Howell M . Estes II Howell Marion Estes Jr . ( or Howell Marion Estes II ) ( September 18 , 1914 – July 2 , 2007 ) was a general in the United States Air Force and commander of the Military Air Transport Service , later renamed the Military Airlift Command . Biography . Estes was born in Fort Oglethorpe , Georgia , graduated from the United States Military Academy in June 1936 and began his military career at Fort Bliss , Texas . He was appointed platoon and troop commanding officer of the 7th Cavalry , and later was assigned to Headquarters 1st Cavalry Division , as aide to the commanding general . He entered pilot training school in June 1939 . Upon graduation in April 1940 , he transferred to the Army Air Corps and subsequently was assigned as a flight instructor at Brooks Field , Texas . In August he was appointed commandant of cadets at the Brooks Field Advanced Flying School . He became director of flying for the school in July 1942 and was redesignated director of training the following year . In February 1944 , he assumed command of Blackland Army Air Base , Waco , Texas . With the closing of Blackland , he assumed command of Lubbock Army Air Field at Lubbock , Texas in July 1944 . In January 1946 , Estes became chief of the Plans and Policy Branch , Operations Division , U . S . Air Forces in Europe ( USAFE ) , at Wiesbaden , Germany . He was named chief of the plans section , Operations Division in April and three months later was designated deputy assistant chief of staff , operations . In November 1947 he became assistant chief of staff , plans , at USAFE . Estes returned to the United States and in June 1949 completed courses at the Air War College , Maxwell Air Force Base , Alabama . He was then assigned to March Air Force Base , California , where he assumed command of the 1st Air Base Group and shortly thereafter became deputy commander and chief of staff , 22d Bombardment Wing and later became commander of the wing . In January 1951 , he became commander of the 44th Bombardment Wing at March Air Force Base . During the Korean War , Estes was on temporary duty overseas from March to July 1951 as vice commander of the Far East Air Forces Bomber Command . During that time , he flew 25 combat missions over Korea with a total of 328 hours in B - 29 s . He assumed command of the 320th Bombardment Wing at March Air Force Base in August 1951 and was named commander of the 12th Air Division in 1952 . In October , as an additional duty , he was designated commander , Air Task Group 7 . 4 , Joint Task Force Seven , for the overseas atomic test , Operation Castle . He relinquished command of the 12th Air Division in July 1953 and took active command of Air Task Group 7 . 4 . During the operational phase of Operation Castle in 1954 , he spent four months at the Pacific Proving Grounds on Eniwetok Atoll . Estes was assigned as Director of Weapon Systems Operations , Wright Air Development Center of the Air Research and Development Command ( ARDC ) , Wright - Patterson Air Force Base , Ohio , in July 1954 . This directorate was transferred to the Office of the Deputy Commander for Weapon Systems , ARDC in August 1955 , and became known as Detachment 1 at which time Estes became assistant deputy commander for weapon systems , Headquarters ARDC and commander , Detachment 1 . Estes was transferred to Headquarters U . S . Air Force , Washington , D . C . , as the Assistant Chief of Staff , Air Defense Systems , in August 1957 , and was reassigned as Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff , Operations , in June 1958 . In April 1961 , Estes became the deputy commander for aerospace systems , Air Force Systems Command ( AFSC ) , in Los Angeles , California , and in October 1962 , he became vice commander of AFSC at Andrews Air Force Base , Maryland . In July 1964 , Estes became commander of the Military Airlift Command ( then the Military Air Transport Service ) with headquarters at Scott Air Force Base , Illinois . Estes was presented the General H . H . Arnold Trophy , the highest military honor given by the Arnold Air Society , on April 26 , 1967 for outstanding contributions to military aviation and aerospace programs . He died at his Bethesda , Maryland home in 2007 . August 1 , 1969 - Retired