the top American fighter ace in Europe during World War II, a jet fighter ace in Korea, and commanded numerous fighter squadrons, groups, and wings during his Air Force career.
Assigned as a P-40 pilot with the 45th Fighter Squadron of the 15th Fighter Group at Wheeler Field, Hawaii, 2nd Lt. Gabreski witnessed the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, but did not become airborne in time to engage the attackers.
In March 1943 Gabreski became part of the 56th Fighter Group, flying the P-47 Thunderbolt, and in May was promoted to Major and named commander of the 61st Fighter Squadron, which included six Polish nationals as pilots in 1944. He made his 28th kill on July 5, 1944, passing Eddie Rickenbacker's record from World War I to become America's top ace (although several pilots passed him by the end of the war).
Col. Gabreski flew combat again during the Korean War, as commander of the 51st Fighter-Interceptor Wing, piloting an F-86 Sabre. He was credited with 6.5 Mig-15 kills, making him one of seven U.S. pilots to be aces in more than one war (the others are Col. Harrison Thyng, Col. James P. Hagerstrom, Major William T. Whisner, Col. Vermont Garrison, Major George A. Davis, Jr., and Lt.Col. John F. Bolt, USMC).
He ended his career as a commander of several tactical and air defense wings, his last assignment being commander of the 52d Fighter Wing at Suffolk County Air Force Base in Westhampton Beach, New York.
Born in Georgetown, Ohio, Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force (CMSAF) Rodney J. McKinley joined the United States Air Force in 1974 as an emergency room technician. He left the service in 1977 to attend nursing school at Saint Leo University in Florida, and then re-enlisted in 1982 as an aircraft maintainer. In 1991, he was switched to the first sergeant career field.
CMSAF McKinley represented the highest enlisted level of leadership, and as such, provided direction for the enlisted corps and represents their interests, as appropriate, to the American public, and to those in all levels of government. He served as the personal adviser to the Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force and the United States Secretary of the Air Force on all issues regarding the welfare, readiness, morale, and proper utilization and progress of the enlisted force. Chief McKinley was the 15th and current chief master sergeant appointed to the highest non-commissioned officer position. He retired in 2009 and was replaced by CMSAF James A. Roy
General Teed Michael Moseley, KBE, was the 18th Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force. He assumed the position during a ceremony at Andrews Air Force Base on September 2, 2005.
As Chief, he served as the senior uniformed Air Force officer responsible for the organization, training and equipage of more than 700,000 active-duty, Guard, Reserve and civilian forces serving in the United States and overseas. As a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the general and other service chiefs functioned as military advisers to the Secretary of Defense, National Security Council, and the President. He resigned from his position in June 2008 following a serise of incidents involving nuclear weapon security.
General George Lee Butler was commander in chief, U.S. Strategic Command, and the last commander of Strategic Air Command.
General Butler was born in 1939 at Fort Benning, Georgia, and graduated in 1957 from Washington-Lee High School in Arlington, Virginia. He earned a bachelor of science degree from the United States Air Force Academy in 1961 and a master's degree in international affairs from the University of Paris in 1967. He completed Squadron Officer School in 1964, Air Command and Staff College in 1970, and Armed Forces Staff College in 1974.
The general was commissioned in June 1961 and received undergraduate pilot training at Williams Air Force Base, Arizona, followed by basic instructor school at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas. He then flew as an instructor pilot in T-33s and also served as an academic instructor at Craig Air Force Base, Alabama, from March 1963 to December 1964.
General Carl Andrew Spaatz (June 28, 1891–July 14, 1974) was an American general in World War II, and the first Chief of Staff of the US Air Force. Carl Andrew Spaatz was born on June 28, 1891, in Boyertown, Pennsylvania. He attended West Point, where he graduated in 1914. He served briefly in the infantry but was assigned to military aviation in October 1915.
Spaatz was appointed to the assistant to the Chief of Air Corps in October 1940 with the temporary rank of brigadier general. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor and America's entry into the war, he was named commander of Air Forces Combat Command in January 1942 and promoted to the temporary rank of major general (he was subsequently promoted to the permanent rank of colonel in September 1942). Spaatz received a temporary promotion to lieutenant general in March 1943; and a temporary promotion to General in March 1945.
