Hansford T . Johnson Hansford Tillman ( HT ) Johnson ( born January 3 , 1936 ) is a retired four - star general in the U . S . Air Force who served as the Acting United States Secretary of the Navy , overseeing the United States Navy and Marine Corps ( Acting ) in the administration of U . S . President George W . Bush . He is the only retired Air Force officer to ever hold that position . Prior to that he was Assistant Secretary of the Navy ( Installation and Environment ) . He currently works at the Institute for Defense Analyses . Early life and air force career . Johnson was born in 1936 , in Aiken , South Carolina . He graduated from high school in 1953 and then attended Clemson College . He was the outstanding graduate in thermodynamics and aerodynamics from the United States Air Force Academy in 1959 , received a Master ' s Degree in aeronautics from Stanford University in 1967 and a Master ' s Degree in business from the University of Colorado in 1970 . Johnson also graduated from the Air Force Squadron Officer School , Army Command and General Staff College , National War College , and the advanced management program at Dartmouth College . General Johnson was the first graduate of the United States Air Force Academy to achieve the rank of General . After graduation from the Air Force Academy , Johnson married Linda Whittle of Augusta , Georgia , and attended flight training at Bartow Air Base , Florida , and then Laredo Air Force Base , Texas , receiving his pilot wings in 1960 . His first operational assignment was to the 317th Troop Carrier Wing , Evreux - Fauville Air Base , France , where he flew C - 130 Hercules transports throughout Europe , Africa , the Middle East and West Asia . He continued flying with the 317th when it transferred to Lockbourne Air Force Base , Ohio . After completing graduate school at Stanford University , Johnson volunteered for duty in Vietnam . In 1967 he flew with the 20th Tactical Air Support Squadron as a forward air controller , and directed tactical close air support strike missions against enemy supply , storage , vehicle and troop targets . During his tour , he flew 423 combat missions , 71 of which were over North Vietnam or the demilitarized zone . After returning from Vietnam , he served as an assistant professor of aeronautics at the United States Air Force Academy , and then served as Commander of the 22d Bombardment Wing at March Air Force Base , California and on the staff of Strategic Air Command ( SAC ) at Offutt Air Force Base , Nebraska . From 1982 to 1985 , he led the team that successfully rebalanced the Air Force programs in the $ 100 billion annual Air Force budget , then led Strategic Air Command operations in 1985 , where he directed the refueling and strategic reconnaissance forces during the bombing of Libya . Following his tour in SAC , General Johnson became the Vice Commander of the Pacific Air Forces . In 1987 , he became the Deputy Commander in Chief of U . S . Central Command ( USCENTCOM ) at MacDill Air Force Base , Florida during Operation Earnest Will , the U . S . reflagging of Kuwaiti oil tankers and escort operations in the Persian Gulf . Following his tour at USCENTCOM , General Johnson served the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff as Director of the Joint Staff . Johnson ended his military career as the dual - hatted Commander of U . S . Transportation Command and Commander of Military Airlift Command . Military forces under his command provided all airlift and special operations forces for Operation Just Cause , Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm , the movement of troops , equipment , and supplies to and from the Persian Gulf being the most concentrated movement in American military history . Johnson retired from active duty on August 31 , 1992 . Awards and decorations . Johnson is a USAF Command Pilot with more than 7 , 800 flying hours , more than 1 , 000 of which were flown under combat conditions . He is also a qualified navigator and parachutist . His military awards and decorations include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster , Air Force Distinguished Service Medal , Silver Star , Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters , Distinguished Flying Cross with two oak leaf clusters , Defense Meritorious Service Medal , Meritorious Service Medal , Air Medal with 22 oak leaf clusters , Presidential Unit Citation , Navy - Marine Corps Presidential Unit Citation , Joint Meritorious Unit Award , Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with " V " device and three oak leaf clusters , Air Force Organizational Excellence Award , Combat Readiness Medal , Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal with service star , Vietnam Service Medal with three service stars , Humanitarian Service Medal , Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm , Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces Honor Medal First Class with service star and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal . Later work . After retiring from the Air Force , Johnson continued to serve active and former military personnel as the Vice Chairman of USAA and Chairman of the USAA Bank , Investment Management Company , Buying Service and Real Estate . While at USAA , Johnson was appointed by President George H . W . Bush and President Bill Clinton to the 1993 Base Realignment and Closure Commission ( BRAC ) . When Kelly Air Force Base was closed by the 1995 BRAC , Johnson was appointed by the City of San Antonio to serve as the Chair of the Local Reuse Authority , which very successfully transformed a “ closed ” base into a vibrant industrial center . Subsequently , Johnson served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Credit Union National Association ( CUNA ) in Madison , Wisconsin . He also served as President and CEO of EG & G Technical Services and later of EG & G when purchased by The Carlyle Group . On August 3 , 2001 , President George W . Bush nominated Johnson to serve as the Assistant Secretary of the Navy ( Installations and Environment ) and he was sworn in four days later . The President directed him to assume the duties as the Acting Secretary of the Navy on February 7 , 2003 , the only Air Force officer to ever hold that position . After leaving the Department of the Navy , Johnson became a Senior Fellow at the Institute for Defenses Analyses ( IDA ) . Family . HT Johnson was married to Linda until her death in January 2011 . They are the parents of son , Richard , and daughter , Beth , and six grandchildren .