- W. R.
William R. (Red) Alford was an American mathematician who worked in the field of number theory. Born in Canton, Mississippi, he was a United States Air Force veteran. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Physics from the Citadel (1959), his Ph.D in Mathematics from Tulane University (1963), and his J.D. from the University of Georgia School of Law (1976) in Athens, Georgia. After earning his J.D. he practiced law in Athens, …
- Chuck Yeager
Retired Air Force Brigadier General Charles E. "Chuck" Yeager gained fame as the first man to fly faster than the speed of sound. This historic flight in the rocket powered Bell X-1 aircraft took place on October 14th 1947, at Muroc (now Edwards Air Force Base), California. Muroc field was named after the town of Muroc formed by the Corum (Muroc spelled backwords) brothers in the early 20th century. General Yeager was born Feb. 13, 1923, in Myra, West Virginia.
- William Smith
William Smith (born March 24, 1934 in Columbia, Missouri, USA) is an American actor. He worked as a child actor, but is best known for his numerous roles in low-budget action films playing bikers, cowboys, tough-guys, and villains. He is possibly best-known for playing Falconetti on the TV mini-series "Rich Man, Poor Man".
- Curtis Lemay
Curtis Emerson LeMay was a general in the United States Air Force and the vice presidential running mate of independent candidate George C. Wallace in 1968. 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.
- Jimmy Doolittle
General James Harold "Jimmy" Doolittle, Sc.D. USAF (December 14 1896 - September 27 1993) was an American aviation pioneer. Doolittle served with as a general in the United States Army Air Forces during the Second World War, earning the Medal of Honor as the commander of the Doolittle Raid.
- John P. Jumper
General John P. Jumper is a United States Air Force officer who served as Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force from September 6, 2001 to September 2, 2005. He retired from the Air Force on November 1, 2005. Jumper was succeeded as Chief of Staff by General T. Michael Moseley.
- J. Allen Hynek
Josef Allen Hynek (May 1, 1910 - April 27, 1986) was a U.S. astronomer, professor, and ufologist. He is probably best remembered for his UFO research: Hynek acted as scientific advisor to three consecutive UFO studies undertaken by the U.S. Air Force: Project Sign (1947-1949), Project Grudge (1949-1952), and finally, Project Blue Book (1952 to 1969); for decades afterwards, he conducted his own independent UFO research.
- Peter Pace
Peter Pace (b. November 5, 1945) is the current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the first U.S. Marine appointed to be America's highest-ranking military officer. Appointed by George W. Bush, Pace succeeded United States Air Force Gen. Richard Myers on September 30, 2005. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announced on June 8, 2007 that he would advise the President not to renominate Pace for a second term, so Pace is expected to step down on September 30, 2007.
- Gary Powers
Francis "Frank" Gary Powers (August 17, 1929 - August 1, 1977) Capt. USAF; was an American pilot whose U-2 spy plane was shot down while over the Soviet Union, thus causing the U-2 Crisis of 1960. He was born in Jenkins, Kentucky and was raised in Pound, Virginia, on the Virginia-Kentucky border. After graduating from Milligan College in Eastern Tennessee, Gary was commissioned in the United States Air Force in 1950.
- Richard Myers
General Richard Bowman Myers USAF (Ret.) (born March 1, 1942) is a former general of the United States Air Force and former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; as such, he was the United States military's highest ranking officer. General Myers became the fifteenth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on October 1, 2001. In this capacity, he served as the principal military advisor to the President, the Secretary of Defense, …
- John Boyd
Colonel John (Richard) Boyd was a United States Air Force fighter pilot and military strategist of the late 20th century whose theories have been highly influential in the military and in business. Boyd was born on January 23, 1927 in Erie, Pennsylvania. He graduated from the University of Iowa with a Bachelor's degree in economics and from Georgia Tech with a Bachelor's degree in industrial engineering.
- Henry H. Arnold
General of the Air Force Henry Harley "Hap" Arnold GCB (June 25, 1886 – January 15, 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 also the only American to achieve five-star rank in two of its armed services.
- James Stewart
James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 - July 2, 1997) was an iconic, Academy Award-winning American film and stage actor, best known for his self-effacing screen persona. Over the course of his career, he starred in many films widely considered classics and was nominated for five Oscars, winning one in competition and one life achievement. He also had a noted military career, rising to the rank of Brigadier General in the United States Air Force.
