<p>Benjamin O. Davis Jr., General, USAF (1912-2002)
Benjamin Davis Jr. entered the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York in July 1932. During his entire four years at West Point, his classmates shunned him. Few of them spoke to him outside the line of duty. He never had a roommate. He ate by himself. His classmates hoped to drive him out of the academy. The “silent treatment” had the opposite effect. It made Davis more determined to graduate. When he was commissioned as a second lieutenant, the Army had a grand total of two black line officers Benjamin O. Davis, Sr. and Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. As a Captain, Davis Jr. was assigned to the first training class at Tuskegee Army Air Base and in March 1942 earned his wings as one of five black officers to complete the course. Davis was promoted to lieutenant colonel and named commander of the first all-black air unit in July, 1942. His squadron saw action in Tunisia before being investigated by the War Department because it was believed that African-Americans performed worse in combat than white aviators. The inquiry eventually reported that the 99th’s performance was comparable to other air units, but any questions about the squadron’s fitness were answered in January 1944 when its pilots shot down 12 German planes in 2 days while protecting the Anzio beachhead. Throughout WWII, units under Davis command flew more than 15,000 sorties, shot down 111 enemy planes, destroyed or damaged 273 on the ground at a cost of 66 of their own planes, and never lost a friendly bomber to enemy fighters on escort missions. After WWII, Davis served in many command positions in the newly formed United States Air Force, including command of the 51st Fighter Interceptor Wing, Far East Air Forces, Korea. He rose to the rank of Lieutenant General and Commander of 13th Air Force in 1967. In 1968 he was assigned as the Deputy Commander of the United States Strike Command. Following his retirement in 1970, Davis headed the federal sky marshal program, and in 1971, was named Assistant Secretary of Transportation for Environment, Safety, and Consumer Affairs. In 1998, President Clinton promoted Davis to the rank of four-star General. His major commendations include the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal, Army Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star, Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters, Distinguished Flying Cross, and Air Medal with four oak leaf clusters.</p>
<p>John R. Boyd, Colonel, USAF (1927-1997)
John R. Boyd enlisted in the U.S. Army during World War II and served in the Army Air Corps from 1945 until 1947. He attended the University of Iowa, but with the war in Korea looming, joined ROTC. After graduating, he went to flight training and eventually to Korea, where he flew the F-86 Saber Jet. Boyds performance at Fighter Weapons School earned him an assignment as an instructor at the school. He had the amazing ability to defeat any other pilot in a dogfight. To humble his students, he would allow them to get behind him in an ideal firing position and, within 40 seconds, he would maneuver himself so that the positions were reversed and he had the optimum position, winning the fight. He became known as 40 Second Boyd and was never defeated. He received an engineering degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and wrote the Aerial Attack Study, a concise and scientific explanation of how to win a dogfight. He developed an equation which forever changed the way that aircraft are designed. The theory quantified aircraft maneuverability, helping pilots find better ways to fight their enemy, and led to better aircraft. Boyd began a quest to develop an even better, cheaper, more maneuverable fighter. This fighter eventually became the F-16. He revolutionized air combat theory, penning briefs on patterns of conflict, winning and losing, and destruction and creation. Perhaps Boyds greatest contribution to the world was the Observe, Orient, Decide, and Act Loop. Like many of Boyds ideas, it not only prescribes how to win a war, but describes the nature of human conflict. Boyd died in 1997. He was buried with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery. He was not a Marine, but an Eagle, Globe, and Anchor insignia adorn his headstone symbolizing appreciation for his great contributions to the U.S. Marine Corps. This is the highest honor a marine can bestow; in fact, it was the first time in history an Air Force pilot received the honor.</p>
<p>Paul Tibbets Jr, Brigadier General, USAF (1915-2007)
