John P . McConnell General John Paul McConnell ( February 7 , 1908 – November 21 , 1986 ) was the sixth Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force . As chief of staff of the U . S . Air Force , General McConnell served in a dual capacity . He was a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff which , as a body , acts as the principal military adviser to the president , the National Security Council , and the Secretary of Defense . In his other capacity , he was responsible to the Secretary of the Air Force for managing the vast human and materiel resources of the world ' s most powerful aerospace force . Career . The general had a distinguished military career which began in 1932 with his graduation from the United States Military Academy . John Paul McConnell was the son of Dr . Samuel Paul McConnell , a medical doctor , and Desseau M . ( Dorsey ) McConnell . A native of Booneville , Arkansas , General McConnell graduated magna cum laude from Henderson Brown College at Arkadelphia , Arkansas , with a bachelor of science degree in 1927 . He entered West Point a year later and , at the time of his graduation in 1932 , was First Captain of the Corps of Cadets . After taking flying training at Randolph and Kelly Fields , Texas , he received his pilot wings in 1933 . A fighter pilot during his early years in the then – Army Air Corps , later Army Air Forces , General McConnell gained broad experience through a variety of operational and administrative assignments , including duty as assistant executive in the Office of the Chief of Air Forces in Washington . Subsequently , he served in key Air Force positions in both Asia and Europe . In 1943 he became chief of staff of the China - Burma - India Air Force Training Command at Karachi , India ( later part of Pakistan ) , and remained in Asia for the rest of the war . While senior air staff officer , Air Command Southeast Asia , and deputy commander of the Third Tactical Air Force in 1944 , he participated in combat operations against the Japan ese in Burma . In 1946 he was named senior air adviser to the Chinese government and , at the same time , commanded the Air Division , Nanking Headquarters Command . The general returned to Air Force Headquarters in Washington , D . C . in 1947 to become chief of the Reserve and National Guard Division and , the next year , was appointed chief of the Air Force ' s Civilian Components Group . Assigned to England in 1950 , he served as deputy commander and later , commander of the Third Air Force . He then took command of the 7th Air Division of the Strategic Air Command , commanding the Third Air Force at the same time . This was followed by a four - year tour as director of Plans at Headquarters Strategic Air Command , Offutt Air Force Base , Nebraska In 1957 he was named commander of Second Air Force , Barksdale Air Force Base , Louisiana , and four years later returned to Strategic Air Command to become vice commander in chief . In 1962 General McConnell was assigned to Europe as deputy commander in chief of the United States European Command and promoted to the rank of General . He was appointed vice chief of staff of the U . S . Air Force in August 1964 , and assumed the position of Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force on 1 February 1965 , relieving General Curtis E . LeMay . His appointment as chief of staff was extended to July 1969 . His decorations include the Army Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster , Air Force Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster , Legion of Merit with three oak leaf clusters , Distinguished Flying Cross , Bronze Star , Air Medal , and numerous foreign awards , including Commander of the Order of the British Empire and the Legion of Honor - Degree of Commandeur ( France ) . In June 1965 , he was presented an honorary doctor of laws degree from the University of Akron , Akron , Ohio . He also received an honorary doctor of laws degree from the University of Arkansas , Fayetteville in June 1966 . General McConnell retired from the Air Force on July 31 , 1969 and died November 21 , 1986 in Bethesda , Montgomery County , Maryland . A funeral service was held on November 25 , 1986 in the National Cathedral in Washington , D . C . with burial in the Air Force Academy Cemetery in Colorado Springs , Colorado . The public library in his hometown of Booneville , Arkansas is named in his honor and contains many items of memorabilia from his years of service to the US Air Force , including service medals , decorations and commendations . Postscript . General McConnell ' s role as Chief of Staff of the Air Force , as well as that of the other members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the Vietnam War , specifically under the administration of President Lyndon B . Johnson and Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara , has recently been the subject of significant historical research in the area relationships between senior military leaders and the civilian political leadership and has increasingly become a topical discussion issue and object lesson for officers attending the nation ' s senior service colleges ( i . e . , Air War College , Army War College , Naval War College and National War College ) .