Charles Lowry
Wilson ’46
direct link to this listing
Air Force Maj. Gen
Switzerland
General Wilson was born in 1924, in Paris, Texas. He graduated from Paschal High School, Forth Worth, Texas, in 1942 and attended Texas A&M University for one year. In May 1944, he graduated from aviation cadet flying training as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Air Corps.
He then served 18 months in the Southwest Pacific as a C-47/C-46 pilot and operations officer with the 403d Troop Carrier Group. He left active duty in August 1946 and become a member of the organized reserve at Hensley Field, Dallas, Texas, where he was an active flier for four years while attending Southern Methodist University. He graduated from SMU in 1950 with two bachelor's degrees, one in science (mechanical engineering) and the other a double major in business administration (statistics and industrial production management).
In May 1951, during the Korean war, he was called to active duty for 21 months as operations officer with the 443d Troop Carrier Group, Donaldson Air Force Base, S.C. Soon after his return to inactive duty, he accepted a regular Air Force commission on Aug. 3, 1953, and then served four years with the U.S. Air Forces in Europe as a group and wing operations officer in the 465th and 317th troop carrier wings.
After one year in the Class of '58 at Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., he served two years as a plans officer at Headquarters 1st Missile Division, Strategic Air Command, Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. From July 1961 to July 1963, he was a graduate student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology at Cambridge, Mass., where he received a master of science degree in aeronautics and astronautics.
General Wilson next served two years as an astronautical engineer and plans officer in the Directorate of Plans at Headquarters Strategic Air Command, Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. He then attended the U.S. Army War College in the Class of '66 at Carlisle Barracks, Pa.
In July 1966 he was assigned to Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C., as chief, Strategic and Defense Branch, Directorate of Command Control and Communications. He later served two years in the Organization of the Joint Chiefs of Staff as chief, Systems Division, Joint Command Control Requirements Group.
In July 1970, he left Washington and began a four-year tour of duty in Air Force Systems Command. First he served a year in Los Angeles, Calif., as deputy commander of the Air Force Satellite Control Facility in the Space and Missile Systems Organization, then spent 10 months at Bedford, Mass., as vice commander, Electronic Systems Division, L.G. Hanscom Field. In May 1972 he moved to Andrews Air Force Base, Md., as the inspector general in Headquarters Air Force Systems Command; then in September 1972, he became chief of staff for procurement and production, and responsible for procurement policy and guidance for 5,600 personnel handling annual contract awards of more than $6.5 billion.
In August 1974, General Wilson assumed duties as chief, Special Project Office, Static War Headquarters, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, Belgium, where for almost four years he was directly responsible to the chief of staff for coordinating and managing a $100 million international project for acquisition of a new protected underground command center for SHAPE. He assumed his present duty as vice commander of the Acquisition Logistics Division, AFLC, in May 1978.
His military decorations and awards include the Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters, Army Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster, Presidential Unit Citation Emblem and the Missileman Badge. He is a command pilot with more than 5,000 flying hours.
He was promoted to the grade of major general effective May 1, 1975, with a date of rank of July 1, 1972.
Stephen W.
Wilson ’81
direct link to this listing
Air Force Gen.
Montgomery, AL
Gen. Stephen W. “Seve” Wilson is Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. As Vice Chief, he presides over the Air Staff and serves as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Requirements Oversight Council and Deputy Advisory Working Group. He assists the Chief of Staff with organizing, training, and equipping of 660,000 active-duty, Guard, Reserve and civilian forces serving in the United States and overseas.
Gen. Wilson received his commission from Texas A&M University in 1981. He’s had multiple flying tours, and led bomber; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; mobility; aeromedical evacuation; and airborne command and control operations supporting Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom and Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa. Gen. Wilson has also held numerous command positions, including the Joint Functional Component Commander for Global Strike and Air Force Global Strike Command. Gen. Wilson is a command pilot with more than 4,500 flying hours and 680 combat hours. Prior to his current assignment, the general was Deputy
Ralph H.