- Michael Collins
Major General Michael Collins (born October 31, 1930) is a former American astronaut and test pilot. Selected as part of the third group of fourteen astronauts in 1963, he flew in space twice. His first spaceflight was "Gemini 10", when he and command pilot John W. Young performed two rendezvous with different spacecraft and Collins undertook two EVAs. His second spaceflight was "Apollo 11" where he served as the command module pilot.
- Muir S. Fairchild
General Muir Stephen Fairchild was former vice chief of staff of the United States Air Force. He was born September 2, 1894 at Bellingham, Washington, and died March 17, 1950 at Fort Myer, Virginia. Fairchild entered the service as a sergeant in the Washington National Guard in June 1916. A year later he became a flying cadet at Berkeley, California, and went to Europe to complete his training in France and Italy, …
- Michael Brown
Dr. Michael Brown is the current mayor of Grand Forks, North Dakota. He spent his childhood in Okinawa, Okinawa and came to Grand Forks as an United States Air Force officer. He attended the University of North Dakota School of Medicine. Today, Brown is an obstetrician at Altru Health System in Grand Forks. He was first elected mayor in 2000 and was re-elected in 2004. He has said that he will not seek a third term.
- Michael Hayden
Michael Vincent Hayden (born March 17, 1945 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) holds the rank of General in the United States Air Force, and is the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. From April 21, 2005-May 26, 2006 he was the Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence, a position which made him "the highest-ranking military intelligence officer in the armed forces," and he is currently the only non-rated Air Force four-star general.
- Gus Grissom
Virgil Ivan "Gus" Grissom was a United States Air Force pilot and a NASA astronaut. A native of Mitchell, Indiana, he was the second American to fly in space and the first person to fly in space twice. He was killed during a training exercise for the Apollo One mission on January 27, 1967, at Launch Complex 34 at Cape Kennedy, along with fellow astronauts Ed White and Roger Chaffee.
- Edward J. Ruppelt
Edward J. Ruppelt (July 17, 1922 - September 1960) was a United States Air Force officer probably best-known for his involvement in Project Blue Book, a formal governmental study of unidentified flying objects. He is generally credited with coining the term "unidentified flying object", to replace the terms "flying saucer" and "flying disk," which had become widely known; Ruppelt thought the latter terms were both suggestive and inadequate.
- Benjamin O. Davis Jr.
General Benjamin Oliver Davis, Jr. (December 18, 1912 - July 4, 2002) was an American general, commander of the World War II Tuskegee Airmen. Davis was the first African-American general in the United States Air Force. During World War II Davis was commander of the 332nd Fighter Group, which escorted bombers on air combat missions over Europe. Davis himself flew sixty missions in P-39, P-40, P-47 and P-51 fighters. Davis was born on December 18, 1912, in Washington, D.C..
- Brent Scowcroft
Brent Scowcroft (born March 19 1925 in Ogden, Utah) was the United States National Security Advisor under Presidents Gerald Ford and George H. W. Bush and a Lieutenant General in the United States Air Force. He also served as Military Assistant to President Richard Nixon and as Deputy Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs in the Nixon and Ford administrations.
- Scott O'Grady
Scott F. O'Grady is a former United States Air Force captain who gained prominence after ejecting over Bosnia when his F-16C 89-2032/AV was shot down by a Bosnian Serb SA-6 on June 2, 1995 while patrolling the no-fly zone. The incident occurred near Mrkonjić Grad in Serb kept territory. He survived for six days eating little, avoiding Serb patrols and trying to contact Magic, the NATO organization. He evaded capture and was rescued six days later, on 8 June, …
- Eileen Collins
Eileen Marie Collins (b. 19 November, 1956 in Elmira, New York) is an American astronaut and a retired U.S. Air Force Colonel. A former military instructor and test pilot, Collins was the first female pilot and first female commander of a Space Shuttle. She retired on May 1, 2006 to pursue private interests.
- Paul Tibbets
Paul Warfield Tibbets, Jr. (born February 23, 1915) is a retired brigadier general in the United States Air Force and was the pilot of the first aircraft to drop an atomic bomb.
- Dale Brown
Dale Brown (b. November 2 1956) is an American author most famous for his military-action-aviation techno-thrillers, with thirteen "New York Times" best-sellers to his credit. Brown was born in Buffalo, New York. He graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Western European History, and received a commission in the United States Air Force in 1978.
- Hoyt Vandenberg
Hoyt Sanford Vandenberg (January 24, 1899-April 2, 1954) was a U.S. Air Force general, its second Chief of Staff, and director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Vandenberg was briefly the U.S. Chief of Military Intelligence during World War II, but his primary duty was as commanding general of the Ninth Air Force, a tactical air force in England and in France, supporting the Army, from August 1944 until V-E Day.