In July 1945, President Truman nominated Spaatz for promotion to the permanent rank of major general. Spaatz was appointed commanding general of the Army Air Forces in February 1946 following the retirement of his friend General Henry H. Arnold. After the creation of the independent Air Force by the National Security Act of 1947 and Truman's Executive Order No. 9877, Spaatz was appointed as the first Chief of Staff of the new United States Air Force in September 1947.
Spaatz retired from the military at the rank of general in June 1948. He also served on the Committee of Senior Advisors to the Air Force Chief of Staff, from 1952 until his death. From 1948 until 1959, he served as National Commander of the Civil Air Patrol. In 1954, Spaatz was appointed to the congressional advisory board set up to determine the site for the new United States Air Force Academy. Spaatz died on July 14, 1974 and is buried at the Academy's cemetery in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Lieutenant General Hubert R. Harmon (1892 - 1957) was the first Superintendent of the United States Air Force Academy. He was instrumental in developing plans for the establishment of the Academy and setting the groundwork for its development into a successful educational institution. He served in the U.S. military from 1915 to 1956.
He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1915. In 1918, Harmon completed advanced training in pursuit aviation at Issoudun, France. In 1920 he transferred to the Air Service. He graduated from the Air Service Engineering School in August 1925. In 1933, he graduated from the Air Corps Tactical School at Maxwell Field, Alabama, and in 1935, he graduated from the Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Harmon graduated from the Army War College in 1938. In 1940, Harmon assumed command of the Advanced Flying School at Kelly Field, Texas, and one year later he was named commanding general of the Gulf Coast Air Corps Training Center at Randolph Field, Texas. On August 14, 1954, General Harmon became the first superintendent of the United States Air Force Academy at its temporary home in Lowry Air Force Base, Colorado. In addition to his extensive military education and roles in aviation training, Harmon commanded the Sixth Air Force, 13th Air Force, during World War II. He also served as commander of AirSols, all Allied air units in the Solomon Islands campaign.
Lieutenant General Ennis Whitehead (1895 - 1964) joined the U.S. Army after the United States entered World War I in 1917. He trained as an aviator and served in France. Posted to the 3d Aviation Instruction Center where he became a qualified test pilot. Following the war Whitehead returned to school at the University of Kansas. When he graduated he was commissioned a first lieutenant in 1920.
Over the following 20 years Whitehead participated in Billy Mitchell's aerial bombing demonstration and served as commander of both the 94th Pursuit Squadron and later the 36th Pursuit Squadron among other assignments. When the U.S. entered World War II Whitehead served in the Pacific Theater of Operations. Through the course of the war he earned a Distinguished Service Cross and was named an honorary Commander of the Order of the British Empire as he rose to command the Fifth Air Force.
After the war he commanded the Far East Air Forces, Continental Air Command, and Air Defense Command. He retired in 1951 after he was passed over for Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force. Whitehead died of emphysema on 12 October 1964 and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Both his son, Ennis Whitehead, Jr. and his grandson Ennis Whitehead III became generals as well, rising to major general and brigadier general respectively.
Lieutenant Colonel Nicole Malachowski (b. 1974) grew up in southern Nevada. While in high school she joined the Civil Air Patrol and was active in Air Force Junior ROTC. After graduating from high school she enrolled at the United States Air Force Academy where she graduated in 1996 with a Bachelor of Science in Management with a minor in French.
Lieutenant Colonel Malachowski trained as a F-15E Strike Eagle pilot. She has served overseas at RAF Lakenheath, England, Camp Red Cloud, South Korea, and in the United States at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina. Additionally, she has deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. In 2005 she was selected to become the first female pilot for the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds aerial demonstration team. Upon completion of her tour with the Thunderbirds Major Malachowski was accepted into the White House Fellows program. She currently has more than 1,800 flying hours including more than 1,000 hours in the F-15E Strike Eagle.
Captain Eddie Rickenbacker (1890-1973) is the highest scoring American ace of World War I. He was born in Columbus, Ohio in 1890 and at an early age began undertaking high-risk activities. His formal schooling ended when his father died in 1902. However, Rickenbacker had an aptitude for engineering leading him into the automotive field. He became a race car driver and participated in four Indianapolis 500 races.
