General Robert H. "Doc" Foglesong, USAF, Ret., (born 13 July 1945), [1] formerly of Williamson, West Virginia, is a former president of Mississippi State University. He served in the United States Air Force from April 1972 until retirement as general in February 2006.
Foglesong earned the degrees BSc, MSc and PhD at West Virginia University in chemical engineering in 1968, 1969 and 1971 respectively. He holds an honorary Doctorate in Strategic Intelligence, and is a Distinguished Alumnus of West Virginia University. [2] He was selected by the West Virginia Education Alliance as a Graduate of Distinction, [3] and was selected by the West Virginia Executive Magazine as the Patriot of the Year for 2005. [4]
Foglesong attained the rank of four-star general in the United States Air Force 5 November 2001, retiring 1 February 2006 from active duty after 33 years of service. His last post was as Commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe and of Allied Air Component Command Ramstein where the service's enlisted corps honored him with the Order of the Sword. [5] General Foglesong commanded six times during his Air Force service including flying and maintenance units, a Numbered Air Force, and a Major Command. During his final command, General Foglesong continued his established model of using multiple "Combat" programs throughout his command to focus on military discipline and service standards including facilities maintenance, physical readiness, and leadership and mentoring. While a few Airman saw merit and value of these "Combat" Programs as a renewed emphasis on pride, espirit, and mission; most Airmen sounded their displeasure. [6] [7] Shortly after his retirement, his successor led an effort to reshape these programs begun under Foglesong, dropping two programs, eliminating the "Combat" moniker, and delegating responsibility for 10 of the programs to base and wing commanders. [8]
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 | Basic Maintenance and Munitions Badge |
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Foglesong was President of Mississippi State University from 2006 to 31 March 2008. Foglesong was the second retired general to hold the office of president at the university; Confederate lieutenant general Stephen D. Lee was the first. Foglesong tackled a number of competing internal and external agendas that he saw as undermining the school's purpose of delivering a quality education to its students. Under pressure from politicians, students and faculty, [9] he resigned in March 2008. During his tenure enrollment rose 6% from 16,206 [10] to 17,127 in 2008. [11] He also oversaw a significant change to the school's facilitites and grounds involving removal of longstanding traditional landscaping [12] including removal of daffodil bulbs which had been on the campus for decades. [13] Much of this landscaping was seen as destructive and shortsighted in nature by students and faculty. [14] Foglesong founded a scholarship program in West Virginia called the Appalachian Leadership and Educational Foundation in 2006. He helped to establish the Appalachian Leadership Honors Program at Mississippi State, which now goes by the name Montgomery Leadership Program in honor of former congressman Sonny Montgomery in 2006. [15] He has also served as a director of now defunct Massey Energy, a major coal company which closed after flagrant safety violations during his tenure. [16] [17] [18]
Ramstein Air Base or Ramstein AB is a United States Air Force base in Rhineland-Palatinate, a state in southwestern Germany. It serves as headquarters for the United States Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA) and also for NATO Allied Air Command (AIRCOM). Ramstein is located near the town of Ramstein-Miesenbach, which stands outside the base's west gate, in the rural district of Kaiserslautern.
The Third Air Force (Air Forces Europe) (3 AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA). Its headquarters is Ramstein Air Base, Germany. It is responsible for all U.S. air forces in Europe and Africa, and operations and support activities in the U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command's areas of responsibility. It also has a unique mission as the U.S. military's primary liaison to the British government, which is conducted through the command's 3 AF-UK headquarters at RAF Mildenhall, England.
William Henry Tunner was a general officer in the United States Air Force and its predecessor, the United States Army Air Forces. Tunner was known for his expertise in the command of large-scale military airlift operations, first in Air Transport Command (ATC) during World War II, commanding The Hump operation, and later in Military Air Transport Service (MATS) during the Berlin Airlift in 1949–1951. He eventually rose to the rank of Lieutenant general and commanded MATS itself.
The United States Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA) is a United States Air Force (USAF) major command (MAJCOM) and a component command of both United States European Command (USEUCOM) and United States Africa Command (USAFRICOM). As part of its mission, USAFE-AFAFRICA commands U.S. Air Force units pledged to NATO, maintaining combat-ready wings based from the United Kingdom to Turkey. USAFE-AFAFRICA plans, conducts, controls, coordinates and supports air and space operations in Europe, parts of Asia and all of Africa with the exception of Egypt to achieve U.S. national and NATO objectives based on taskings by the two combatant commanders.
The Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) is one of the three primary commissioning sources for officers in the United States Air Force and United States Space Force, the other two being the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) and Air Force Officer Training School (OTS). A subordinate command of the Air University within the Air Education and Training Command (AETC), AFROTC is aligned under the Jeanne M. Holm Center for Officer Accessions and Citizen Development at Maxwell AFB, Alabama. The Holm Center, formerly known as the Air Force Officer Accession and Training Schools (AFOATS), retains direct responsibility for both AFROTC and OTS.
