William V . McBride William Vincent McBride ( born May 25 , 1922 ) is a former General in the United States Air Force and the former Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force . Biography . Early life . McBride was born in Wampum , Pennsylvania in 1922 . He received his high school education from Wampum High School in 1939 . He later attended the Garfield Business Institute , Beaver Falls , Pennsylvania . He enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps in 1942 and entered aviation cadet training . He completed navigation training at the Pan American Airways Navigation School , Coral Gables , Florida , and graduated as a second lieutenant . He next attended bombardier school in Carlsbad , New Mexico , and in March 1943 entered combat crew training as a navigator - bombardier in B - 26 Marauder aircraft at MacDill Field , Florida . Early career . In July 1943 he joined the 387th Bombardment Group in the European Theater of Operation s as squadron navigator and later served as group navigator . He helped plan and flew on many of the important missions in support of the Allied ground forces offensive , including D - Day operations . After World War II , he trained new navigators at Ellington Field , Texas , and then was assigned to Lackland Army Air Field , Texas , to help organize the present Air Force basic training base . He attended basic and advanced pilot training at Randolph Air Force Base , Texas , and Barksdale Air Force Base , Louisiana in 1947 - 1948 to become a triple - rated officer . In 1950 he attended New York University in New York City . Since that time , many of his military assignments were in the Military Airlift Command in weather reconnaissance , air rescue and airlift functions . During the Korean War , he commanded the Second Air Rescue Group in Okinawa and in the Philippines . After a tour of duty in Headquarters Air Rescue Service as deputy chief of staff for plans , he commanded the Eighth Air Rescue Group at Stead Air Force Base , Nevada , during 1956 - 1957 . He then commanded the 1608th Air Transport Group at Charleston Air Force Base , South Carolina The group was responsible for providing airlift to Africa , the Middle East and Latin America . In 1959 General McBride was assigned as a student to the National War College in Washington D . C . , and in early 1960 , as a member of a small official group of National War College students , visited Moscow and toured points of interest in the Soviet Union . Later career . In July 1960 he was assigned to Headquarters United States Air Force , Directorate of Plans , to work on problems related to counterinsurgency and special warfare . He served first as assistant chief of the Cold War Division and later as the chief of the Special Warfare Division . In June 1964 he was selected by Secretary of the Air Force Eugene M . Zuckert to become his military assistant . When Secretary Harold Brown replaced Mr . Zuckert in October 1965 , McBride remained as the military assistant where he was called on to advise and assist the secretary and undersecretary on operational , planning and programming matters . He was assigned as commander of the 437th Military Airlift Wing , Charleston Air Force Base , South Carolina , in August 1966 . McBride was assigned to Headquarters Military Airlift Command in March 1969 as deputy chief of staff , materiel ; he became deputy chief of staff , operations , in September 1969 ; and chief of staff , Military Airlift Command , in March 1970 . McBride was assigned as vice commander in chief , United States Air Forces in Europe , with headquarters at Lindsey Air Station , Wiesbaden , Germany , in September 1971 . He assumed command of Air Training Command in September 1972 , and became commander of the Air Force Logistics Command in September 1974 . McBride was appointed Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force on September 1 , 1975 . He was promoted to the grade of general effective Sept . 1 , 1974 , with same date of rank . He retired on March 31 , 1978 . He currently lives in San Antonio , Texas . Awards . Awards earned over his career include :