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44-611: General (Honorary) Ira Clarence Eaker (April 13, 1896 – August 6, 1987) 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

88-587: 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

132-456: A general, without prefix or suffix (and sometimes referred to informally as a " full general "), is usually the most senior type of general, above lieutenant general and directly below field marshal as a four-star rank (NATO OF-9). Usually it is the most senior peacetime rank, with more senior ranks (for example, field marshal, marshal of the air force, fleet admiral) being used only in wartime or as honorary titles. In some armies, however,

176-828: 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

220-536: Is a United States Air Force base in Washington, D.C. In 2010, it was merged with Naval Support Facility Anacostia to form Joint Base Anacostia–Bolling . From its beginning, the installation has hosted elements of the Army Air Corps (predecessor to today's Air Force) and Navy aviation and support elements. Before European colonization , the area where Bolling Air Force Base is located was inhabited by

264-600: 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

308-545: 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

352-786: 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

396-564: The Mediterranean Theater of Operations , and by 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

440-618: The Nacotchtank , an Algonquian people. The largest village of the Nacotchtank was located just north of the air force base, south of Anacostia Park . Another Nacotchtank village is believed to have existed on the base grounds, where two ossuaries (burial mounds) were discovered in 1936. Other Nacotchtank archaeological sites have been found at Giesboro Point on the Potomac River. The Department of Defense (DOD) has owned

484-629: 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

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528-618: The Regular Army . He later received 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

572-482: The United States Army in 1917. He 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

616-883: 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

660-495: The Air Force 11th Wing; Commander, Naval Installations Command, Naval Media Center (now, Defense Media Activity-Navy) and many other military commands and federal agencies. The Air Force District of Washington (AFDW) was created and activated at Bolling on 1 October 1985 with the mission of providing administrative support to Air Force members. On 15 July 1994, AFDW was inactivated, but was reactivated 5 January 2005 to "provide

704-715: 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

748-591: The Bolling grounds since 1917, when the tract of land was scouted by William C. Ocker at the direction of General Billy Mitchell . Founded on 2 October 1917 as The Flying Field at Anacostia , it was the first military airfield near the United States Capitol . It was renamed Anacostia Experimental Flying Field in June 1918. Soon, the single installation evolved into two separate, adjoining bases; one Army (later Air Force) and one Navy. Bolling Field

792-635: 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,

836-513: The Eighth Air Force on December 1, 1942. Although his background 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

880-624: The Potomac in the city's southwest quadrant , in the 1930s. Over the years, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and National Guard units, as well as DOD and federal agencies also found the installation to be an ideal place from which to operate. Although fixed-wing aircraft operations ceased, the installations continued to serve the Military Airlift Command (MAC); the headquarters for the Air Force District of Washington;

924-402: 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

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968-562: 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

1012-565: 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

1056-532: 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

1100-540: 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

1144-507: The equivalent of general officers, and the naval rank of admiral is equivalent to the specific army rank of general. A noteworthy historical exception was the Cromwellian naval rank " general at sea ". In recent years in the American service there is a tendency to use flag officer and flag rank to refer to generals and admirals of the services collectively. Bolling Air Force Base Bolling Air Force Base or Bolling AFB

1188-594: 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

1232-497: The former location at the Polo Grounds, Washington, D.C. In the late 1940s, Bolling Field's property became Naval Air Station Anacostia and a new Air Force base, named Bolling Air Force Base, was constructed just to the south on 24 June 1948. Bolling AFB has served as a research and testing ground for new aviation equipment and its first mission provided aerial defense of the capital. It moved to its present location, along

1276-594: The general officer ranks for the army, while in the air force they use air officers as the equivalent of general officers. They use the air force rank of air chief marshal as the equivalent of the specific army rank of general. This latter group includes the British Royal Air Force and many current and former Commonwealth air forces—e.g. Royal Australian Air Force , Indian Air Force , Royal New Zealand Air Force , Nigerian Air Force , Pakistan Air Force , etc. In most navies , flag officers are

1320-648: 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

1364-404: The late medieval period to indicate relative superiority or an extended jurisdiction. Other nomenclatures for general officers include the titles and ranks: In addition to militarily educated generals, there are also generals in medicine and engineering. The rank of the most senior chaplain, (chaplain general), is also usually considered to be a general officer rank. In the old European system,

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1408-518: 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

1452-433: 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

1496-463: The rank of captain general , general of the army , army general or colonel general occupied or occupies this position. Depending on circumstances and the army in question, these ranks may be considered to be equivalent to a "full" general or to a field marshal five-star rank (NATO OF-10). The rank of general came about as a "captain-general", the captain of an army in general (i.e., the whole army). The rank of captain-general began appearing around

1540-510: The time of the organisation of professional armies in the 17th century. In most countries "captain-general" contracted to just "general". The following articles deal with the rank of general, or its equivalent, as it is or was employed in the militaries of those countries: Some countries (such as the United States) use the general officer ranks for both the army and the air force , as well as their marine corps ; other states only use

1584-590: 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

1628-525: 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

1672-650: 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

1716-528: 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

1760-500: 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

1804-540: 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 . General officer In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel . The adjective general had been affixed to officer designations since

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1848-572: Was opened 1 July 1918 and was named for Colonel Raynal C. Bolling , the first high-ranking air service officer killed in World War I . Colonel Bolling was the Assistant Chief of the Air Service, and was killed in action near Amiens, France , on 26 March 1918 while defending himself and his driver, Private Paul L. Holder, from German soldiers. Flying activities began on 4 July 1918 with mailplanes landing there, with all equipment removed from

1892-1017: 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 ,

1936-553: 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

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