Louis L . Wilson Jr . Louis Locke Wilson Jr . ( January 10 , 1919 – June 25 , 2010 ) was a former General in the United States Air Force and the former commander in chief of the Pacific Air Forces Biography . Early life . Louis was born in Huntington , West Virginia , in 1919 . He graduated from high school in that town and in 1937 , after which he attended Greenbrier Military School in Lewisburg , West Virginia . After a year ' s service with the 11th Infantry , he entered the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1939 , and graduated in January 1943 with a commission as second lieutenant . He completed flying school while at the academy . Early career . His first assignment was with a P - 47 Thunderbolt outfit , the 358th Fighter Group , which was deployed to England in October 1943 for bomber escort duty with the Eighth Air Force . Just prior to D - Day , the group was used for interdiction missions in preparation for the invasion of Normandy . Subsequently , the group was transferred to the Ninth Air Force and flew close air support missions for General George S . Patton ' s drive through France . During this period , his group was cited three times by the president for its performance . By the time the war had ended , Wilson flew 114 combat missions and had become commander of the 367th Fighter Squadron . In January 1946 he was assigned to Second Air Force and later the Fifteenth Air Force at Colorado Springs , Colorado . In March 1946 , the Second was inactivated and Fifteenth became the first numbered Air Force of the Strategic Air Command . In July 1948 he began 14 years of duty with various Eighth Air Force units of the Strategic Air Command . From 1948 to 1953 , he served with the 509th Bombardment Wing at Walker Air Force Base , New Mexico , and helped organize the 6th Bombardment Wing at Walker . During this period , he was a B - 29 Superfortress and a B - 36 Peacemaker squadron commander . Later career . In June 1953 Wilson was assigned to Eighth Air Force Headquarters , Fort Worth , Texas , as deputy director of personnel . He was transferred in September 1955 to the 380th Bombardment Wing at Plattsburgh Air Force Base , New York , as director of operations . He returned in July 1957 to Eighth Air Force headquarters at Westover Air Force Base , Massachusetts . , where he served first as director of plans and later as inspector general . In October 1960 he became commander of the 4081st Strategic Wing at Ernest Harmon Air Force Base , Newfoundland . Two years later , he was transferred to Strategic Air Command headquarters at Offutt Air Force Base , Nebraska , as chief of the plans division . In August 1964 he was assigned to Headquarters United States Air Force , Washington D . C . , where he served as deputy director of operational requirements and development plans in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Research and Development . During this four - year tour of duty , he worked on conceptual plans for the B - 1 Lancer , the F - 15 Eagle , the A - 10 Warthog , and advanced versions of intercontinental ballistic missiles . In August 1968 Wilson became vice commander of the Space and Missile Systems Organization at Los Angeles Air Force Station , California . In July 1970 he became commander of the Space and Missile Test Center , Vandenberg Air Force Base , California , where he was responsible for testing Intercontinental Ballistic Missile s and for launching various space systems . Wilson was appointed the inspector general of the U . S . Air Force in September 1971 . He assumed duties as vice commander in chief , United States Air Forces in Europe , with headquarters at Ramstein Air Base , Germany , in September 1973 . In July 1974 Wilson was appointed commander in chief , Pacific Air Forces , with headquarters at Hickam Air Force Base , Hawaii . One of the lesser - known actions that he commanded during the war was Operation Babylift . Retirement and later life . He was promoted to the grade of general effective July 1 , 1974 , with date of rank that same day . He retired on May 31 , 1977 . During retirement , he settled on a small ranch in Tucson , Arizona to raise horses and cattle . He died on June 25 , 2010 . Awards . His military decorations and awards include the :