Charles B. Stone III
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant General
Charles Bertody Stone III (March 28, 1904 – May 17, 1992) was an officer in the US Air Force.
Stone was born in Fort McPherson, Georgia
.
of Infantry.
In September 1927, General Stone was assigned with the 9th Infantry at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Entering the Primary Flying School at Brooks Field, Texas in March 1929, he graduated from the Advanced Flying School at Kelly Field, Texas
a year later and was then assigned with the 11th Bomb Squadron at Rockwell Field, California
. Entering the Air Corps Technical School at Chanute Field, Illinois
in September 1931, he graduated the following June and remained there as assistant to the director, Department of Mechanics.
Assigned with the 64th Service Squadron at March Field, California
in September 1932, and the following month, General Stone joined the 31st Bomb Squadron there. A year later, he became post operations and engineering officer at Hamilton Field, California. From February to May 1934, he was an air mail pilot at Oakland, California
, and then joined the 70th Service Squadron at Hamilton Field, assuming command of it in July 1936. General Stone was named engineering officer of the 7th Bomb Group there in October 1936.
Going to Luke Field, Hawaii
in July 1937, General Stone was station and group engineering officer and later became post and group material officer. Transferred to Wright Field, Ohio
in July 1939, he became a unit chief in the Field Service Section.
Entering the Air Corps Tactical School at Field, Alabama
in April 1940, General Stone graduated the following June and returned to Wright Field as chief of the supply branch, Air Service Command, after which he was assigned with the Maintenance and Supply Division in the Office of the Assistant Chief of Air Staff at Air Corps headquarters, Washington, D.C.
, assuming command of it two months later. Upon its deactivation that December, General Stone was ordered back to Washington for temporary duty with the U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey
.
. The following month he was named deputy commander and chief of staff (relieved of latter duty on September 1, 1947) of the Air Defense Command at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
, Ohio, on October 6, 1947, he became director of maintenance, supply and services, and in December 1950 was appointed assistant to the commander.
The following month, General Stone moved to Air Force headquarters, Washington, D.C. as director of maintenance, supply & services in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Materiel. In April 1951, he was designated assistant for materiel program control to the Deputy Chief of Staff for Materiel. Named special assistant to the Deputy Chief of Staff, Comptroller in July 1951, later that month General Stone became deputy chief of staff, Comptroller, U.S. Air Force headquarters.
Moving to Continental Air Command, Mitchel Air Force Base, New York
, on December 15, 1955, General Stone became commander and on April 1, 1956 was assigned additional duty as senior Air Force member, Military Staff Committee, United Nations. On July 2, 1956, he also became chairman, U.S. delegate, United Nations Military Staff Committee.
with oak leaf cluster
, Legion of Merit
, Distinguished Flying Cross
, Bronze Star
with oak leaf cluster, British Order of the Bath
(Companion), Chinese Tasheu Cloud Banner Medal and Lo Shu decoration. He is rated a command pilot and aircraft observer.
President of the Harvard Business School Club of Washington, D.C., in 1953 and 1954, and a member of the executive council of the Harvard Business School Association from July 1955 to July 1958, General Stone has been a director of the Air Force Aid Society, and appointed chairman of the board of the 14th Air Force Association from 1954 to 1957.
He retired on June 30, 1957 and died on May 17, 1992.
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
Charles Bertody Stone III (March 28, 1904 – May 17, 1992) was an officer in the US Air Force.
Stone was born in Fort McPherson, Georgia
Fort McPherson
Fort McPherson was a U.S. Army military base located in East Point, Georgia, on the southwest edge of the City of Atlanta, Ga. It was the headquarters for the U.S. Army Installation Management Command, Southeast Region; the U.S. Army Forces Command; the U.S. Army Reserve Command; the U.S...
.
Early career
He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy on June 14, 1927 and was commissioned a second lieutenantSecond Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
of Infantry.
In September 1927, General Stone was assigned with the 9th Infantry at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Entering the Primary Flying School at Brooks Field, Texas in March 1929, he graduated from the Advanced Flying School at Kelly Field, Texas
Kelly Air Force Base
Kelly Field Annex and is a former United States Air Force facility located in San Antonio, Texas. In 2001, the runway and land west of the runway became "Kelly Field Annex" and control of it was transferred to the adjacent Lackland Air Force Base, part of Joint Base San Antonio...
a year later and was then assigned with the 11th Bomb Squadron at Rockwell Field, California
Rockwell Field
Rockwell Field was an Army air base located in Coronado, California, near San Diego. It shared the area known as North Island with Naval Air Station North Island from 1912 to 1935. Its functions were eventually moved to March Field so that the naval air station could take over the whole area...
. Entering the Air Corps Technical School at Chanute Field, Illinois
Chanute Air Force Base
Chanute Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base located south of and adjacent to Rantoul, Illinois, about south of Chicago. Its primary mission throughout its existence was Air Force technical training....
in September 1931, he graduated the following June and remained there as assistant to the director, Department of Mechanics.
Assigned with the 64th Service Squadron at March Field, California
March Air Reserve Base
March Joint Air Reserve Base is located in Riverside County, California between the cities of Riverside and Moreno Valley. It is the home to the Air Force Reserve Command's 4th Air Force Headquarters and the 452d Air Mobility Wing , the largest air mobility wing of the 4th Air Force...
in September 1932, and the following month, General Stone joined the 31st Bomb Squadron there. A year later, he became post operations and engineering officer at Hamilton Field, California. From February to May 1934, he was an air mail pilot at Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
, and then joined the 70th Service Squadron at Hamilton Field, assuming command of it in July 1936. General Stone was named engineering officer of the 7th Bomb Group there in October 1936.
