Earl T. O'Loughlin
Encyclopedia
Earl T. O'Loughlin is a former General
and commander of the Air Force Logistics Command
, with headquarters at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
, Ohio
. He has received his bachelor's degree from Park College in Kansas City, Missouri
.
. He graduated from high school in East Tawas, Michigan
in 1948.
His military career began as an enlisted airman in February 1951 and graduated from Bay City Junior College later that year.. He became an aviation cadet and upon graduation from pilot training in June 1952 was commissioned a second lieutenant
in the United States Air Force
. He completed B-29 Superfortress
combat crew training at Randolph Air Force Base
, Texas
, and Forbes Air Force Base
, Kansas
in January 1953. O'Loughlin was then assigned to the 98th Bombardment Wing at Yokota Air Base
, Japan
. From there he flew 29 combat missions and 224 combat hours in B-29s over North Korea
.
After returning to the United States
in August 1953, he was assigned to the 26th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing at Lockbourne Air Force Base, Ohio
, where he qualified in RB-47E Thunderjet's. From 1953 to 1963, he served at Lockbourne Air Force Base as an aircraft commander, instructor pilot, standardization evaluator and squadron operations officer for RB-47E's and B-47E's.
Following graduation from the Air Command and Staff College
in June 1964, he served as a B-52 Stratofortress
aircraft commander and instructor pilot with the 379th Bombardment Wing at Wurtsmith Air Force Base
, Michigan
. From 1965 to 1968, he was chief of the Programs and Scheduling Branch for the 379th. In January 1968 O'Loughlin was assigned to Operation Arc Light
as an air operations officer with the United States Military Assistance Command, Saigon, J-3, Republic of Vietnam, and in January 1969 he returned to Wurtsmith as commander of the 379th Organizational Maintenance Squadron. From January 1970 to November 1971, he was assistant deputy commander for maintenance and then deputy commander for maintenance with the 379th Bombardment Wing.
From November 1971 to August 1972, O'Loughlin was assigned to Headquarters Strategic Air Command
, Offutt Air Force Base
, Nebraska
, as chief of the Maintenance Management Division. He then entered the Army War College and after graduation in June 1973, he became vice commander of the 97th Bombardment Wing, Blytheville Air Force Base, Arkansas
. Later he was commander of the KC-135-equipped 310th Provisional Wing (Young Tiger) at U-Tapao Royal Thai Naval Airfield, Thailand
.
He returned to the United States in April 1974 to command the 380th Bombardment Wing at Plattsburgh Air Force Base
, New York
. During his assignment the FB-111 Aardvark/KC-135 Stratofortress wing received the Fairchild Trophy as the best bombardment wing in the annual bombing and navigation competition.
The general was deputy for maintenance, engineering and supply in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Systems and Logistics at Headquarters United States Air Force
, Washington D.C., from July 1975 to June 1977. He then became vice commander of the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center
at Tinker Air Force Base
, Oklahoma
.
He was named deputy chief of staff for contracting and manufacturing at Air Force Logistics Command
headquarters in December 1978 and was assigned as deputy chief of staff for maintenance there in June 1979. Transferring to Kelly Air Force Base
, Texas
, in March 1981, General O'Loughlin served as commander of the San Antonio Air Logistics Center. In July 1982 he was named vice commander of Air Force Logistics Command and assumed his final position as commander of the Air Force Logistics Command
in September 1984. During his career there, he influenced the development of the B-1B Lancer.
He was promoted to general Nov. 1, 1984, with same date of rank.
General (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, general is a four-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-10. General ranks above lieutenant general and below General of the Army or General of the Air Force; the Marine Corps does not have an...
and commander of the Air Force Logistics Command
Air Force Logistics Command
Air Force Logistics Command was a United States Air Force command. Its headquarters was located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio...
, with headquarters 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
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. He has received his bachelor's degree from Park College in Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
.
Biography
Earl was born in 1930, in Bay City, MichiganBay City, Michigan
Bay City is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan located near the base of the Saginaw Bay on Lake Huron. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 34,932, and is the principal city of the Bay City Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Saginaw-Bay City-Saginaw Township North...
. He graduated from high school in East Tawas, Michigan
East Tawas, Michigan
East Tawas is a city in Iosco County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,951 at the 2000 census.-Geography:*According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water....
in 1948.
His military career began as an enlisted airman in February 1951 and graduated from Bay City Junior College later that year.. He became an aviation cadet and upon graduation from pilot training in June 1952 was commissioned a second lieutenant
Second 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...
in the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
. He completed B-29 Superfortress
B-29 Superfortress
The B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing that was flown primarily by the United States Air Forces in late-World War II and through the Korean War. The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II...
combat crew training at Randolph Air Force Base
Randolph Air Force Base
Randolph Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located east-northeast of San Antonio, Texas. The base is under the jurisdiction of the 902d Mission Support Group, Air Education and Training Command ....
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, and Forbes Air Force Base
Forbes Air Force Base
Forbes Field, previously Forbes Air Force Base, is a joint-use civil-military airport operated by the Topeka Airport Authority located approximately south of Topeka, Kansas....
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
in January 1953. O'Loughlin was then assigned to the 98th Bombardment Wing at Yokota Air Base
Yokota Air Base
, is a United States Air Force base in the city of Fussa, one of 26 cities in the Tama Area, or Western Tokyo.The base houses 14,000 personnel. The base occupies a total area of and has a runway...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. From there he flew 29 combat missions and 224 combat hours in B-29s over North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
.
