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Submitted: 7/16/14 • Approved: 10/15/19 • Last Updated: 10/18/19 • R1022659-G0-S3
MAJOR GENERAL US Air Force
November 11,1911-December 31,1996
US Air Force Major General. Known as "Mr. Air National Guard," he is remembered as the architect of the US's modern Ready Reserve forces while serving as Chief of the National Guard Bureau. He enlisted in the Arkansas National Guard in 1929 and was an aircraft mechanic in the 154th Observation Squadron. In 1934 he graduated from Hendrix College at Conway, Arkansas and two years later he became qualified as a pilot and received his commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in 1940, the same year he received his commercial pilot's license. When the US entered World War II, he initially served with the 154th Squadron at Eglin Field (now Eglin Air Force Base), Florida, flying anti-submarine patrols. In September 1942 he was assigned to the staff at Headquarters, US Army Air Forces in Washington DC, and in May 1943 he received his service pilot rating and was appointed Chief of the Tactical Reconnaissance Branch two months later, along with a promotion to the rank of major. In 1944 he became commander of the 16th Photographic Squadron at MacDill, where he was responsible for photographic mapping and charting missions in South America, Alaska and the continental US. The following year he was assigned to the Pacific Theater of Operations as liaison officer to Far East Air Forces, and he was subsequently assigned as assistant air photo officer at Headquarters, Far East Air Forces in the Philippines, receiving a promotion to the rank of lieutenant colonel. In 1946 he was appointed Chief of the Reconnaissance Unit in the Operations and Training staff section of Pacific Air Command, operating in both Tokyo, Japan and Manila, Philippine Islands. He then returned to the US and became the commander of the Arkansas National Guard's 164th Fighter Squadron. He played a vital role in the creation of the new US Air Force in 1947, and was an advocate for two separate Reserve components, the US Air Force Reserve and the Air National Guard. Among the changes he instituted in an effort to improve readiness were a modified drill schedule, moving from four Wednesday nights per month to two Wednesday nights and two full Sundays, the precursor to the current one full weekend per month schedule. In 1950, as a colonel, he became the Deputy Director of the Air National Guard in Washington DC, and was responsible for the training, readiness, equipping and deployment of Air National Guard units during the Korean War. In 1954 he was appointed Director of the Air National Guard and promoted to the rank of brigadier general. The following year he was appointed Deputy Chief of the National Guard Bureau, in addition to his post as Air National Guard Director, and promoted to the rank of major general. During his tenure as Air Guard Director he oversaw the organization's diversification from a fighter-based force to one of fighters, bombers, observation, and transport units, as well as a modernization of its planes and facilities. In 1963 he was appointed Chief of the National Guard Bureau, the first Air Force officer to be officially named to this position. He was a strong advocate for integrating National Guard and Reserve units into operations with the active duty units, rather than using them primarily as a strategic reserve. His view was validated during the Vietnam War, with Air Guard fighter squadrons serving successfully in Vietnam, especially following the Pueblo Incident and Tet Offensive, when called on to deploy with little or no advance notice. He also oversaw enhanced training and equipping efforts so that the National Guard could respond to civil disturbances, which happened with increasing frequency as the result of the civil rights and anti-Vietnam War movements of the 1960s, as well as his continued efforts to integrate the National Guard, including the appointment of its first African-American general officer. In 1967 he was appointed to a 2nd term as Chief of the National Guard Bureau and he retired in 1971, with 42 years of continuous military service in the National Guard and US Army Air Force. Among his military decorations and awards include the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the American Defense Service Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, the World War II Victory Medal, the Army of Occupation Medal (Japan), the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, the Air Force Longevity Service Award, the Armed Forces Reserve Medal, the Philippine Liberation Ribbon, and the Oklahoma, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania Distinguished Service Medals. He died from complications of a stroke at the age of 85. The National Guard Marksmanship Training Center at Camp Joseph T. Robinson, Arkansas hosts the nationwide annual Winston P. Wilson Rifle and Pistol Championship, named in his honor. (bio by: William Bjornstad)
Contributed on 7/16/14 by bill060
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Record #: 1022659