John A. Warden III is a combat pilot with a distinguished military career. Born in 1943 in McKinney, Texas, Warden received his Bachelor of Science degree and commission from the United States Air Force Academy in 1965. During his first operational assignment, Warden...
General Walter Kross is a United States Air Force combat veteran whose military experience, from 1964 to 1998 was quite extensive, culminating as Commander-in-Chief of the United States Transportation Command and commander, Air Mobility Command (AMC), Scott Air Force...
During the initial days of Operation DESERT STORM, Major General (ret) Paul “PJ” Johnson heroically lead a bold search and rescue mission deep into enemy territory to locate a downed Navy crew. Born in 1958 in Gadsden, Alabama, Johnson spent his childhood...
Guy Hunter Jr. grew up on a farm in Moultrie, Georgia. The son of a south Georgia farmer, Hunter enlisted in the United States Marine Corps after graduating from high school and following in the footsteps of family members who had served in World War II. He went...
General Charles A. “Chuck” Horner commanded all US and allied air assets during Operations DESERT SHIELD and DESERT STORM. He led a devastating air war against Iraq that allowed the coalition ground forces to achieve their objectives in just 100 hours of fighting....
Thomas E. Griffith Jr. was the weapons system operator when his F-15E Strike Eagle was shot down during the early days of Operation DESERT STORM. After a successful ejection, then Major Griffith and his pilot Col. David Eberly evaded the Iraqi forces for two days...
Maj Gen Gregory A. Feest was first selected by Air Command and Staff College’s Gathering of Eagles in 2010 and subsequently honored in 2017. “Beast” Feest has the unique distinction of having dropped the first bombs in two different operations: Operation...
Rhonda Cornum embarked on a combat search and rescue mission the morning of 27 February 1991 to recover an Air Force pilot shot down over Iraq during Operation DESERT STORM. Tragically, the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter she was aboard crashed as a result of Iraqi...
