US Air Force General. After graduating from high school, he attended Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania, where he graduated in 1941 with a bachelor of arts degree in history. He entered the military as an aviation cadet at Maxwell Field (now Maxwell Air Force Base), Alabama, in September 1941, and received his commission as a second lieutenant and his pilot wings at Turner Field, Georgia, in April 1942. During World War II, he served with the 3rd Bombardment Group in Australia, New Guinea, and the Philippines, flying over 200 combat mission in the Western Pacific region. He performed duties as a pilot and commander of the 90th Bombardment Squadron, group operations officer, and in September 1944, as a group commander. In April 1945, he was assigned to the US Far East Air Forces as the deputy chief of staff. He returned to the United States in 1946 and requested release from active duty, joined the Air Force Reserve, and entered Dickinson School of Law. He graduated in 1949 and after admission to the Delaware Bar, he practiced law in Wilmington, Delaware. In October 1950, when the Korean War broke out, he was recalled to active duty and assigned first to Headquarters Tactical Air Command (now Air Combat Command), Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, then to the 49th Air Division at Sculthorpe, England, as the deputy for operations, and later as chief, Air Plans and Operations Section, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers in Europe. In January 1956, he returned to the United States where he was assigned to Foster Air Force Base, Texas (now closed), as the deputy chief of staff, operations, Headquarters 19th Air Force. In May 1958, he was transferred to Headquarters Air Force, Washington DC, in the Directorate of Plans, where he was the assistant director of plans for war plans, and later as the assistant director of plans, joint matters. In July 1961, he became the executive to the Chief of Staff, US Air Force and was awarded an honorary doctor of science degree from Dickinson College while in this position. He was then transferred to Tachikawa Air Base, Japan, in August 1963, serving as the commander of the 315th air Division. In June 1965, he returned to Washington DC where he served as deputy director, J-5 (Plans and Policy), with the Joint Staff, and became the director of plans at Headquarters Air Force in August 1967. In September 1969, he assumed command of 9th air Force at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. He was then appointed vice commander in chief of US Air Forces in Europe in September 1970, and became the commander, 6th Allied Tactical Air Force at Izmir, Turkey, in April 1971, and commander of Allied Air Forces, Southern Europe at Naples, Italy, in June 1972. In May 1973, he assumed additional duty as the commander, 16th Air Force, Torrejon Air Base, Spain (now closed). He returned to the United States and was promoted to the rank of general on November 1, 1973 and served as Vice Chief of Staff, Headquarters Air Force until August 1975. He was then appointed commander, Allied Air Forces Central Europe and commander in chief, US Air Forces in Europe. In August 1977, he returned to the United States where he was appointed the commander in chief of Strategic Air Command, serving in that position until he retired on August 1, 1981, with 40 years of continuous military duty in the US Army Air Corps, Air Force Reserve, and active Air Force. He was a command pilot and earned the master Missile and Parachutist badges. Among his military award and decorations include the Distinguished Service Cross, the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters, the Silver Star, the Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with four oak leaf clusters, and the Purple Heart. His foreign awards include the Grand Officer of the Italian Republic and the Korean Order of National Security Merit, First Class (Tong II Jang). Other civilian awards include the State of Delaware Distinguished Service Medal (1946), the Air Force Association's H.H. Arnold Award as well as the National Aerospace Man of the Year (1980). He was also awarded an honorary doctor of laws degrees from the Dickinson School of Law (1974), the University of Akron (1979) and the University of Nebraska, Omaha (May 1981). After his military retirement, he served as the US representative to the Standing Consultative Commission, a US-Soviet body established in 1972 that met twice yearly to discuss arms control agreement issues, serving in this capacty until his death. He died of cancer at the Malcolm Grove Medical Center, Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland.