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| Information > Biographies > MAJOR GENERAL CONRAD F. NECRASON |
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MAJOR GENERAL CONRAD F. NECRASON
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Retired June 30, 1965.
Died Jan. 15, 1997.
C.F. (Nick) Necrason (Ne-cra'-son) is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Necrason of Cooperstown, N.Y. He was born in Cooperstown in 1911 and still calls it his hometown.
He attended primary and secondary schools in his hometown and graduated from Cooperstown High School in 1930. After a year at Swarely Prep School in Manassas, Va., he entered Lafayette College and in 1932 received a congressional appointment to the U.S. Military Academy.
He graduated from West Point in 1936, was commissioned a second lieutenant, and entered flying training at Randolph Field in Texas. In 1937 he graduated from flying school at Kelly Field in San Antonio and joined the 3rd Pursuit Group as a fighter pilot in the Philippine Islands. In 1940 he returned to the United States and joined the 35th Pursuit Group at Moffett Army Air Field, Calif.
In mid-1941 Captain Necrason joined the famous 7th Bomb Group in Salt Lake City and was promoted to major shortly thereafter.
In 1942 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel, and in 1943 was promoted to full colonel and assumed command of the 7th. His missions with the 7th took him to the Southwest Pacific Theater, the Middle East, and in late 1944 he was wounded in action in the China-Burma-India Theater while flying over Burma.
He returned to the United States and commanded Chatham Air Force Base, Ga., and Drew Air Force Base, Fla., until 1946 when he was ordered to Germany to command Erlangen Air Base. He remained in Germany and served as chief of staff to Brigadier General Joseph Smith, one of the principal organizers of the Berlin airlift.
In 1949 Colonel Necrason returned to the United States and attended the Air War College and in 1950 was assigned to the 92nd Bomb Wing and later commanded the 90th Bomb Wing. He became vice commander and director of operations of the Far East Bomber Command and returned to the Pentagon in 1953 as director of the operations division of Headquarters U.S. Air Force.
In 1957 Brigadier General Necrason reported to Alaska and served on the Joint Staff and later commanded the 11th Air Division. He assumed command of the Alaskan Air Command in 1958 and was soon promoted to major general.
In August 1961 the general assumed command of the 28th Air Division headquartered at Hamilton Air Force Base, Calif.
His decorations include the Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster, the Silver Star for gallantry in action over Burma, the Distinguished Flying Cross with oak leaf cluster for heroism in action over Java in World War II and during the Korean conflict. He has the Air Medal and two oak leaf clusters and the Purple Heart. A jet-qualified command pilot, he has more than 6,000 total flying hours.
General Necrason is an avid hunter and fisherman. Among his many trophies is a record class polar bear he shot while stationed in Alaska.
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