 |
| Information > Biographies > LIEUTENANT GENERAL HENRY VICCELLIO |
|
LIEUTENANT GENERAL HENRY VICCELLIO
|
|
|
|
| Bio Tools |
|
|
|
|
Retired Aug. 1, 1968.
Died May 24, 1978.
Lieutenant General Henry Viccellio is commander of the Continental Air Command which is responsible for guiding and training thousands of Air Force Reserve personnel each year.
Born in Chatham, Va., in 1911, General Viccellio attended local schools and William and Mary College in Williamsburg, Va. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps as a private in August 1934. His first assignment was at France Field, Canal Zone, where he was assistant crew chief on a B-6 aircraft.
In November 1935, while still assigned to France Field, he applied for aviation cadets and was accepted in June 1936. He completed primary and advanced flight training at Randolph and Kelly fields, Texas, and was commissioned a second lieutenant in June 1937.
Following various squadron duties and assignments, General Viccellio was named commander of the 70th Pursuit Squadron at Hamilton Field, Calif. The 70th was sent to Suva, in the Fiji Islands in January 1942, where, as commander of the squadron, the general was responsible for setting up the air defense of the islands against Japanese attacks.
In October 1942, General Viccellio took command of the Thirteenth Air Force Fighter Command Detachment at Henderson Field, Guadalcanal. In March 1943, he became deputy for operations of the Thirteenth Air Force Fighter Command at Esperitu Santo, New Hebrides. He returned to the United States in August 1943 after participating in 30 combat missions in which he compiled 100 combat hours. For the next two years he was chief of the Fighter Section of the Commitments and Requirements Division at Army Air Force Headquarters, Washington, D.C.
From August 1945 until he assumed command of the Nineteenth Air Force at Foster Air Force Base, Texas, in July 1955, he held various positions including that of deputy for plans, deputy for operations, and that of group and wing commander, both in the United States and in Europe. When the Nineteenth moved from Foster Air Force Base to Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., in September 1958, General Viccellio remained as commander of the unit. He assumed command of the 26th Air Division and the 26th NORAD Region in July 1960. In July 1963, he was again assigned as commander of the Nineteenth Air Force, a position he held until July 1964 when he was assigned as vice commander, Air Defense Command, Ent Air Force Base, Colo. In July 1965, he became the deputy commander in chief of the United States Strike Command and held that post until he assumed his present position on Aug. 1, 1966.
Military decorations awarded General Viccellio include the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters, Distinguished Flying Cross and the Army Commendation Medal.
(Current as of Aug 1, 1966)
|
|
|
|
|
Printable bio