Rickenbacker was in England when the United States joined World War I. He enlisted in the army and fought to get into flight training. After training he was assigned to the 94th Aero Squadron. Rickenbacker claimed his first aerial victory on 29 April 1918. A month later, on 28 May he claimed his fifth, making him an ace. In all Rickenbacker achieved 26 aerial victories and was awarded a Medal of Honor, seven Distinguished Service Crosses, a French Legion of Honor, and a French Croix de Guerre.
After the war Rickenbacker briefly ran his own car company, ran the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and Eastern Air Lines. During World War II he supported the war effort by touring military facilities in the United States and abroad and even traveled to the Soviet Union to help improve their aerial capabilities. Rickenbacker died in 1973 at the age of 82 in Zürich, Switzerland. He is buried at the Green Lawn Cemetery in his home town of Columbus.
Major Richard Bong (1920-1945) is the highest scoring American ace. He was raised on a farm in Poplar, Wisconsin. After he completed high school he enrolled at Superior State Teachers College. While there he also began joined the Civilian Pilot Training Program. In 1941 Bong enlisted in the Army Air Corps where he excelled in flight training. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in January 1942.
Bong was sent into action with the 9th Fighter Squadron in the Pacific Theater of Operations. Flying a P-38 Lightning, that he had named 'Marge' after his girlfriend, Bong scored a total of 40 aerial victories. For his achievements he was awarded the Medal of Honor, a Distinguished Service Cross, two Silver Stars, seven Distinguished Flying Crosses, and fifteen Air Medals.
In January 1945 Bong was transferred to the U.S. to help sell war bonds. He later became a test pilot, flying the P-80 Shooting Star. In one of his test flights the aircraft's fuel pump malfunctioned causing the plane to crash. Bong ejected but was too low for his parachute to open leading to his death. He is buried in the Poplar, Wisconsin cemetery.
Captain Joseph C. McConnell (1922-1954) is the highest scoring American ace from the Korean War. He was originally from Dover, New Hampshire. He entered the Army Air Forces during World War II and served as a B-24 Liberator navigator. After the war he entered flight training and became a fighter pilot.
After the Korean War broke out McConnell was assigned to the 39th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron flying an F-86 Sabre named "Beautious Butch" in honor of his wife, Pearl "Butch" Brown. McConnell acquired all of his aerial victories during a four-month period, from January-May 1953. In April he was shot down, but successfully ejected and was rescued in the Yellow Sea. On 18 May he shot down 3 MiGs bringing his total to 16 victories. After that he was removed from combat duty and was reassigned to the United States. For his efforts McConnell was awarded a Distinguished Service Cross and a Silver Star.
After he returned to the U.S. McConnell was assigned as a test pilot flying the newest Sabre model, the F-86H. During one of his test flights the control system malfunctioned. The aircraft crashed, killing McConnell.
Colonel Charles B. DeBellevue (b. 1945) is the highest scoring American ace of the Vietnam War. He was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. After high school DeBellevue attended the University of Southwestern Louisiana and earned a commission as a second lieutenant through the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps program in 1968. After entering the Air Force he completed navigator training and was assigned as a F-4 Phantom II Weapon Systems Officer.
DeBellevue served in the 555th Tactical Fighter Squadron based at Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base from 1971-1972. He is credited with 6 aerial victories during that period, making him the first of two Weapons Systems Officers to become an ace and the highest scoring American ace of the war. Four of his victories were earned while flying with R. Stephen Ritchie and two while flying with John A. Madden, Jr. For his exploits during the war DeBellevue was awarded an Air Force Cross and was a co-recipient of the Mackay Trophy.
After his service in Vietnam DeBellevue returned to flight school and became a pilot, remaining with in the F-4 airframe. Over the course of his career he served in a number of operations and staff position and commanded the 95th Air Base Wing and AFROTC Detachment 440. Colonel DeBellevue retired from active duty in 1998.
Airman First Class William H. Pitsenbarger (1944 - 1966) was an Air Force pararescueman who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Vietnam War. Pitsenbarger was born in Piqua, Ohio. After graduating from high school he enlisted in the Air Force and trained to become a pararescueman. Pitsenbarger was sent to Vietnam upon completion of his pararescue training.
