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53-627: The airport is named for SOSU alum General Ira Eaker , a 1917 graduate of Southeastern who served in World War I and World War II . During World War II, General Eaker was commander of the Eighth Air Force in England and led several historic bombing missions against targets in occupied Europe and Germany. The City of Durant named an airfield west of town in honor of then Captain Eaker in

106-520: A Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from the University of Southern California in 1934. Eaker remained with the 64th Infantry until March 1918, when he was placed on detached service to receive flying instruction at Austin and Kelly Fields in Texas . Upon graduation the following October, he was rated a pilot and assigned to Rockwell Field , California . In July 1919, he transferred to

159-471: A Bachelor of Science (BS) has a greater focus on science, math, and engineering. The Bachelor of Arts degree is a type of baccalaureate degree . A Bachelor of Arts degree is usually completed in four years: that is, it requires four years of full-time coursework during term time. However, just as with other degrees, some may require a longer time period. This is due to factors such as the student's ability, motivation, and access to financial assistance to earn

212-513: A Hochschule , which is the generic term in Germany for all institutions awarding academic degrees. Fachhochschule is often translated as "University of Applied Sciences". Universitäten place greater emphasis on fundamental science and background in theory, while Fachhochschulen are generally designed with a focus on teaching professional skills. Degrees earned at Universitäten and Fachhochschulen are legally equivalent. In Germany,

265-653: A B-17 called Yankee Doodle II and landing at a Soviet base at Poltava in Ukraine. On April 30, 1945, General Eaker was named deputy commander of the Army Air Forces and Chief of the Air Staff . He retired on August 31, 1947, and was promoted to lieutenant general in the newly established United States Air Force on the retired list June 29, 1948. Almost 40 years after his retirement, Congress attempted to pass special legislation awarding four-star status in

318-456: A BA or BSc degree. However, some older or ancient universities , such as Oxford , Cambridge , and Trinity College Dublin traditionally award BAs to undergraduates having completed the final examinations, e.g., Part II Tripos (Cambridge), Final Honour Schools (Oxford), Moderator-ship (Dublin), in most subjects including the sciences. Some new plate glass universities established in the 1960s, such as York and Lancaster , originally followed

371-729: A master's degree. Along with the Bachelor of Science (B.S.), the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) is the most commonly granted degree in the US. A B.A. degree is earned after the completion of four years of undergraduate college level study. The Bachelor of Science is abbreviated with periods i.e., B.S., and the Bachelor of Arts is abbreviated as B.A. Most US colleges and universities offer undergraduate programs. In colleges and universities in Australia, Nepal, New Zealand, India and South Africa,

424-400: A third class honours degree (for example, BA with distinction, merit or pass). A Bachelor of Arts is entitled to the post-nominal letters BA for an ordinary or pass degree and BA (Hons) for an honours degree. (However, graduates entitled to use the "Hons" post-nominal very rarely do so in practice.) The academic dress worn by honours and non-honours graduates is identical. An honours degree

477-829: A weekly column, carried by many newspapers, on military affairs. Eaker was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame , in Dayton, Ohio , in 1970. Over his 30 years of flying, General Eaker accumulated 12,000 flying hours as pilot. On September 26, 1978, the U.S. Congress passed, and on October 10, 1978, President Jimmy Carter signed, Public Law 95-438, which awarded the Congressional Gold Medal to General Eaker, "in recognition of his distinguished career as an aviation pioneer and Air Force leader". Eaker died August 6, 1987, at Malcolm Grow Medical Center, Andrews Air Force Base , Maryland , and

530-404: Is 6,800 x 100 ft (1,524.3 x 30.5 m). In 2005, the airport had 46,355 aircraft operations, average 127 per day: 97.8% general aviation , 2.2% general aviation itinerant, 0.1% military. 21 aircraft were then based at the airport: 17 single-engine, 3 multi-engine, and 1 jet. On February 11, 2011, Eaker Field opened a new, modern 8,000 sq ft (740 m) terminal building. The project