On February 25, 1937, Tibbets enlisted as a flying cadet in the Army Air Corps at Fort Thomas, Kentucky. A year later, in 1938, he received his commissioning as a second lieutenant and earned his wings at Kelly Field, Texas. Tibbets developed his skills, and was soon known for his flying abilities in the Army Air Force. In September 1944, he became the commander of the bombing training wing at Wendover Army Air Field, Utah. Tibbets assignment at Wendover led to his selection for the mission for which he is most known. On August 6, 1945, at 2:45 am, the Enola Gay, Tibbets B-29, departed Tinian Island in the Marianas for Hiroshima, Japan. Tibbets dropped the atomic bomb, codenamed Little Boy, over Hiroshima at 8:15 a.m. local time. Later, in the 1960s, Tibbets became the military attaché in India, but this posting was rescinded after protests over his role in dropping the atomic bomb. Tibbets expressed no regret regarding the decision to drop the bomb. In a 1975 interview he said: I’m proud that I was able to start with nothing, plan it, and have it work as perfectly as it did . . . I sleep clearly every night. In March 2005, he restated, “If you give me the same circumstances, hell yeah, I’d do it again.” Tibbets had the strength to perform a task that many could not. Tibbets continued to fly until his retirement in 1987.</p>
<p>Henry Hap Arnold, General of the Air Force, USAF (1886-1950)
Arnold entered the United States Military Academy in the summer of 1903 at age 17. He received his commissioning on June 14, 1907 as a second lieutenant in the infantry. He later left the infantry to join the signal corps. Arnold was taught to fly by the Wright Brothers and became one of the first military pilots worldwide. He oversaw the expansion of the Air Service during World War I. At the outbreak of WWI Arnold requested that he be assigned to France, but his presence in Washington was greatly needed to perform headquarters duty in the newly established Aviation Section. His position in Washington resulted in his promotion to colonel, which made him the youngest colonel in the army at that time. After the war, he became a protégé of Gen. Billy Mitchell. Arnold became a powerful advocate for creation of an independent Air Force and played a key role in political struggles with the hierarchies of the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy. He rose to command the Army Air Forces immediately prior to U.S. entry into World War II in 1938. Arnold oversaw the creation of AWPD-1, the air war plan against Germany that guided Americas war efforts and produced effective results. In the wake of U.S. entry in the war, Arnold was promoted to lieutenant general and the Army Air Forces gained full autonomy, equal to and entirely separate from the Army Infantry. Throughout WWII he directed the Army Air Forces expansion into the largest and most powerful air force in the world. He was promoted to General in 1943 and less than two years later was promoted to five-star General of the Army. After successfully completing his goal of creating an independent Air Force, Arnold retired in 1946. On May 7, 1949 Hap Arnold was appointed the first general of the Air Force, five-star rank, by the U.S. Congress. He died in 1950, and today remains the only U.S. Air Force officer to achieve the rank of five-star general.</p>
<p>Curtis E. LeMay, General, USAF (1906-1990)
With a degree in Civil Engineering from Ohio State, General LeMay began his career as a cadet in the Army Air Corps flying school in 1928. On May 12, 1938, LeMay led three B-17s on a mission to intercept the Italian liner Rex. With this success, LeMay demonstrated that air power had the potential for defending our nation from sea attack as well as affirming the navigational capabilities of long-range bombers. He developed formation procedures and bombing techniques that were used by B-17 bomber units throughout the European Theater of Operations. LeMay was known as one of the greatest combat commanders in Air Force history. In 1943 he led the Schweinfut-Regensburg raid which crippled the German aircraft industry. In 1945, he led the XX and XXI Bomber Commands. He also oversaw the aerial bombardment of Japanese cities and the dropping of the atomic bombs. LeMay continued to lead by example and became the Commander of the United States Air Forces in Europe in 1947-1948. During this time, he oversaw the operations for the Berlin Airlift. From there he was largely responsible for the successful creation of the Strategic Air Command in 1948 and served as its commander until 1957. Under his command SAC grew to a large fleet of strategic missiles and bombers, supported by a vast aerial refueling system, and a strict command and control system. He then served as the Chief of Staff of the Air Force from 1961-1965. Curtis LeMay served as a General officer for 17 years longer than any other officer in the history of the Air Force. </p>
<p>Some pretty solid choices for 2012 to choose.</p>