Wooten ’16
direct link to this listing
Air Force Maj. Gen.
Memphis, TN
Ralph Hudson Wooten was born at Independence, Miss., in 1893. He graduated from the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas (Texas A&M) with a bachelor of science degree in 1916.
On Aug. 8, 1917, he was commissioned a second lieutenant of Infantry in the Regular Army and that same date was promoted to first lieutenant. His first assignment was at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., and in November 1917 he transferred to Camp Greene, N.C., for service with the 59th Infantry.
In January 1918 he began ground school training at the School of Military Aeronautics at Austin, Texas, and later transferred to Kelly Field, Texas, where he completed his flight training in July 1918. He then served as a flight instructor at Love Field, Texas, until November of that year when he was transferred to Brindley Field, Long Island, N.Y. After a short tour of duty at that station, he went to Ellington Field, Texas and in May 1919 became acting air officer of the Hawaiian Department, with headquarters at Fort Shafter.
On July 1, 1920, he transferred to the Air Service and that same date was promoted to captain.
Returning to the United States in July 1922, he became post adjutant at Langley Field, Va. He entered the Air Service Tactical School at Langley Field in October 1923 and after graduating the following June was assigned to the Supply Division in the Office of the Chief of Air Service at Washington. He later became chief of Materiel Procurement and Transportation in that office. In July 1928 he was transferred to Fort Crockett, Texas, for duty as an operations officer of the Third Attack Group.
A year later he went to Santiago, Chile, as military attache. During this tour of duty he received the official commendation of the State Department for his cooperation in seeking two lost foreign planes. He also made a number of flights over unexplored and uncharted routes in the southern part of South America, including Patagonia and Tierre del Fuego.
In July 1933 he returned to the United States to take the two-year course at the Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. After graduating in 1935, he served with General Headquarters Air Force at Langley Field, Va. In August 1936 he entered the Army War College at Washington, and following graduating in 1937 remained in Washington for service in the Operations and Training Division of the War Department General Staff.
In August 1938 he was again appointed Military Attache to Chile and Bolivia, with station at Santiago, Chile. While serving in this capacity, he was commended for his part in rescue work following the devastating earthquakes in southern Chile in 1939. He also served as a representative of the U.S. Government during important conferences with other countries on defense plans for the Western Hemisphere.
In July 1941 he returned to Washington for duty in the Military Intelligence Division of the War Department General Staff. The following September he was appointed air officer with General Headquarters of the Army at Washington.
In March 1942 he was assigned to the Army Air Force Technical Training Command, with station at Miami Beach, Fla., where he organized and commanded technical training activities including the Air Corps Officer Candidate School, Air Corps Officer Training School, Basic Training centers numbers Four and Nine, and the Civilian Mechanic Training schools in that area.
In January 1943 he went to the Caribbean Air Command as commanding general of the Sixth Air Force Service Command and as chief of staff of the Sixth Air Force. He assumed command of the Sixth Air Force the following September, and in May 1944 was designated commanding general of the U.S. Army Forces in the South Atlantic.
CITATION:
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Army Distinguished Service Medal to Major General Ralph Hudson Wooten (ASN: 0-6649), United States Army Air Forces, for exceptionally meritorious and distinguished services to the Government of the United States, in a duty of great responsibility as Commanding General of the U.S. Army Forces in the South Atlantic from May 1944 to October 1945. The singularly distinctive accomplishments of General Wooten and his dedicated contributions in the service of his country reflect the highest credit upon himself and the United States Army Air Forces.
He returned to the United States in January 1946 for duty in the Office of the Foreign Liquidation Commission of the State Department at Washington.
In April 1947 he was appointed commanding general of the Seventh Air Force at Hickam Field, Hawaii, and remained in that position when the Seventh was redesignated Pacific Air Command the following December.
