John D. Ryan

General John D. Ryan

John Dale Ryan (born December 10, 1915 in Cherokee , Iowa , † October 27, 1983 in San Antonio , Texas ) was a general in the US Air Force and most recently Chief of Staff of the Air Force between 1969 and 1973 .

Life

Ryan joined the United States Army Air Corps after school in 1938 and was the commander of a bomber squadron in Italy during World War II . In 1952 he was the commander of the bomber squadron at Biggs Air Force Base in El Paso .

In 1961 he was promoted to lieutenant general and also became commander of the Second Air Force at Barksdale Air Force Base in Shreveport . This was followed by posts as inspector general of the Air Force, as commander of the Strategic Air Command (SAC) from 1964 to 1967 and subsequently as commander in chief of the Pacific Air Forces (PACAF).

The Joint Chiefs of Staff in January 1971 (from left to right): Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt (Chief of Naval Operations), General William C. Westmoreland (Chief of Staff of the US Army), Admiral Thomas H. Moorer ( US Navy , Chairman) , General John D. Ryan (Chief of Staff of the US Air Force) and General Leonard Chapman (Commandant of the Marine Corps)

In 1968 he was the successor to General Bruce K. Holloway initially Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force (VCSAF), before he succeeded General John P. McConnell as Chief of Staff of the Air Force (CSAF) on August 1, 1969 . He held this position for four years until his retirement on July 31, 1973. He was succeeded by General George S. Brown , the previous commander of the Air Force Systems Command in the United States Department of Defense .

While serving as CSAF, his younger son of the same name, John D. Ryan Jr., was a captain in the US Air Force and was killed in a plane crash with his McDonnell F-4D in 1970 . His older son Michael E. Ryan was also a general and most recently Chief of Staff of the Air Force from 1997 to 2001.

John D. Ryan died of complications from a myocardial infarction at the US Air Force Wilford Hall Medical Center.

Awards

Selection of decorations, sorted based on the Order of Precedence of the Military Awards:

Web links

personal data
SURNAME	Ryan, John D.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Ryan, John Dale (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American general in the United States Air Force
DATE OF BIRTH	December 10, 1915
PLACE OF BIRTH	Cherokee , Iowa
DATE OF DEATH	October 27, 1983
Place of death	San Antonio , Texas