John W . Roberts John Wendell Roberts ( January 1 , 1921 – January 8 , 1999 ) was a United States Air Force General and commander of the Air Training Command with headquarters at Randolph Air Force Base , Texas . He has a bachelor of science degree from Mankato State Teachers College and a master ' s degree from The George Washington University . He is also a graduate of the Air Command and Staff College and the National War College . Biography . Early life . A native of Mankato , Minnesota , he received his commission and pilot wings through the aviation cadet program in February 1944 . His first assignment was as an instructor pilot at Luke Field , Arizona . Two years later he was reassigned to a fighter wing in Germany . In April 1949 , he returned to instructor pilot duties in the Fighter Weapons School at Nellis Air Force Base , Nevada . There he won the trophy for top individual scoring in the first United States Air Force Fighter Weapons Meet . He was next assigned to Korea where he flew combat missions in the F - 84 Thunderjet and F - 86 Sabre aircraft . While in Korea he served as flight commander and squadron operations officer . In 1954 he received his first of three assignments to Headquarters Air Training Command . His first assignment was as an operations staff officer . In 1957 he commanded the 3529th Combat Crew Training Squadron at Williams Air Force Base , Arizona , and in November of that year returned to Headquarters Air Training Command again as an operations staff officer . Later career . In August 1958 Roberts served with Headquarters 12th Air Force at Waco , Texas , first as an operations officer and later as chief of the Combat Crew Directorate . He was transferred to Headquarters Pacific Air Forces , Hickam Air Force Base , Hawaii , in September 1961 . Following graduation from the National War College in 1965 , he was assigned to the Pentagon where he was first the assistant chief of the Special Warfare Division , Directorate of Plans and Operations , Headquarters United States Air Force ; and in October 1966 chief , Systems Division , Defense Communications Planning Group , at the Naval Observatory . In October 1967 he became vice commander , 4453rd Combat Crew Training Wing , Davis - Monthan Air Force Base , Arizona , and in December 1968 , commander of the 366th Tactical Fighter Wing , Da Nang Air Base , Vietnam . After 10 months at Da Nang he moved to Headquarters Seventh Air Force , Tan Son Nhut Air Base , Vietnam , where he was the director of the Tactical Air Control Center . In August 1970 General Roberts returned to Washington D . C . , where he served in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff , Personnel , as deputy director of personnel planning , and later director , personnel plans . He became the deputy chief of staff , personnel , in October 1973 . For his contributions to Air Force personnel resource programs management , he was awarded the 1975 Eugene M . Zuckert Management Award . He became the commander of the Air Training Command in August 1975 . He was promoted to the rank of general on March 29 , 1977 , with the same date of rank . He retired two years and two days later on March 31 , 1977 . Once reflecting on his career , he said about his failures , " I crashed two aircraft when I was a captain , a B - 25 and later an F - 86 . Both were pilot error . I cracked up the F - 86 in the woods in Michigan where the only thing left after the crash were the engine and me . " Awards . Awards earned during his career :