During his tour in Vietnam he participated in nearly 300 missions. On 11 April 1966 Airman Pitsenbarger was sent on a mission to Cam My to extract casualties. After six wounded men had been extracted the helicopters came under attack. Pitsenbarger choose to remain with the army personnel rather than return with the helicopters. During the ensuing battle Pitsenbarger continued to tend wounded soldiers and assist with the unit's defense. As the battle continued into the night Pitsenbarger himself was killed by a Viet Cong sniper.
Airman Pitsenbarger's efforts helped save the lives of nine men from Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division. Pitsenbarger was initially awarded an Air Force Cross for his actions, but his decoration was upgraded to a Medal of Honor in 2000. He is buried at Miami Memorial Park Cemetery, Covington, Ohio.
Lieutenant Colonel Virgil Ivan "Gus" Grissom (1926–1967) was one of the Mercury Seven astronauts. Grissom was born and raised in Mitchell, Indiana. He enlisted in the Army Air Forces in 1944 and served briefly as a clerk before being discharged at the end of World War II. Grissom used the G.I. Bill to attend college. After college Grissom re-entered the Air Force and attended pilot training. He went on to fly F-86 Sabres with the 334th Fighter Squadron in the Korean War before becoming a test pilot in 1957.
In 1959 Grissom was one of seven pilots selected into Project Mercury. He piloted the Mercury-Redstone 4 (or Liberty 7) mission becoming the second American to fly into suborbital space. Grissom next commanded the Gemini 3 mission, becoming the first American to fly into space twice. Grissom was transferred into the Apollo Program and given command of the Apollo 1 mission. Grissom, and the other two Apollo 1 astronauts, Ed White and Roger Chaffee, died when the command module caught fire during a training exercise on 27 January 1967.
Grissom was awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross and two Air Medals for his service in the Korean War and two NASA Distinguished Service Medal and Congressional Space Medal of Honor for his time with the space program. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Paul W. Airey (1923-2009) was the first Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force. Airey grew up in Quincy, Massachusetts and enlisted in the Army Air Forces in 1942, after just two years of high school. During World War II Airey served as a radio operator aboard B-24 Liberators. Airey was held as a prisoner of war from July 1944 to May 1945 after he was forced to bail out over Austria. Following the war Airey also served with distinction during the Korean War.
Airey spent most of the rest of his career as a first sergeant. In 1966 the Air Force followed the lead of the U.S. Army and created a senior enlisted position to advise the Secretary of the Air Force and Air Force Chief of Staff on enlisted matters. Airey was selected to fill the job on April 3, 1967. He made retention his top priority. He developed the Weighted Airman Promotion System in an effort to improve the Air Force's enlisted promotion system. He also started the work to establish the Air Force's Senior NCO Academy, though the school didn't open until after his retirement.
Airey retired from the Air Force on April 1, 1970. In retirement Airey continued to be active in Air Force related organizations such as the Air Force Sergeants Association and Air Force Association. He also regularly spoke at Air Force leadership schools. Airey died of heart failure at Panama City, Florida on March 11, 2009.
Major General Benjamin Delahauf Foulois (1879-1967) was an early aviation pioneer who rose to become a chief of the U.S. Army Air Corps. The son of a French immigrant, he was born and raised in Connecticut. He enlisted in the Army at age 18 to serve in the Spanish–American War. After just a few months he was separated because of disease he had picked up in Puerto Rico. He re-enlisted in 1899 and was sent to the Philippines where he received a commission as a Second Lieutenant. Foulois believed that the new airplane would replace the cavalry for reconnaissance and in 1908 transferred into the Signal Corps.
Foulois conducted the acceptance test for the Army's first aircraft, a Wright Model A, in 1909. He participated in the Mexican Expedition from 1916-17 and was part of the American Expeditionary Force in France during World War I where he was responsible for the logistics and maintenance of the U.S. air fleet. During World War I he and Billy Mitchell began a long and hostile relationship over the direction of military aviation and the best method to get there. After the war he served as a military attaché to Germany where he gathered a great deal of intelligence on German aviation. He later went on to command the 1st Aero Squadron and ultimately commanded the Air Corps.
