Edmund F . O ' Connor Lieutenant General Edmund Francis O ' Connor ( born March 31 , 1922 ) was an American Air Force lieutenant general and command pilot who was vice commander , Air Force Logistics Command , with headquarters at Wright - Patterson Air Force Base , Ohio . Biography . O ' Connor was born in 1922 , in Fitchburg , Massachusetts , where he graduated from St . Bernard ' s High School . He graduated from the U . S . Military Academy , West Point , N . Y . , in 1943 , with a bachelor of science degree in military engineering and a commission as second lieutenant . While at the academy he attended flying school at Stewart Field , N . Y . , and received his pilot wings in 1943 . He has a bachelor of science degree in aeronautical engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology , Wright - Patterson Air Force Base , Ohio . During World War II , O ' Connor served in the European Theater of Operations as a pilot in Italy with the 459th Bombardment Group , Fifteenth Air Force . He returned to the United States in September 1944 and attended the Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth , Kan . , from October 1944 to January 1945 . He then served at Muroc Army Air Base ( now Edwards Air Force Base ) , Calif . , until April 1946 when he entered the Air Force Institute of Technology at Wright - Patterson Air Force Base . From August 1948 to April 1950 he served as chief of the Instrument Unit and later as assistant chief , Accessories Branch , Headquarters Air Materiel Command at Wright - Patterson Air Force Base . In June 1950 he was assigned to the 3rd Air Rescue Group in Japan and held positions as flight commander , squadron commander , and later was assistant deputy commander of the group which was engaged in the Korean War . He returned to the United States in 1953 and was assigned as chief , B - 52 Weapon System Program at Headquarters Air Materiel Command , and remained in that position until July 1958 when he entered the Air War College at Maxwell Air Force Base , Ala . In July 1959 he was assigned to Headquarters U . S . Air Force where he served in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Materiel , as chief of the Defense Branch and later as chief , Weapon Systems Division ; then was chief , Fighter Systems Staff Office , in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Systems and Logistics . In March 1962 O ' Connor was assigned to the Air Force Systems Command and went to Norton Air Force Base , Calif . , as deputy director of the Ballistic Systems Division . In November 1964 he became director of program management of the George C . Marshall Space Flight Center , NASA , Huntsville , Ala . , where he was responsible for the management of Saturn / Apollo launch vehicle programs and that portion of the Saturn / Skylab program assigned to the Marshall Space Flight Center . In August 1969 O ' Connor became vice commander of Aeronautical Systems Division , AFSC , at Wright - Patterson Air Force Base . He was transferred to Headquarters Air Force Systems Command , Andrews Air Force Base , Md . , in August 1970 , as Deputy Chief of Staff , Procurement and Production . In September 1972 he assumed duties as vice commander , AFSC . O ' Connor was appointed vice commander , Air Force Logistics Command , with headquarters at Wright - Patterson Air Force Base , Ohio , in October 1973 . His military decorations and awards include the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster , Distinguished Flying Cross , Air Medal with seven oak leaf clusters , Army Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster , and the Distinguished Unit Citation Emblem . He has been awarded three National Aeronautics and Space Administration Medals : for Outstanding Leadership , in 1966 ; the Exceptional Service Medal , in 1969 , for his contribution to the Apollo 8 lunar orbital mission ; and the Distinguished Service Medal , in 1969 , for his contribution to the Apollo 11 lunar landing . He was promoted to the grade of lieutenant general effective Sept . 1 , 1972 , with date of rank Sept . 1 , 1972 .