583-431: Is always awarded in one of four classes, depending upon the marks gained in the final assessments and examinations. The top students are awarded a first-class degree, followed by an upper second-class degree (usually referred to as a 2:1), a lower second-class degree (usually referred to as a 2:2), and those who pass with the lowest marks gain a third-class degree. An ordinary, pass or unclassified degree (which does not give

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636-601: Is buried in Arlington National Cemetery . Blytheville Air Force Base , Strategic Air Command (SAC) installation, was renamed Eaker Air Force Base on May 26, 1988. Eaker AFB was closed on March 6, 1992, due to Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) action. Military to civilian conversion began, and public aircraft began using the decommissioned base. The military still uses the renamed Arkansas International Airport . The airport in Durant , Oklahoma

689-548: Is presented to cadets who have completed the requirements of the final phase of the cadet program. The award is accompanied by promotion to the grade of Cadet Lieutenant Colonel , the second highest grade in the program. In 1970, Eaker was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in Dayton, Ohio. In 1993 he was inducted into the Airlift/Tanker Association Hall of Fame. In 1981, Eaker

742-402: Is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts , or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years, depending on the country and institution. The Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree is an undergraduate postsecondary degree that puts a focus on liberal arts and studies. In comparison,

795-786: The Loening OA-1 float planes of the Pan American Goodwill Flight that made a 22,000 mile (35,200 km) trip around South America and, with the others, was awarded the Mackay Trophy . He then became executive officer in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of War at Washington, D.C. In September 1926, he was named operations and line maintenance officer at Bolling Field , Washington, D.C. While on that duty, he participated as chief pilot on

848-629: The Philippine Islands , where he served with the 2d Aero Squadron at Fort Mills until September 1919; with the 3d Aero Squadron at Camp Stotsenburg until September 1920, and as executive officer of the Department Air Office, Department and Assistant Department Air Officer, Philippine Department, and in command of the Philippine Air Depot at Manila until September 1921. Meanwhile, on July 1, 1920, he

901-534: The 1930s. The U.S. Navy built the current airfield as an auxiliary field during World War II and it became Durant Municipal Airport after the war. It was later renamed Eaker Field. The airport was served by Central Airlines from October 1949 until August 1954. Central initially operated only Beechcraft Bonanzas but phased them out in 1950–1951 in favor of the Douglas DC-3 . Eaker Field covers 840 acres (3.4 km) and has one asphalt runway. Runway 17/35

954-883: The 34th Pursuit Squadron and later the 17th Pursuit Squadron. In the summer of 1935, he was detached for duty with the Navy and participated aboard the aircraft carrier USS Lexington , on maneuvers in Hawaii and Guam . Eaker entered the Air Corps Tactical School at Maxwell Field , Alabama , in August 1935, and upon graduation the following June entered the Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth , Kansas , from which he graduated in June 1937. During his time at Ft Leavenworth from June 3–7, 1936, Eaker made

1007-716: The American fighter groups to hunt down enemy fighters. Eaker was reassigned as Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces , previous commander Tedder having been selected by Eisenhower to plan the air operations for the Normandy invasion. Eaker had under his command the Twelfth and Fifteenth Air Forces and the British Desert and Balkan Air Forces . He did not approve of

1060-557: The BA course normally lasts between three and three and a half years—six or seven semesters—and the degree is awarded after the student earns between 180 and 210 ECTS . In the Netherlands, the BA and Master of Arts (MA) degrees were introduced in 2002. Until then, a single program led to the doctorandus degree (abbreviated drs.), which comprised the same course load as the bachelor's and master's programs combined. The title doctorandus

1113-399: The BA degree can be taken over three years of full-time study. Students must pursue at least one major area of study and units from that subject are usually studied in each year, though sometimes students may choose to complete upper-level classes in the same year and as a result, can leave space for elective subjects from a different field. At some universities, students may choose to pursue

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1166-530: The BA degree has been consistent in its history. The Bachelor of Arts degree was formed out of the study of liberal arts . Liberal art is a term that was applied to the study of many branches of learning such as grammar , logic , rhetoric , arithmetic , geometry , astronomy , and music . The study of liberal arts started during the Middle Ages . During the Renaissance , the term liberal art

