William J. Begert

General William J. Begert

William J. Begert (born June 9, 1946 in Lewiston , Maine ) an American general in the US Air Force , who was last Commander-in-Chief of the US Air Forces in the Pacific PACAF ( Pacific Air Forces ) from 2001 to 2004 and also commander of the Air Force was with the Commander of the US Forces in the Pacific Area USPACOM ( United States Pacific Command ).

Life

Training as an air force officer

After attending school, Begert began studying at the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs , which he completed in 1968 with a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.). After he completed after his promotion to Lieutenant on June 5, 1968 between August 1968 and August 1969 his pilot training at the military airfield Randolph Air Force Base and was followed by September 1969 and March 1971 as a pilot and aircraft commander of a Lockheed C-141 "Star Lifter “ - Transport aircraft with the 20th Military Airlift Squadron at Dover Air Force Base . During this time he was promoted to first lieutenant on December 5, 1969 and then attended a French language course at the Defense Language Institute (DLI) in Washington, DC between April and September 1971 , where he was promoted to captain on June 5, 1971 .

After Begert had attended a training course for combat aircraft crews at the Hurlburt Field military airfield between October and December 1971 , he was a flight controller and flight test pilot for the Cessna Skymaster with the 20th Tactical Air Support Squadron on the Da Nang from January 1972 to January 1973 Air Base in South Vietnam . After his return to the US he was from January 1973 to June 1977 pilot and flight examiner of Lockheed C-5 "Galaxy" -Großraumtransportflugzeugen at the 9th Military Air Transport Squadron ( 9th Military Airlift Squadron ) of the 436th Military Air Transport Wing ( 436th Military Airlift Wing ) at Dover Air Force Base and also graduated from the Squadron Officer School at Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base during this time . He then taught from July 1977 to June 1978, initially as an instructor for military studies at the US Air Force Academy, and was there between July 1978 and July 1980 Commander ( Air Officer Commanding ) of Cadet Squadron 20 . In this position, he was promoted to major on April 19, 1979 .

In addition, Begert completed postgraduate studies in administrative science at the University of Colorado , which he completed in 1980 with a Master of Science (M.Sc. Public Administration). He was then a student at Air Command and Staff College (ACSC) at Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base between August 1980 and June 1981, and from July 1981 and December 1982 he was in command of a Lockheed C-5 “Galaxy” wide-lift aircraft and an administrative staff officer ( Executive Officer ) of the 436th Military Air Transport Squadron. After his promotion to Lieutenant Colonel on December 1, 1982, he was commander of the 3rd Military Airlift Squadron ( 3rd Military Airlift Squadron ) at Dover Air Force Base between January 1983 and July 1984 . He was then a student at the National War College (NWC) at Fort Lesley J. McNair in Washington, DC, from July 1984 to May 1985 , and after graduating from June 1985 to May 1986 he worked as a program officer for mobility workers in the programs department at headquarters in the US Air Force before he was Deputy Head of the Mobility Unit in the Program Department between June 1986 and April 1987. During this time he was promoted to colonel on December 1, 1986 .

Begert was then from May 1987 to January 1988 head of the department for mobility workers in the program department as well as chairman of the mobility committee of the US Air Force. He then was first deputy commander between 1988 and 1989 and then from September 1989 to May 1990 commander of the 436th Air Transport Wing stationed at Dover Air Force Base ( 436th Military Airlift Wing ). He was then commander of the 60th Military Airlift Wing stationed at Travis Air Force Base between June 1990 and June 1991, and during this time he also attended an executive management course at the University's Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business in 1990 of Pittsburgh .

Promotion to general

Begert was then Chief of Staff in the cross-armed forces transport command USTRANSCOM ( United States Transportation Command ) between July 1991 and November 1992 at Scott Air Force Base and was last promoted to Brigadier General on October 1, 1992 . Thereupon he was from December 1992 to July 1994 General Inspector of the Air Mobility Command AMC ( Air Mobility Command ), which was also stationed there and belonged to the US Transport Command . He then served as commander of the US Air Force Air Mobility Warfare Center ( US Air Force Air Mobility Warfare Center ) at McGuire Air Force Base from July 1994 to March 1995, and from March 1995 to August 1997 as head of the Operation (J 3) and staff departments Logistics (J 4) in the headquarters of the transport command. In that capacity, he completed a senior executive course in national and international security at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in 1995 and was promoted to major general on May 1, 1995 .

After his promotion to Lieutenant General on August 9, 1997, Begert was Deputy Commander of the US Air Forces in Europe USAFE ( US Air Forces in Europe ) at Ramstein Air Base between August 1997 and August 1999 and then Assistant Vice Chief from August 1999 to May 2001 of the Air Force Staff ( Assistant Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force ).

Most recently, Begert was promoted to general on May 1, 2001 , and between May 25, 2001 and August 1, 2004, he held the post of Commander-in-Chief of the US Air Forces in the Pacific region, PACAF ( Pacific Air Forces ), as well as Commander of the Air Force component of the Commander-in-Chief of the US armed forces in the Pacific region USPACOM ( United States Pacific Command ). at Hickam Air Force Base , Hawaii . He was thus responsible for the activities of the US Air Force, which spanned half the world and which included 55,000 Air Force members in bases in Hawaii, Alaska , Guam , Japan and South Korea . On August 1, 2004, he left active military service and retired.

Begert completed more than 6,900 flight hours as a pilot on aircraft types such as Lockheed C-5 "Galaxy" , Douglas C-21 "Dolphin" , Lockheed C-37 "Electra" , Boeing C-40 "Clipper" , Lockheed C-130 "Hercules" , Lockheed C-141 “Starlifter” , McDonnell Douglas KC-10 “Extender” , Boeing KC-135 “Stratotanker” , Cessna O-2A “Skymaster” , Cessna T-37 “Tweet” , Northrop T-38 “Talon” and Cessna T-41 "Mescalero" . He has received multiple awards for his military merits and bravery, including the Defense Distinguished Service Medal , the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal , the Defense Superior Service Medal , the Legion of Merit with oak leaves, the Distinguished Flying Cross with oak leaves, the Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaves and the Air Medal with eleven oak leaves.

Web links

• Biography on the US Air Force homepage
• Entry on Hall of Valor