James P. Mullins (born September 12, 1928) is a retired United States Air Force four-star general who served as Commander,

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 ...

(COMAFLC) from 1981 to 1984.

Military career

Mullins was born in 1928, in

Jersey City, New Jersey Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.U.S. Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

in 1946. Mullins entered pilot training as an aviation cadet in 1948 and graduated in 1949 with a commission as a second lieutenant. He was assigned to the 2nd Air Refueling Squadron at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, where he flew KB-29M's, the Strategic Air Command's first aerial tanker. During the Korean War, Mullins participated in combat evaluation of in-flight refueling systems for fighter aircraft while assigned to the Far East Air Forces Bomber Command at Yokota Air Base, Japan. In January 1953, he returned to the United States and was assigned to the 9th Air Refueling Squadron, initially at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, and later moving with the unit to

Mountain Home Air Force Base Mountain Home Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) installation in the western United States. Located in southwestern Idaho in Elmore County, the base is southwest of Mountain Home, which is southeast of Boise via Interstate ...

, Idaho. In July 1954, Mullins entered aircraft observer/bombardier training at James Connally Air Force Base, Texas, in preparation for an assignment in January 1955 to the 96th Bombardment Wing at Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma, as a B-47 aircraft commander. He moved with the wing in 1957 to

Dyess Air Force Base Dyess Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located about southwest of downtown Abilene, Texas, and west of Fort Worth, Texas. The host unit at Dyess is the 7th Bomb Wing assigned to the Global Strike Command Ei ...

, Texas, and served as a B-47 aircraft commander and an air training officer until September 1961. He was then assigned to SAC headquarters,

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 the B/RS-70 requirements officer in the Requirements Division, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration from the University of Omaha in 1964, attended the Air War College at

Maxwell Air Force Base Maxwell Air Force Base , officially known as Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, is a United States Air Force (USAF) installation under the Air Education and Training Command (AETC). The installation is located in Montgomery, Alabama, United States. O ...

, Alabama from August 1966 to July 1967, and then completed RF-4C combat crew training. He also earned a Master of Science degree in international affairs from The George Washington University, Washington D.C., in 1967. He transferred to Tan Son Nhut Air Base, Republic of Vietnam, in August 1968, where he served with the

460th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing 46 may refer to: * 46 (number) * ''46'' (album), a 1983 album by Kino * "Forty Six", a song by Karma to Burn from the album '' Appalachian Incantation'', 2010 * One of the years 46 BC, AD 46 AD 46 ( XLVI) was a common year starting on Saturday ...

on consecutive assignments as detachment commander, tactical squadron commander and assistant deputy commander for operations. He completed 110 combat missions in RF-4Cs. Mullins was assigned to Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C., in August 1969 in the Directorate of Operational Requirements and Development Plans, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, Research and Development, where he served as chief of the Aircraft Division. He attended the six-week advanced management program at

Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate business school of Harvard University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top business schools in the world and offers a large full-time MBA p ...

in 1972. In June 1973, he became vice commander,

Ogden Air Materiel Area Ogden may refer to: Places Canada * Ogden, Calgary, in Calgary, Alberta *Ogden, Quebec, a small municipality in the Eastern Townships *Ogdensville, British Columbia or Ogden City, alternate names for gold rush-era Seymour Arm, British Columbia * O ...

(later renamed Air Logistics Center), Air Force Logistics Command,

Hill Air Force Base Hill Air Force Base is a major U.S. Air Force (USAF) base located in northern Utah, just south of the city of Ogden, and bordering the Cities of Layton, Clearfield, Riverdale, Roy, and Sunset with its largest border immediately adjacent to ...

, Utah. He was assigned as deputy chief of staff for acquisition logistics, Air Force Logistics Command at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, in March 1975. He was reassigned within the command staff as deputy chief of staff for plans and operations in May 1975. This organization was renamed Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Programs in August 1975. He then returned to Hill Air Force Base as commander of the Ogden Air Logistics Center in August 1977. In November 1978, Mullins took command of

15th Air Force The Fifteenth Air Force (15 AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base. It was reactivated on 20 August 2020, merging the previous units of the Ninth Air Force ...

at March Air Force Base, California. He assumed command of

in July 1981. Mullins retired from the Air Force on November 1, 1984. Mullins was a command pilot with more than 6,000 flying hours. His military decorations and awards include the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster,

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 oak leaf cluster, Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with five oak leaf clusters, Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster, and Air Force Outstanding Unit Award ribbon with "V" device and one oak leaf cluster. *

Air Force Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster * Legion of Merit ribbon

with oak leaf cluster * Distinguished Flying Cross ribbon

Distinguished Flying Cross * Air Medal ribbon

Air Medal with five oak leaf clusters * Air Force Commendation ribbon

Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster * Outstanding Unit ribbon

Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with "V" Device and one oak leaf cluster

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mullins, James P. 1928 births Living people People from Jersey City, New Jersey Military personnel from New Jersey United States Air Force generals Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Air Force personnel of the Vietnam War University of Nebraska Omaha alumni Recipients of the Air Medal Recipients of the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal United States Air Force personnel of the Korean War