1219-637: The Doolittle promotion was enlarged to include Eaker. Goldwater first proposed a bill of relief that waived both officers' ineligibility for promotion. However, the legislation stalled in the House, which prompted Goldwater to only seek confirmation via the Senate, which was arguably unlawful because of statutory restrictions on general officers that required them to be in active service. On April 26, 1985, Chief of Staff General Charles A. Gabriel and Ruth Eaker,

1272-403: The U.S. Air Force to General Eaker, prompted by retired Air Force Reserve major general and Senator Barry Goldwater (R-AZ). Goldwater had originally wanted to simply promote Jimmy Doolittle to four star rank, but was told by Air Force Secretary Verne Orr that this would put Eaker in an awkward position because he "had greater responsibilities during World War II." In order to cure this defect

1325-563: The clock and the devil shall get no rest." He personally participated in the first US B-17 Flying Fortress bomber strike against German occupation forces in France, bombing Rouen on August 17, 1942. Eaker was promoted to major general in September 1943. However, as American bomber losses mounted from German defensive fighter aircraft attacks on deep penetration missions beyond the range of available fighter cover, Eaker may have lost some of

1378-566: The confidence of USAAF Commanding General Henry Arnold . To reduce losses to fighters, Eaker was a strong advocate of the Boeing YB-40 Flying Fortress , a B-17 Flying Fortress which carried additional gun turrets and gunners instead of a bomb load and was intended to act as a long-range, "gunship" escort for conventional bombers. However the YB-40 was not a success in combat. Eaker also strongly advocated work on improving

1431-1076: The degree. Just like other baccalaureate degrees, a Bachelor of Arts is historically offered only at public and private universities and colleges. A Bachelor of Arts, just like other bachelor's degrees, is an admission requirement for graduate and professional school. Beginning in the 1990s, junior colleges started to confer their own baccalaureate degrees. In addition to the standard BA degrees, there are career-specific Bachelor of Arts degrees, including Bachelor of Arts in Functional English , Bachelor of Arts in Administration , Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies , and Regents Bachelor of Arts . The Bachelor of Arts degree has been prominent in academics for centuries. It influenced universities to begin focusing on broad topics such as algebra , psychology , biology , art , history , and philosophy . This aspect of

1484-547: The end of World War II had been named Deputy Commander of the U.S. Army Air Forces. He worked in the aerospace industry following his retirement from the military, then became a newspaper columnist . Eaker was born in Field Creek , Texas , in 1896, the son of a Dutch tenant farmer . He attended Southeastern State Teachers College in Durant, Oklahoma , and then joined the United States Army in 1917. He

1537-532: The endurance flight of the Army plane, Question Mark , from 1 to January 7, 1929, establishing a new world flight endurance record. For this achievement the entire crew of five, including Eaker and mission commander Major Carl Spaatz , were awarded the DFC . In 1930, he made the first transcontinental flight entirely with instruments. In October 1934, Eaker was ordered to duty at March Field , Calif., where he commanded

1590-540: The enemy's ability to wage war while minimizing civilian casualties. The British considered daylight bombing too risky and wanted the Americans to join them in night raids that would target wider areas, but Eaker persuaded a skeptical Winston Churchill that the American and British approaches complemented each other in a one-page memo that concluded, "If the RAF continues night bombing and we bomb by day, we shall bomb them round

1643-541: The final secondary school exams in France and Spain (and of the International Baccalaureate ) come from this: le Baccalauréat and el Bachillerato , respectively. The ancient universities of Scotland award a Master of Arts degree to humanities or arts graduates, but a BSc to science graduates. This course takes four years for an honours degree and three for an ordinary. In Scotland, one can opt to take an ordinary degree, which ranks below

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1696-595: The first blind (instruments only) transcontinental flight from New York to Los Angeles. He then became assistant chief of the Information Division in the Office of the Chief of Air Corps (OCAC) at Washington, D.C., during which he helped plan and publicize the interception of the Italian liner Rex at sea . In November 1940, Eaker was given command of the 20th Pursuit Group at Hamilton Field , California. He

1749-649: The general's wife, pinned on his fourth star. Later, in 1986, the Comptroller General ruled that the promotion was unlawful for pay or benefit purposes due to the lack of implementing legislation. Ten days before the Democratic Party primary runoff election of the 1948 United States Senate election in Texas on Saturday, August 28, 1948, Eaker spoke in support of candidate Lyndon B. Johnson . Coke R. Stevenson 's campaign attacked Eaker, and Eaker

1802-458: The graduate the right to add '(Hons)') may be awarded if a student has completed (i) followed a non-honours program, or (b) attempted an honours course but marginally failed to achieve third-class standard. Education in Canada is controlled by the provinces and can be very different depending on the province. While all Canadian universities offer four-year degrees, it is not uncommon, depending on

1855-548: The master's degree (post-nominal letters) in accordance with the new standard. When attaining a master level/graduate degree, it is still customary to use either drs. pre-nominally or MA/MSc post-nominally at the discretion of the holder. In the United Kingdom (excluding Scotland) and Ireland, the first degree course normally lasts three years, but nomenclature varies: 19th-century and later universities usually distinguish between arts and sciences subjects by awarding either

1908-518: The plan to bomb Monte Cassino in February 1944, considering it a dubious military target, but ultimately signed off the mission and gave in to pressure from ground commanders. Historians of the era now generally believe Eaker's skepticism was correct and that the ancient abbey at Monte Cassino could have been preserved without jeopardizing the allied advance through Italy. He personally led the first raid of Operation Frantic on 2 July 1944, flying in

1961-446: The practice of Oxford and Cambridge by awarding BAs in all subjects, but have since changed to awarding BSc degrees in science subjects. At Oxford, Cambridge, and Dublin the degree of MA can be claimed, usually twenty-one terms after matriculation , without any further study. For many centuries, the bachelor's degree was an intermediate step and was awarded for much of the work carried out in later times at secondary schools. The names of

2014-404: The province and the university for a three-year general degree to also be offered as an option. In many universities and colleges, Bachelor of Arts degrees are differentiated either as BA or as honours BA degrees. Honours programs require more education than non-honours programs, typically a specialization beyond the requirements of a BA, and can often be used as a gateway to a PhD program, bypassing

2067-434: The range of escort fighters using drop tanks , so that his Republic P-47 Thunderbolts could stay with the bomber formations for longer periods. Eaker strictly followed the prevailing American doctrine of requiring fighters to stay near the bombers, but this stricture was proving frustrating to the fighter groups, who advocated for free rein in clearing the skies of enemy aircraft ahead of the bomber paths. Eaker's air force

2120-590: The winner of the election by a small margin. Eaker was a vice president of Hughes Tool Company and Hughes Aircraft (1947–1957) and of Douglas Aircraft (1957–1961). While stationed in New York in the early 1920s, Eaker studied law at Columbia University . Eaker went back to school in the early 1930s at the University of Southern California and received a degree in journalism. With Henry Arnold , Eaker co-authored This Flying Game (1936), Winged Warfare (1937), and Army Flyer (1942). Starting in 1962, he wrote

2173-606: Was a general of the United States Army Air Forces during World War II . Eaker, as second-in-command of the prospective Eighth Air Force , was sent to England to form and organize its bomber command. While he struggled to build up airpower in England, the organization of the Army Air Forces evolved and he was named commander of the Eighth Air Force on December 1, 1942. Although his background

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2226-475: Was appointed a second lieutenant of Infantry, Officer's Reserve Corps , and assigned to active duty with the 64th Infantry Regiment at Camp Bliss , El Paso, Texas . The 64th Infantry was assigned to the 14th Infantry Brigade on December 20, 1917, to be part of the 7th Infantry Division when it deployed to France. On November 15, 1917, Eaker received a commission in the Regular Army . He later received