He retired in 1935 as part of the fallout from the Air Mail scandal. Foulois continued to advocate for a strong air service in retirement. In 1959, at the invitation of the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Foulois began touring Air Force bases advocating national security. He died of a heart attack on 25 April 1967 and is buried in his home town of Washington, Connecticut.
Captain Lance Sijan (1942-1968) received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Vietnam War. Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin Sijan entered the United States Air Force Academy in 1961. He graduated in 1965 and received a commission as a Second Lieutenant before going into flight training to become a F-4 Phantom II pilot. After training Sijan was assigned to the 366th Fighter Wing at Da Nang Air Base.
During a combat mission on 9 November 1967 Sijan's aircraft suffered catastrophic damage forcing him to eject. Several aircraft were damaged, and one was shot down, during an attempt to rescue him from North Vietnam leading him to wave off further rescue attempts because of the risk to friendly aircraft. Despite severe injuries Sijan evaded capture for 46 days before the North Vietnamese found him. He was sent to the Hoa Lo Prison (better known as the Hanoi Hilton) where he died on 22 January 1968.
Sijan was posthumously promoted to captain and awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions. His remains were repatriated in 1974 and are interred at the Arlington Park Cemetery, Milwaukee.
General Mark A. Welsh III, USAF is the 20th and current Chief of Staff of the Air Force. As Chief of Staff, he serves as the senior uniformed Air Force officer responsible for the organization, training and equipping of nearly 700,000 active-duty, Guard, Reserve and civilian forces serving in the United States and overseas. As a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the general and other service chiefs function as military advisers to the Secretary of Defense, National Security Council and the President. He assumed his current assignment in August, 2012. General Welsh is a command pilot with more than 3,300 flying hours in a variety of aircraft.
Sergeant John Levitow (1945 - 2000) was an Air Force loadmaster who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Vietnam War. Levitow was born in Hartford, Connecticut and initially enlisted into the Air Force as a civil engineer. He later cross-trained to become a loadmaster and was assigned to the 3d Special Operations Squadron.
While flying a patrol mission on 24 February 1969 Levitow's aircraft, an AC-47 Spooky, Long Binh came under attack and the aircraft responded. As the aircraft began to engage it was hit by an 82-millimeter mortar shell throwing shrapnel through the plane. The explosion also caused a burning Mark 24 magnesium flare to be thrown into the fuselage of the aircraft, near 19,000 rounds of ammunition. Despite being wounded by shrapnel Levitow picked up the flare, crawled to the open cargo door, and threw the flare out of the plane. His actions were credited for saving the aircraft and its eight-man crew.
Levitow died of cancer in 2000 and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
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Major General Billy Mitchell (1879-1936) was an early aviation pioneer who rose to become a chief of the U.S. Army Air Service. Mitchell was born in Nice, France and raised on his family estate near Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He attended George Washington University before enlisting in the Army at age 18 during the Spanish–American War. Due to his family connection he quickly received a commission Signal Corps where he had the opportunity to witness a flight demonstration by the Wright brothers in 1908. In 1916 he took private flight lessons and was transferred to the Aeronautical Division.
Mitchell deployed to France in 1917 when the United States entered World War I. While there he was promoted to brigadier general and placed in command American combat air units in France. After the war Mitchell was appointed the deputy director of the Air Service became a passionate advocate of air power. In 1921 he set up a demonstration to show the capability of airpower against naval vessels. During the course of the demonstrations aircraft successfully sank a captured German destroyer, the light cruiser Frankfurt, and the battleship Ostfriesland.
Mitchell regularly spared with his superiors over the role of airpower in the military. In 1925 he was reverted to his permanent rank of colonel and was transferred to San Antonio, Texas. Later than year, after a series of aviation accidents he accused Army and Navy leadership of incompetence and "almost treasonable administration of the national defense." In response he was court-martialed for insubordination, found guilty, and sentenced to a five-year suspension from active duty. Mitchell resigned on 1 February 1926 in lieu of serving the sentence. He continued to advocate airpower as a civilian until his death in 1936. In 1942 President Franklin Roosevelt posthumously promoted Mitchell to major general in recognition of his contributions to air power.