After returning to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in August 1953, he was assigned to the 26th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing at Lockbourne Air Force Base, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, where he qualified in RB-47E Thunderjet's. From 1953 to 1963, he served at Lockbourne Air Force Base as an aircraft commander, instructor pilot, standardization evaluator and squadron operations officer for RB-47E's and B-47E's.
Following graduation from the Air Command and Staff College
Air Command and Staff College
The Air Command and Staff College is located at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama and is the United States Air Force's intermediate professional military education school. It prepares field grade and equivalent officers of all U.S...
in June 1964, he served as a B-52 Stratofortress
B-52 Stratofortress
The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber operated by the United States Air Force since the 1950s. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, who have continued to provide maintainence and upgrades to the aircraft in service...
aircraft commander and instructor pilot with the 379th Bombardment Wing at Wurtsmith Air Force Base
Wurtsmith Air Force Base
Wurtsmith Air Force Base is a decommissioned United States Air Force base in northeastern Iosco County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The former base includes located approximately two miles west of Lake Huron in the Charter Township of Oscoda, bordered by Van Ettan Lake, the Au Sable State...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. From 1965 to 1968, he was chief of the Programs and Scheduling Branch for the 379th. In January 1968 O'Loughlin was assigned to Operation Arc Light
Operation Arc Light
Operation Arc Light was the 1965 deployment of B-52D Stratofortresses as conventional bombers from bases in the US to Guam to support ground combat operations in Vietnam...
as an air operations officer with the United States Military Assistance Command, Saigon, J-3, Republic of Vietnam, and in January 1969 he returned to Wurtsmith as commander of the 379th Organizational Maintenance Squadron. From January 1970 to November 1971, he was assistant deputy commander for maintenance and then deputy commander for maintenance with the 379th Bombardment Wing.
From November 1971 to August 1972, O'Loughlin was assigned to Headquarters Strategic Air Command
Strategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
, Offutt Air Force Base
Offutt Air Force Base
Offutt Air Force Base is a U.S. Air Force installation near Omaha, and lies adjacent to Bellevue in Sarpy County, Nebraska. It is the headquarters of the U.S...
, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, as chief of the Maintenance Management Division. He then entered the Army War College and after graduation in June 1973, he became vice commander of the 97th Bombardment Wing, Blytheville Air Force Base, Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
. Later he was commander of the KC-135-equipped 310th Provisional Wing (Young Tiger) at U-Tapao Royal Thai Naval Airfield, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
.
He returned to the United States in April 1974 to command the 380th Bombardment Wing at Plattsburgh Air Force Base
Plattsburgh Air Force Base
Plattsburgh Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force Strategic Air Command base covering 3,447 acres in the extreme northeast corner of New York, 20 miles south of the Canadian border...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. During his assignment the FB-111 Aardvark/KC-135 Stratofortress wing received the Fairchild Trophy as the best bombardment wing in the annual bombing and navigation competition.
The general was deputy for maintenance, engineering and supply in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Systems and Logistics at Headquarters United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
, Washington D.C., from July 1975 to June 1977. He then became vice commander of the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center
Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center
The Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center performs sustainment and depot maintenance on a number of US Air Force weapon systems. Specifically it supports B-1 Lancer, B-2 Spirit, B-52 Stratofortress, KC-135 Stratotanker, and E-3 Sentry systems. Additionally, the center is responsible for aircraft...
at Tinker Air Force Base
Tinker Air Force Base
Tinker Air Force Base is a major U.S. Air Force base, with tenant U.S. Navy and other Department of Defense missions, located in the southeast Oklahoma City, Oklahoma area, directly south of the suburb of Midwest City, Oklahoma.-Overview:...
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
.
He was named deputy chief of staff for contracting and manufacturing at Air Force Logistics Command
Air Force Logistics Command
Air Force Logistics Command was a United States Air Force command. Its headquarters was located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio...
headquarters in December 1978 and was assigned as deputy chief of staff for maintenance there in June 1979. Transferring to Kelly Air Force Base
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...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, in March 1981, General O'Loughlin served as commander of the San Antonio Air Logistics Center. In July 1982 he was named vice commander of Air Force Logistics Command and assumed his final position as commander of the Air Force Logistics Command
Air Force Logistics Command
Air Force Logistics Command was a United States Air Force command. Its headquarters was located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio...
in September 1984. During his career there, he influenced the development of the B-1B Lancer.
He was promoted to general Nov. 1, 1984, with same date of rank.
Awards
Awards earned during his career:- Defense Distinguished Service MedalDefense Distinguished Service MedalThe Defense Distinguished Service Medal is a United States military award which is presented for exceptionally distinguished performance of duty contributing to national security or defense of the United States...
- Legion of MeritLegion of MeritThe 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...
with an oak leaf cluster - Distinguished Flying CrossDistinguished 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 MedalBronze Star MedalThe 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...
- Meritorious Service MedalMeritorious Service Medal (United States)The Meritorious Service Medal is a military decoration presented to members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguished themselves by outstanding meritorious achievement or service to the United States subsequent to January 16, 1969...
- Air MedalAir MedalThe Air Medal is a military decoration of the United States. The award was created in 1942, and is awarded for meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight.-Criteria:...
- Air Force Commendation Medal with four oak leaf clusters
- Command pilot with more than 6,000 flying hours