Arnold W . Braswell Arnold Webb Braswell ( born October 3 , 1925 ) is a retired American air force lieutenant general and command pilot who was commander in chief of Pacific Air Forces , with headquarters at Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii . His command comprised more than 34 , 000 Air Force operational and support personnel stationed at eight major bases and more than 87 facilities principally located in Japan , South Korea , the Philippines , and Hawaii . Biography . Braswell was born in 1925 to Claiborne and Marguerite Braswell in Minden , Louisiana , and graduated in 1942 from Minden High School . He attended Louisiana State University for two years and in 1944 entered the U . S . Military Academy at West Point , New York . First captain of the corps of cadets , Braswell graduated from West Point in 1948 with honors and earned a commission as a second lieutenant in the newly - organized U . S . Air Force . In 1967 , he earned a Master of Business Administration degree from George Washington University in Washington , D . C . In 1962 , Braswell completed the Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell Air Force Base , Alabama . In 1967 , he graduated from the National War College at Fort Lesley J . McNair in Washington , D . C . After completing flying training at Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio , Texas , and at Williams Air Force Base in Arizona , he became in September 1949 , a member of the 33rd Fighter Wing at Otis Air Force Base in Massachusetts , where he flew F - 86 Sabrejet s . In 1952 , during the Korean War , Braswell flew 155 combat missions in jet fighters as a member of the 49th Fighter Wing , Taegu Air Base , South Korea , and the 4th Tactical Fighter Wing at Kimpo Air Base , South Korea . From September 1952 to September 1955 , he was a flight instructor and operations officer in the 3600th Combat Crew Training Group at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona . When the U . S . Air Force Academy opened in 1955 at Lowry Air Force Base in Colorado Springs , Colorado , Braswell was assigned as commander of one of the original four cadet squadrons and served in that capacity for three years . In October 1958 he was again assigned to the 49th Fighter Wing , which had been relocated to Etain Air Base in France , where for a time he supervised training of French and Turkish pilots in F - 100 s and then commanded the 7th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany . The general returned to the United States in August 1961 to attend the Air Command and Staff College . He transferred to Washington , D . C . , in July 1962 and was assigned to Headquarters U . S . Air Force in the Directorate of Plans , Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff , Plans and Operations . In August 1966 , Braswell entered the National War College and concurrently completed his master ' s degree in business administration at George Washington University in 1967 . He began a tour of duty in the Vietnam War in July 1967 as director of plans at Headquarters of the 7th Air Force , in Saigon . Though a staff officer , he flew 40 combat missions , most of them in F - 4 Phantoms . Following his return from Southeast Asia in August 1968 , Braswell became the director of operations for the 4th Tactical Fighter Wing at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina . He was again assigned to Air Force headquarters in August 1969 in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff , Plans and Operations , where he served initially as an Air Staff planning representative in Joint Staff planning conferences . In April 1970 , he became deputy director for force development in the Directorate of Plans , and in February 1972 , he became deputy director of plans . In February 1973 , Braswell assumed command of the United States Logistics Group in Anakra , Turkey . Braswell was assigned to Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe , Belgium , as assistant chief of staff for operations from September 1974 to June 1977 . In July 1977 he returned to the United States as director for plans and policy ( J - 5 ) , Organization of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Washington , D . C . In June 1978 , he became commander of Tactical Air Command ' s 9th Air Force with headquarters at Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina . While there he also served as commander of the Air Force elements assigned to the Rapid Deployment Joint Task Force . He assumed his present command in June 1981 . The general is a command pilot and has logged more than 5 , 500 flying hours , most of these in jet fighters . His military decorations and awards include the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster , Defense Superior Service Medal , Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster , Distinguished Flying Cross , and Air Medal with four oak leaf clusters . He was promoted to lieutenant general July 1 , 1977 , with date of rank listed as June 28 , 1977 . He retired on October 1 , 1983 . After retiring from the U . S . Air Force , he served as the President of the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute ( ARI ) for 10 years . During this time , he served on the Board of the American National Standards Institute ( ANSI ) in order to help set new standards for refrigerant gases following the deprecation and phasing out of Chloro - Fluoro Carbons ( CFCs ) . After retirement he also performed several years of volunteer civic activities with the public school technical training programs in the Virginia counties of Fairfax and Arlington .