- Robin Olds
Robin Olds was an American fighter pilot and general officer in the U.S. Air Force. He was a "triple ace", with a combined total of 16 victories in World War II and the Vietnam War. He retired in 1973 as a brigadier general. Born into a regular Army family, educated at West Point, and the product of an upbringing in the early years of the U.S. Army Air Corps, Olds epitomized the youthful World War II fighter pilot.
- Charles Brown
Charles D. "Charlie" Brown (born 1949) is a retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Colonel and was the Democratic candidate for Congress in the 2006 election for California's 4th congressional district. He is currently campaigning for the 2008 nomination for the same seat.
- Pete Stark
Fortney Hillman "Pete" Stark Jr. (born November 11 1931), American politician, has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1973, representing (map).
- Robert Brown
Robert "Buck" Brown (born c1936 - died 2 July, 2007) was an African American painter and cartoonist best known for creating "Playboy Magazine's" "Granny" character. Brown was born in Morrison, Tennessee in the 1930's and moved to Chicago as a child. He graduated from Englewood High School in 1954. He joined the United States Air Force and later studied at the University of Illinois.
- Robert M. Bowman
Robert M. Bowman (born 1934) was a former Director of Advanced Space Programs Development for the U.S. Air Force in the Ford and Carter administrations, and a former United States Air Force Lieutenant Colonel with 101 combat missions. He holds a Ph.D. in Aeronautics and Nuclear Engineering from the California Institute of Technology. Bowman is the founder and Presiding Archbishop of the United Catholic Church, …
- Darleen Druyun
Darleen A. Druyun (born November 7, 1947), a former United States Air Force official and Boeing executive.
- Mark Thompson
Mark Thompson, has been a reporter in Washington since 1979, and has played a key role in "Time" magazine's coverage of national security issues since joining the magazine in 1994. He also currently serves as deputy of the magazine's Washington bureau. He has written the magazine's cover stories on the Army at the breaking point, a second on the wisdom of restarting the military draft, …
- Wood Brothers
The Wood Brothers are the oldest continuously team owners in NASCAR Nextel Cup. Wood Brothers Racing was founded by Glen Wood, who along with his brother, Leonard guided its growth and success into the 1980s. Glen’s sons Eddie and Len and daughter Kim are the current team co-owners and managers. Ken Schrader was tapped to drive the #21 Little Debbie Ford Fusion beginning with the 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup season.
- Robert Morgan
Robert K. Morgan (July 31 1918 - May 15 2004) was a United States Air Force colonel and pilot, from Asheville, North Carolina, and the commander of the B-17 Flying Fortress "Memphis Belle" during World War II. Morgan attended the Wharton School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania and entered the Army Air Corps in 1940. He won his pilot wings and was commissioned a second lieutenant December 12, 1941, then after advanced training at Walla Walla, Washington, …
- Larry D. Welch
General Larry D. Welch (born 1934) was the 12th Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force. As chief, he served as the senior uniformed Air Force officer responsible for the organization, training and equipage of a combined active duty, Guard, Reserve and civilian force serving at locations in the United States and overseas. As a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he and the other service chiefs function as the principal military advisers to the Secretary of Defense, …
- William H. Tunner
Lt. General William H. Tunner, Jr. (July 14 1906 - April 6 1983) was a remarkably efficient American general, and dubbed by the Military Channel as one of the legends of air power. He had a remarkable tendency to create order, discipline and organization out of chaos as demonstrated in each occasion he took over a malfunctioning operation in place-The Hump of Burma, the near loss of Korea, …
- Bob Hoover
Robert A. "Bob" Hoover (born 1922) is a former air show pilot and United States Air Force test pilot. His personal trademark is a wide-brimmed straw hat and wide smile.
- Jimmie Rodgers
James Frederick Rodgers (born September 18, 1933 in Camas, Washington) is sometimes classed as a rock and roll singer, but his style was more typical of traditional pop music. He was not related to the famous country singer Jimmie Rodgers. He was taught music by his mother, learned to play the piano and guitar, and formed a band while he served in the United States Air Force. Like a number of other entertainers of the era, …
- Jill Metzger
Major Jill Metzger is a United States Air Force (USAF) personnel officer who gained worldwide attention as the result of a still unexplained disappearance in Bishkek, the capital of the former Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan. She was the women's winner of the United States Air Force Marathon in both 2003 and 2004 and placed 10th in the women's division of the Marine Corps Marathon in 2005. She has been married to USAF captain Joshua Mayo since the spring of 2006.