Seth J. McKee
Seth Jefferson McKee (born November 6, 1916 in McGehee , Arkansas , † December 26, 2016 in Scottsdale , Arizona ) was an American general . From 1969 to 1973 he was the commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command .
Life
Seth Jefferson McKee was born in 1916 in the small town of McGehee, Arkansas. He graduated from Cape Girardeau High School in Missouri in 1934 before studying at Southeast Missouri State University for three years and then at the University of Oklahoma for half a year . He began his military career in 1935 with the Missouri National Guard before joining the US Air Force in 1938 .
By January 1944 McKee was active in various positions and operational areas in the Air Force. He was then transferred to Great Britain as the new commander of the 370th Fighter Group . In this position McKee worked in France , Belgium and in the German Reich in the fight against Nazi Germany .
After the war, McKee returned to the United States and was transferred to the 3501st Army Air Forces Bases Unit in Boca Raton as the commandant of the Army Air Forces Radar School . In 1947 he was named Chief of the Operations and Training Division of the Twelfth Air Force at March Air Reserve Base , California . From 1948 to July 1950 he was also the director of the Air Force Reserve at Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base .
In May 1950 McKee became a technical advisor to Aeronautica Militare under the direction of the Military Assistance Advisory Group in Rome . He held this position until 1951, before becoming head of the training division of the 36th Operations Group based in Europe . In June 1953 he returned to the United States, where he held several positions in the Air Force as an officer and ally.
In July 1956 McKee was transferred to Hunter Army Airfield in Georgia , where he became the commandant of two squadrons. In 1958 he moved to Homestead Air Reserve Base in Florida. In 1959 McKee took over the post of director at Strategic Air Command in Nebraska . In the following years he also became Director of the 821st Strategic Aerospace Division (1964) and Commander of the United States Forces Japan (1966).
On August 1, 1969 McKee was appointed commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command and the Continental Air Defense Command and promoted to general at the same time. In July 1973 he resigned from his post and in September 1973 also ended his career with the US Air Force. McKee has received several awards for his services, including the Legion of Merit . On the occasion of his hundredth birthday, he was awarded the Legion of Honor in November 2016 .
Web links
- Seth J. McKee on valor.militarytimes.com (English)
- Interview with Seth J. McKee on azcentral.com (English)
Footnotes
- ↑ Gen. Seth McKee, highest-ranking survivor of D-Day, dies at 100 in Scottsdale
- ↑ Devante Williams: Air Force General receives France's highest honor. November 7, 2016, accessed December 23, 2016 .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | McKee, Seth J. |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | McKee, Seth Jefferson (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American general |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 6, 1916 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | McGehee , Arkansas , United States |
| DATE OF DEATH | December 26, 2016 |
| Place of death | Scottsdale , Arizona , United States |