Earl Terrence O'Loughlin (born August 2, 1930) is a former general and commander of the

Air Force Logistics Command The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...

, with headquarters at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.

Biography

O'Loughlin was born in 1930, in Bay City, Michigan.Marquis Who's Who on the Web 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 subsequently received his bachelor's degree from Park College in

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

. He became an aviation cadet and upon graduation from pilot training in June 1952 was commissioned a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

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 Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. 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 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second small ...

at Lockbourne Air Force Base, Ohio, where he qualified in RB-47Es. 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-47Es and B-47Es. Following graduation from the Air Command and Staff College in June 1964, he served as a

B-52 Stratofortress The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, which has continued to provide support and upgrades. It has been operated by the United States Air ...

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,

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, 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 (SAC) was both a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile ...

Offutt Air Force Base Offutt Air Force Base is a U.S. Air Force base south of Omaha, adjacent to Bellevue in Sarpy County, Nebraska. It is the headquarters of the U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM), the 557th Weather Wing, and the 55th Wing (55 WG) of the Air ...

, 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 U-Tapao–Rayong–Pattaya International Airport ( th, ท่าอากาศยานอู่ตะเภา ระยอง–พัทยา; ) also spelled ''Utapao'' and ''U-Taphao'', is a joint civil–military public airport serving ...

, Thailand. He returned to the United States in April 1974 to command the

380th Bombardment Wing 38 may refer to: *38 (number), the natural number following 37 and preceding 39 *one of the years 38 BC, AD 38, 1938, 2038 *.38, a caliber of firearms and cartridges **.38 Special, a revolver cartridge *'' Thirty-Eight: The Hurricane That Transfor ...

Plattsburgh Air Force Base Plattsburgh Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force Strategic Air Command (SAC) base covering 3,447 acres (13.7 km²) in the extreme northeast corner of New York, located on the western shore of Lake Champlain opposite Burlingto ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. During his assignment the FB-111 Aardvark/ KC-135 Stratotanker 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 Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

. He was named deputy chief of staff for contracting and manufacturing at

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 Field (formerly Kelly Air Force Base) is a Joint-Use facility located in San Antonio, Texas. It was originally named after George E. M. Kelly, the first member of the U.S. military killed in the crash of an airplane he was piloting. In ...

, 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

in September 1984. During his career there, he influenced the development of the B-1B Lancer. He was promoted to general on November 1, 1984, with same date of rank.

Awards

Awards earned during his career: * Air Force Distinguished Service Medal *

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...

with an oak leaf cluster * Distinguished Flying Cross *

Bronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

* Meritorious Service Medal * Air Medal * Air Force Commendation Medal with four oak leaf clusters * Command pilot with more than 6,000 flying hours

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oloughlin, Earl T. 1930 births Living people United States Air Force generals United States Air Force personnel of the Korean War United States Air Force personnel of the Vietnam War American Korean War bomber pilots Recipients of the Air Medal Recipients of the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) Recipients of the Order of the Sword (United States) Recipients of the Legion of Merit University of Minnesota alumni People from Bay City, Michigan Military personnel from Michigan