John A. Collins (September 17, 1931 – May 7, 2003) was Chief of Chaplains of the United States Air Force.

Biography

Born in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1931, Collins was an ordained

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

priest in the

Redemptorist Order The Redemptorists officially named the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer ( la, links=no, Congregatio Sanctissimi Redemptoris), abbreviated CSsR,is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of pontifical right for men (priests and brother ...

. Collins died on May 7, 2003, and is buried at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

.Burial Detail: Collins, John A
– ANC Explorer

Career

Collins joined the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

in 1960. Eventually, he would become Deputy Chief of Chaplains of the United States Air Force in 1980 before being promoted to Chief of Chaplains with the rank of

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 ...

in 1982. He held the position until his retirement in 1985. Awards he received include 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 ...

, the Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters, the Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster, the Outstanding Unit Award and the National Defense Service Medal.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Collins, John A. Military personnel from Boston United States Air Force generals Chiefs of Chaplains of the United States Air Force Redemptorists Recipients of the Legion of Merit 1931 births 2003 deaths Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Catholics from Massachusetts 20th-century American Roman Catholic priests