General Wilbur Lyman "Bill" Creech was a four-star general in the United States Air Force (USAF). He commanded Tactical Air Command (TAC), with headquarters at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, from May 1, 1978, to December 31, 1984. As of February 1984, the now-inactive Major Command (MAJCOM) directed the activities of two Numbered Air Forces, three centers and seven air divisions. More than 111,300 military and civilian personnel were assigned to 32 TAC bases in the United States, Panama, Okinawa and Iceland. Tactical Air Command was the gaining organization for 58,300 Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve personnel in 149 major units throughout the United States.
Rodney J. McKinley is a retired airman of the United States Air Force who served as the 15th Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force from 2006 to 2009.
William Thomas Hobbins is a former Air Force general, commander of U.S. Air Forces Europe; commander of Air Component Command, Ramstein; and director of Joint Air Power Competence Center, Kalkar, Germany.
Dr. Dale W. Meyerrose, Major General (Retired) was the first President-appointed, Senate-confirmed Associate Director of National Intelligence/Intelligence Community Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Information Sharing Executive for the Director of National Intelligence (DNI).
Robert Charles Oaks is a retired United States Air Force (USAF) general who served as commander of Air Training Command and United States Air Forces in Europe. Oaks was also a general authority of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 2000 to 2009. He is a first cousin to LDS Church apostle Dallin H. Oaks.
The Seventeenth Expeditionary Air Force was a numbered air force of the United States Air Force located at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. The command served the United States Air Forces in Europe during (1953–1996) and United States Air Forces Africa during 2008–2012. Upon reactivation on 1 October 2008, it became the air and space component of United States Africa Command. In this capacity, Seventeenth Air Force was referred to as U.S. Air Forces Africa (AFAFRICA). 17 AF was reformed in April 2012 to become the 17th Expeditionary Air Force, sharing a commander and headquarters with the Third Air Force. As of March 2022, the Third Air Force is USAFE-AFAFRICA's sole numbered air force, with the 17 EAF having been inactivated in July 2018.
The 449th Air Expeditionary Group is a provisional United States Air Force unit assigned to the Third Air Force supporting United States Africa Command. It is stationed at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti. It flies missions for Africa Command and Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa, supporting varied U.S. objectives in the area.
The Delaware Air National Guard (DE ANG) is the aerial militia of the State of Delaware, United States of America. It is, along with the Delaware Army National Guard, an element of the Delaware National Guard.
The United States Air Force's 497th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group is an intelligence unit located at Joint Base Langley–Eustis, Virginia.
Frank Gorenc is a retired United States Air Force four-star general who served as the Commander, United States Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa and Commander, Allied Air Command. He previously served as the Assistant Vice Chief of Staff and Director, Air Staff, Headquarters, United States Air Force at the Pentagon. Gorenc is a command pilot with more than 4,100 flight hours in the T-38A, F-15C, MQ-1B, UH-1N and C-21A. He assumed his final assignment on 2 August 2013.
Edwin A. Doss was an American fighter pilot and commander in the U.S. Air Force during World War II and Korean War. Logging more than 4,500 flying hours, Doss flew 573 combat hours and accrued 280 combat missions during his leadership in the South West Pacific Theatre and Korean War. For his two-year service as commander of the 35th Fighter Group during World War II, Doss was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, Legion of Merit, and the Air Medal. He received his second Legion of Merit and the Korean Ulchi medal with a Silver Star for his assignments as commander of the 49th Fighter Bomber Wing and the 3rd Bomber Wing at Kunsan, Korea. Colonel Doss's service has been cited as integral to the development of long-range fighter tactics in the South West Pacific Theater.
Billy Martin Minter was a four-star general in the United States Air Force (USAF). He served as commander in chief, United States Air Forces in Europe and commander of Allied Air Forces Central Europe, with headquarters at Ramstein Air Base, West Germany.
Charles Quinton Brown Jr. is a United States Air Force general who serves as the 22nd chief of staff of the Air Force. He is the first African American to lead a specific branch of the United States Armed Forces.
James A. Cody is a retired airman of the United States Air Force who served as the 17th Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force from 24 January 2013 until his retirement on February 17, 2017. He served as the personal adviser to the Chief of Staff and the Secretary of the Air Force on all issues regarding the welfare, readiness, morale, and proper utilization and advancement of the enlisted force.
Jeffrey Lee Harrigian is a retired United States Air Force general who last served as the commander of United States Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa from May 2020 to June 2022. He concurrently served as the commander of Allied Air Command and director of the Joint Air Power Competence Center. He previously served as deputy commander and as commander of United States Air Forces Central Command. Raised in Sparks, Nevada, he graduated from the United States Air Force Academy with a degree in International Affairs and was commissioned in 1985. He assumed his capstone assignment on May 1, 2019.