General Wooten has been awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit and Bronze Star Medal. His foreign decorations include "Orden el Merito" in the grades of Official, Cemmendador and Gran Official (Chile); Orden del Merito Militar (Cuba); Condecoracion "abdon Calderon" (Ecuador); "Orden de Boyaca" in the grade of Gran Official (Colombia); and "Orden Militar de Ayacucho" (Peru).
He is rated a command pilot, combat observer and aircraft observer. He retired from the United States Air Force on September 30, 1948.
Robert F.
Worden ’33
direct link to this listing
Air Force Maj. Gen.
Washington, D.C.
Maj. Gen. Robert F. Worden graduated from Texas A&M University in 1933 with a bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering.
He was the deputy director of plans, Deputy Chief of Staff, plans and Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. Before his previous position, General Worden served as chief of staff, U.S. Taiwan Defense Command, Taipei, Taiwan, Pacific Air Force.
Maj. Gen. Robert F. Worden passed away in 2005.
Christopher F.
Yancy ’88
direct link to this listing
Air Force Brig. Gen.
Brig. Gen. Christopher F. Yancy is the Mobilization Assistant to the Commander, Second Air Force, Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi. He is responsible for the development, oversight and direction of all operational aspects of Basic Military Training, initial skills training and advanced technical training for the Air Force enlisted force, non-rated operations and support officers. Second Air Force provides training in more than 265 Air Force specialties through 2,014 courses graduating 150,000 Airmen, soldiers, sailors, Marines and international students annually in diverse areas including aircraft maintenance, civil engineering, medical, cyber, avionics, security forces, space and missile operations/maintenance and multiple intelligence disciplines. The command includes training wings at Keesler AFB, Sheppard and Goodfellow AFB, Texas, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, a training group at Vandenberg AFB, California, and 103 operating locations around the world. Second Air Force also oversees all Air Force Airmen throughout the Joint Expeditionary Tasking/Individual Augmentee training pipeline at several Army training sites across the country.
General Yancy entered the Air Force in 1988 as a distinguished ROTC graduate from Texas A&M University. He served 11 years in the regular Air Force as an F-16 pilot in Air Combat Command and U.S. Air Forces Europe. He joined the Air Force Reserve in 1999 and has held various command positions at the squadron, group and wing level. His combat experience includes nine deployments in operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom, Southern Watch and Northern Watch; multiple operations in the former Yugoslavia; and Expeditionary Fighter Squadron Command in South Korea.
General Yancy is a command pilot with more than 3,900 flying hours, including 3,800 hours in the F-16 Block 30+, 40, 50 and 50+ as well as 15+ years of joint/partner programmatic, test and development experience in the F-35. In his previous assignment, he served as the Mobilization Assistant to the Director of Plans, Programs and Analyses for Headquarters U.S. Air Forces in Europe and U.S. Air Forces Africa, Ramstein Air Base, Germany.
Edward P.
Yarish ’83
direct link to this listing
Air Force Maj. Gen
Centreville, VA
Maj. Gen. Edward P. Yarish is the mobilization assistant to the Commander, Air Force Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. He assists the commander in supporting the six AFMC Centers to develop and execute policies and programs that affect the delivery of war-winning capabilities, especially those necessary in meeting mobilization, emergency, and wartime operations.
General Yarish was commissioned through the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps program in 1983. While on active duty, he was assigned to the Small ICBM Propulsion Division, Ballistic Missile Office, Norton AFB, California, managing the acquisition, development and test of several sub-systems. He joined the Air Force Reserve in 1990 with the 56th Aerial Port Squadron, March Air Reserve Base, Calif. As commander, the unit received the 1997 Reserve Unit of the Year Award.
General Yarish served on the Air Staff working transportation, congressional and strategic planning issues. He also served on the Joint Staff, and deployed as Current Operations Director for the Central Command Deployment and Distribution Operations Center in Southwest Asia, directing joint logistics for operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. In his civilian professional capacity, he is a program development director for a defense systems company based in northern Virginia.