2279-525: Was bleeding men; from July through November 1943, the 8th lost 64% of its aircrew. When General Dwight D. Eisenhower was named Supreme Allied Commander in December 1943, he proposed to use his existing team of subordinate commanders, including Lieutenant General Jimmy Doolittle , in key positions. Doolittle was named Eighth Air Force Commander, and Arnold concurred with the change. After a rocky start, Doolittle greatly improved on Eaker's record by releasing

2332-650: Was commissioned into the Regular Army as a captain in the Air Service and returned to the United States in January 1922, for duty at Mitchel Field , New York, where he commanded the 5th Aero Squadron and later was post adjutant. In June 1924, Eaker was named executive assistant in the Office of Air Service at Washington, D.C. , and from December 21, 1926, to May 2, 1927, he served as a pilot of one of

2385-528: Was composed of reserve rather than career military officers, and the group became known as "Eaker's Amateurs". Eaker's position as commander of the Eighth Air Force led to his becoming the model for the fictional Major General Pat Pritchard in the 1949 movie Twelve O'Clock High . Throughout the war, Eaker was an advocate for daylight "precision" bombing of military and industrial targets in German-occupied territory and ultimately Germany—of striking at

2438-502: Was defended by other prominent military officers and Johnson. Criticizing a prominent military leader so soon after World War II likely had a negative effect on Stevenson's turnout in the election, and in Howard County in particular (which had quartered an Army Air Force Bombardier School during World War II) returned an abnormally high net gain for Johnson as compared to his gains in other areas. Johnson would go on to be declared

2491-574: Was funded by the Durant Industrial Authority and by a grant provided by the Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission. The taxiway was also resurfaced for the first time since 1943. [1] The original design called for an air traffic control tower to be added, but that plan was later scrapped due to the cost. Ira Eaker General (Honorary) Ira Clarence Eaker (April 13, 1896 – August 6, 1987)

2544-500: Was in single-engine fighter aircraft , Eaker became the architect of a strategic bombing force that ultimately numbered forty groups of 60 heavy bombers each, supported by a subordinate fighter command of 1,500 aircraft, most of which was in place by the time he relinquished command at the start of 1944. Eaker then took overall command of four Allied air forces based in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations , and by

2597-616: Was inducted into the International Air & Space Hall of Fame at the San Diego Air & Space Museum . Kurt Vonnegut quotes his foreword to David Irving 's The Destruction of Dresden in his novel Slaughterhouse-Five . Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A. , BA , A.B. or AB ; from the Latin baccalaureus artium , baccalaureus in artibus , or artium baccalaureus )

2650-442: Was meant to describe general studies more broadly. This definition of liberal studies remains to this day. In Japan and the United States, Bachelor of Arts degrees were historically given only by public or private institutions and colleges. In Germany, university-level education usually happens in either a Universität (plural: Universitäten ) or a Fachhochschule (plural: Fachhochschulen ); both can be referred to as

2703-951: Was promoted in 1941 to colonel while at Hamilton Field. Promoted to brigadier general in January 1942, he was assigned to organize the VIII Bomber Command (which became the Eighth Air Force ) in England and to understudy the British system of bomber operations. Then, in December 1942, he assumed command of the Eighth Air Force. In a speech he gave to the British that won him favorable publicity, he said, "We won't do much talking until we've done more fighting. After we've gone, we hope you'll be glad we came." Much of Eaker's initial staff, including Captain Frederick W. Castle , Captain Beirne Lay, Jr. , and Lieutenant Harris Hull ,

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2756-554: Was renamed Eaker Field to honor Eaker, a graduate of Southeastern State College in Durant. Now known as Southeastern Oklahoma State University, the student aviation majors use the airport as the home of the flight school. Source: [REDACTED]    Command pilot The General Ira C. Eaker Award is given by the Civil Air Patrol in honor of the former Deputy Commander U.S. Army Air Forces and aviation pioneer. It

2809-437: Was used in almost all fields of study; other titles were used for legal studies ( meester , Dutch for master, abbreviated Mr. ) and engineering ( ingenieur , abbreviated Ir. for academic masters level or ING. for higher vocational bachelor's level). Those who had already started the doctorandus program could, on completing it, opt for the doctorandus degree (entitling them to use "drs." in front of their name) or could use

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