Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

George Griffin Finch (April 11, 1902 – January 3, 1986) was a senior officer in the United States Air National Guard who served as Chief of the

Air Division An air division is an air force or naval air formation that is roughly equivalent to an army division. An air division is usually commanded by a major general and it is composed of multiple wings, groups, air brigades, or equivalently-sized air forc ...

National Guard Bureau The National Guard Bureau is the federal instrument responsible for the administration of the National Guard established by the United States Congress as a joint bureau of the Department of the Army and the Department of the Air Force. It was cre ...

from 1948 to 1950. In 1953 he replaced General Mark W. Clark on the UN command delegation to the Korean armistice talks.

Military career

George Griffin Finch was born on April 11, 1902, in

Dade City, Florida Dade City is a city in and the county seat of Pasco County, Florida, United States. It is located in the Tampa Bay Area. The population was 6,437 at the 2010 census. Dade City is popular with tourists for its antique stores, restaurants, and h ...

. He began his military career during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, enlisting in the Aviation Section of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

's Signal Corps in 1918. He remained in the Reserve Corps after the war and, in 1926, became Commander, 27th Pursuit Squadron, 1st Pursuit Group. In 1940, Georgia Governor Ed Rivers commissioned Finch to form the first flying unit of the

Georgia Air National Guard The Georgia Air National Guard (GA ANG) is the aerial militia of the State of Georgia, United States of America. It is, along with the Georgia Army National Guard, an element of the Georgia National Guard. As state militia units, the units in ...

. The unit was mobilized into the United States Army in September 1941, with Major Finch as commander. After World War II, Finch was a leading critic of efforts to eliminate the air arm of the National Guard during peacetime. He became the first Chief of the Air Force Division of the National Guard Bureau in 1948. Under his leadership, the Air National Guard built to combat readiness and was among the first components called into service after the outbreak of the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

. As a result of Finch's vision and perseverance, 45,000 officers and airmen of 22 wings and 65 squadrons gave the Air Force the strength it needed in the early phase of the Korean War. Finch served as the senior Air Force member of the United Nations negotiating team at the peace talks at Panmunjom, Korea, and received the

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 ...

for outstanding service in 1955. Finch assumed command of

Fourteenth Air Force The Fourteenth Air Force (14 AF; Air Forces Strategic) was a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Space Command (AFSPC). It was headquartered at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The command was responsible for the organizatio ...

Robins AFB Robins Air Force Base is a major United States Air Force installation located in Houston County, Georgia, United States. The base is located just east of the city of Warner Robins, south-southeast of Macon and approximately south-southeast ...

, Georgia, becoming the nation's first Air National Guardsman to head a numbered air force. Finch had a career of "firsts", including the United States Army's first night landing with a single, five-million-candlepower floodlight in 1927. He also established and endowed the General John P. McConnell Award at the

United States Air Force Academy The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is a United States service academy in El Paso County, Colorado, immediately north of Colorado Springs. It educates cadets for service in the officer corps of the United States Air Force and Uni ...

Retirement and legacy

Considered by many as the father of the Air National Guard, Finch retired in 1957. A graduate of the University of Georgia and a member of the Georgia Bar, Finch was enshrined in the

Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame The Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame recognizes aviation pioneers and contributors associated with the state of Georgia. The museum was created in 1989 by Governor Joe Frank Harris signing House Bill 110. The law called for a 15-member board to overse ...

May 18, 1996.

References

External links

Truce Tent and Fighting Front
– Page480
HEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES AIR FORCE KEY PERSONNEL

Leaders through the yearsThe History of the U.S. Air ForceFlying Magazine
– Page 10 {{DEFAULTSORT:Finch, George G. 1902 births 1986 deaths National Guard (United States) generals Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Air Force generals United States Air Force personnel of the Korean War United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II United States Army personnel of World War I