Clyde A . Vaughn Clyde A . Vaughn ( born April 27 , 1946 ) is a retired United States Army Lieutenant General who served as Director of the Army National Guard . Early life . Clyde Allen Vaughn , Jr . was born in Columbia , Missouri on April 27 , 1946 . He completed a General Educational Development ( GED ) program , received a Bachelor of Science degree in education from Southeast Missouri State University in 1968 and became a high school history teacher and football coach in Dexter , Missouri . While at college he became a member of the Sigma Tau Gamma fraternity , Alpha Phi chapter . Start of military career . Vaughn enlisted in the Missouri Army National Guard in 1969 . He received his commission as a Second Lieutenant of Engineers after graduating from Officer Candidate School in 1974 . His early assignments included platoon leader and staff assignments , primarily in the 1140th Engineer Battalion , and he commanded the battalion ’ s Company C from 1980 to 1983 . Vaughn also served temporary active duty assignments in Central and South America , including postings to United States Army South in Panama , and Operations and Training Officer ( G3 ) for Task Force 1169 in Ecuador . He later carried out assignments at the National Guard Bureau before serving as Senior National Guard Advisor for U . S . Army South from 1994 to 1995 . Later career . From 1997 to 2000 Vaughn was Chief of the Operations Division at National Guard Bureau , and he was assigned as the Army ’ s Deputy Director for Military Support to Civil Authorities on the from 2000 to 2002 . He was on Interstate 395 en route to the Pentagon on the morning of September 11 , 2001 . He observed the hijacked Flight 77 Boeing 757 in flight , parked his car , ran to the building , and took part in the initial response to the casualties and damage caused when the plane crashed into the west side of the building . In September , 2002 Vaughn was assigned as Deputy Director of the Army National Guard , succeeding Michael J . Squier , and he served until November , 2003 . From November , 2003 to June , 2005 Vaughn was Assistant for National Guard matters to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff . Vaughn was appointed Director of the Army National Guard in June , 2005 , and he served until retiring in 2009 . He was succeeded by Raymond W . Carpenter . Education . In addition to his degree from Southeast Missouri State , Vaughn is a 1989 graduate of the United States Army Command and General Staff College . He graduated from the United States Army War College in 1994 , simultaneously receiving a Master of Public Administration degree from Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania . Major awards . Vaughn ’ s awards include : Distinguished Service Medal ( Army ) ; Defense Superior Service Medal ; Legion of Merit ( 5 ) ; Meritorious Service Medal ( United States ) ( 6 ) ; Army Commendation Medal ; and Army Achievement Medal ( 2 ) . In 2010 he received the Raymond S . McLain Medal from the Association of the United States Army . Legacy . In 2010 the Army National Guard ’ s GED Plus program , which enables recruits to complete their high school equivalency before beginning their initial training , is named for him . Vaughn spearheaded the creation of the program in 2006 . Family . Vaughn ’ s father , Clyde A . Vaughn , Sr . , served in the National Guard as a Warrant Officer and retired in 1981 . Vaughn is married to Carolyn K . Vaughn . Their son Chad is a fighter pilot in the United States Marine Corps . External resources . Clyde A . Vaughn at National Guard Bureau General Officer Management Office