A/TQ covers - Airlift/Tanker Association

“The men and women of the United States Air Force and our mobility forces, are trained and ready to deploy
anywhere in the world in defense of our country. It is their unselfish sacrifice, untiring efforts and outstanding achievements
that have contributed immensely to the establishment and to the maintenance of peace in the free world. Not only are
their efforts and achievements attained during times of conflict, but they also occur during acts of natural disaster and
humanitarian relief efforts. The balance of power and our freedom has been and will continue to be achieved and built on
the “wings of Freedom.” The Airlift/Tanker Association wishes to recognize and honor those men and women who have
distinguished themselves by outstanding performance above and beyond their duties as members of the United States Air
Force. It is for this purpose that the “Airlift/Tanker Hall of Fame” has been established.”
Lt Gen William H. Tunner (1906-1983)
His vision for airlift’s role in national defense
earned him recognition as “The Father of
Military Airlift Command.” During World
War II, he commanded the India-China
division of the Air Transport Command,
which was responsible for supplying China by
air across the Himalayas. He also commanded
the Combined U.S. Air Force/Royal Air Force
Berlin Airlift Operation and during the Korean
War, the Combat Cargo Command, Far East Air
Forces. From July 1958 to May 1960, he served
as Commander, Military Air Transport Service.
Later assignments included Commander in
Chief, United States Air Forces in Europe
and Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations,
Headquarters U.S. Air Force. Inducted 1989.
Lt Gen Harold L. George (1917-1986)
Recognized as the “First Leader of Airlift,”
he commanded the Air Corps Ferrying
Command from April 1942 to June 1942 and
its successor organization, the Air Transport
Command, from June 1942 to September
1946. In those positions, he directed the
wartime movement of planes, passengers,
and supplies from the United States to combat
units around the world. Air Force Chief of
Staff Gen Carl A. “Tooey” Spaatz remarked in
1947 that Gen George’s “masterful, diplomatic
and successful operation of the Air Transport
Command gained (for) the Army Air Forces
an international reputation for the ability
to accomplish the seemingly impossible.”
Inducted 1991.
Donald W. Douglas (1892-1981)
Engineer, visionary, and entrepreneur, his
aircraft designs revolutionized commercial
and military air transport. While the Douglas
DC-3 and DC-4 passenger carriers became the
C-47 and C-54, the workhorse transports of
World War II, it was his C-124 that provided
Military Air Transport Service, and later
Military Airlift Command, with the first
aircraft designed specifically for strategic
military airlift. With its ease of loading,
heavy lift capacity, and trans-ocean delivery
capability, the C-124 made its mark during
the Korean War. The Douglas Aircraft military
legacy lives on in the McDonnell Douglasdesigned,
Boeing-built C-17 Globemaster III.
Inducted 1990.
Maj Gen Cyrus R. “C.R.” Smith (1899-1990)
In April 1942, he resigned as President and
Director of American Airlines to enter the Army
with a commission as colonel in the Air Corps
Ferrying Command, which two months later
become the Air Transport Command (ATC). As
ATC’s Chief of Staff and Deputy Commander,
he applied his commercial air transport
experiences to the wartime, worldwide
expansion of military airlift operations. He
was principally responsible for convincing the
War Department to make ATC the agent for
strategic airlift. As a result, by the end of 1943
the Command was operating over air routes in
the United States and overseas totaling more
than 130,000 miles. Inducted 1992.
Gen Laurence S. Kuter (1905-1979)
Commanding the Atlantic Division of the
Army Air Force’s Air Transport Command
(ATC) in 1945, he oversaw the consolidation
of resources from several of ATC’s wartime
divisions into a new Atlantic Division
responsible for the airlift service between
the United States and Europe, Africa, and the
Middle East. As the first Commander, Military
Air Transport Service (MATS), June 1948- to
November 1951, he consolidated under MATS
assets from ATC and the Naval Air Transport
Service and he defined and interpreted the
future airlift role for the Department of
Defense. Inducted 1990.
Lt Gen Ira E. Eaker (1896-1997)
Airpower visionary and pioneer, he secured
approval of the Chief of the Air Corps,
refined air refueling procedures, and selected
planes and crews for the “Question Mark”
record-setting endurance flight of 150 hours,
40 minutes in January 1929. Serving as the
mission’s chief pilot, he took air refueling to
the next step by conceiving, organizing, and
conducting, from August to September 1929,
the “Boeing Hornet Shuttle,” the first nonstop
transcontinental flight sustained solely by
air refuelings. Through those two flights,
he significantly advanced the development
of air refueling and greatly expanded the
possibilities of airpower. Inducted 1993.
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A/TQ • Airlift/Tanker Quarterly • Fall 2012