Going to Luke Field, Hawaii
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
in July 1937, General Stone was station and group engineering officer and later became post and group material officer. Transferred to Wright Field, Ohio
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base in Greene and Montgomery counties in the state of Ohio. It includes both Wright and Patterson Fields, which were originally Wilbur Wright Field and Fairfield Aviation General Supply Depot. Patterson Field is located approximately...
in July 1939, he became a unit chief in the Field Service Section.
Entering the Air Corps Tactical School at Field, Alabama
Maxwell Air Force Base
Maxwell Air Force Base , officially known as Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, is a United States Air Force installation under the Air Education and Training Command . The installation is located in Montgomery, Alabama, US. It was named in honor of Second Lieutenant William C...
in April 1940, General Stone graduated the following June and returned to Wright Field as chief of the supply branch, Air Service Command, after which he was assigned with the Maintenance and Supply Division in the Office of the Assistant Chief of Air Staff at Air Corps headquarters, Washington, D.C.
World War II
Ordered to the China-Burma-India Theater in August 1943, General Stone was appointed chief of staff for the Eastern Air Command there the following January. In June 1945, he was sent to China to organize new headquarters for the 14th Air Force Flying TigersFlying Tigers
The 1st American Volunteer Group of the Chinese Air Force in 1941–1942, famously nicknamed the Flying Tigers, was composed of pilots from the United States Army , Navy , and Marine Corps , recruited under presidential sanction and commanded by Claire Lee Chennault. The ground crew and headquarters...
, assuming command of it two months later. Upon its deactivation that December, General Stone was ordered back to Washington for temporary duty with the U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey
Strategic bombing survey
The United States Strategic Bombing Survey was a board tasked with examination and analysis of the United States' involvement in the World War II. Its primary purpose was to determine the effectiveness of Allied, and more specifically American, strategic bombing campaigns in Europe and in Asia...
.
Cold War
Joining the Air Defense Command in February 1946, General Stone assumed command of the 2nd Air Force at Colorado Springs, ColoradoColorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and most populous city of El Paso County, Colorado, United States. Colorado Springs is located in South-Central Colorado, in the southern portion of the state. It is situated on Fountain Creek and is located south of the Colorado...
. The following month he was named deputy commander and chief of staff (relieved of latter duty on September 1, 1947) of the Air Defense Command at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base in Greene and Montgomery counties in the state of Ohio. It includes both Wright and Patterson Fields, which were originally Wilbur Wright Field and Fairfield Aviation General Supply Depot. Patterson Field is located approximately...
, Ohio, on October 6, 1947, he became director of maintenance, supply and services, and in December 1950 was appointed assistant to the commander.
The following month, General Stone moved to Air Force headquarters, Washington, D.C. as director of maintenance, supply & services in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Materiel. In April 1951, he was designated assistant for materiel program control to the Deputy Chief of Staff for Materiel. Named special assistant to the Deputy Chief of Staff, Comptroller in July 1951, later that month General Stone became deputy chief of staff, Comptroller, U.S. Air Force headquarters.
Moving to Continental Air Command, Mitchel Air Force Base, New York
Mitchel Air Force Base
Decommissioned in 1961, Mitchel Field became a multi-use complex currently home to the Cradle of Aviation Museum, Nassau Coliseum, Mitchel Athletic Complex, Nassau Community College and Hofstra University.-Origins:...
, on December 15, 1955, General Stone became commander and on April 1, 1956 was assigned additional duty as senior Air Force member, Military Staff Committee, United Nations. On July 2, 1956, he also became chairman, U.S. delegate, United Nations Military Staff Committee.
Decorations and Awards
His decorations include the Distinguished Service MedalDistinguished Service Medal (United States)
The Distinguished Service Medal is the highest non-valorous military and civilian decoration of the United States military which is issued for exceptionally meritorious service to the government of the United States in either a senior government service position or as a senior officer of the United...
with oak leaf cluster
Oak leaf cluster
An oak leaf cluster is a common device which is placed on U.S. Army and Air Force awards and decorations to denote those who have received more than one bestowal of a particular decoration. The number of oak leaf clusters typically indicates the number of subsequent awards of the decoration...
, Legion of Merit
Legion of Merit
The Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements...
, Distinguished Flying Cross
Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a medal awarded to any officer or enlisted member of the United States armed forces who distinguishes himself or herself in support of operations by "heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight, subsequent to November 11, 1918." The...
, Bronze Star
Bronze Star Medal
The Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration that may be awarded for bravery, acts of merit, or meritorious service. As a medal it is awarded for merit, and with the "V" for valor device it is awarded for heroism. It is the fourth-highest combat award of the...
with oak leaf cluster, British Order of the Bath
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
(Companion), Chinese Tasheu Cloud Banner Medal and Lo Shu decoration. He is rated a command pilot and aircraft observer.
President of the Harvard Business School Club of Washington, D.C., in 1953 and 1954, and a member of the executive council of the Harvard Business School Association from July 1955 to July 1958, General Stone has been a director of the Air Force Aid Society, and appointed chairman of the board of the 14th Air Force Association from 1954 to 1957.
He retired on June 30, 1957 and died on May 17, 1992.