John Koehler Gerhart (November 27, 1907 – January 9, 1981) was a

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, 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 ...

four-star general A four-star rank is the rank of any four-star officer described by the NATO OF-9 code. Four-star officers are often the most senior commanders in the armed services, having ranks such as (full) admiral, (full) general, colonel general, army ge ...

, and served as commander,

North American Air Defense Command North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD ), known until March 1981 as the North American Air Defense Command, is a combined organization of the United States and Canada that provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and protection ...

under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson.

Biography

He was born in

Saginaw, Michigan Saginaw () is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw and Saginaw County are both in the area known as Mid-Michigan. Saginaw is adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township and considered part of Greater ...

, in 1907, and graduated from the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...

in 1928 with a bachelor's degree in philosophy. On October 12, 1929, he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Air Corps Reserve after graduating from Advanced Flying School at Kelly Field, Texas. Gerhart's first tour of duty was at

Mitchel Field Mitchell may refer to: People *Mitchell (surname) *Mitchell (given name) Places Australia * Mitchell, Australian Capital Territory, a light-industrial estate * Mitchell, New South Wales, a suburb of Bathurst * Mitchell, Northern Territor ...

, New York. This was followed by various assignments, including several years as a flight test pilot in both powered aircraft and gliders. He graduated from the Air Corps Tactical School in April 1941. Shortly after the

attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii ...

, General Gerhart joined the newly formed Eighth Air Force. In July 1942 he went to England with the first contingent of the Eighth Air Force. In June 1943 he assumed command of the

95th Bomb Group The 95th Air Base Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit that was last assigned to the Air Force Flight Test Center of Air Force Materiel Command at Edwards Air Force Base, California, where it was inactivated on 13 July 2012. During ...

, Eighth Air Force, and later became commander of the 93rd Combat Bomb Wing which comprised four groups of B-17 Flying Fortresses. In early 1946, Gerhart returned to London and Paris for a year as air adviser to the American Delegation participating along with the major allies in drafting the Balkan and Italian peace treaties. On return to Washington in January 1947, he served successively as director of the Legislative and Liaison Division, chief of statistical services in the Office of the Comptroller, and as chief of staff of Joint Task Force Three which conducted the first thermonuclear tests at

Eniwetok Atoll Enewetak Atoll (; also spelled Eniwetok Atoll or sometimes Eniewetok; mh, Ānewetak, , or , ; known to the Japanese as Brown Atoll or Brown Island; ja, ブラウン環礁) is a large coral atoll of 40 islands in the Pacific Ocean and with it ...

in the spring of 1951. During the period of his duty with the Air Force Comptroller, he also graduated from the Harvard Business School (AMP-13). Gerhart was appointed as Joint Chiefs of Staff adviser to the Planning Board of the National Security Council in March 1953, and after two years in that capacity, was designated chief of the Military Assistance Advisory Group to the United Kingdom. One year later, Gerhart became the commander of the United States

Twelfth Air Force The Twelfth Air Force (12 AF; Air Forces Southern, (AFSOUTH)) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. The command is the air component to ...

in Germany. He returned to the United States in July 1957 to become the first deputy chief of staff, plans and programs, in Air Force Headquarters – the job he held until appointed by President

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...

to be commander-in-chief of the

, August 1, 1962. He retired from the Air Force on March 31, 1965, and died January 9, 1981.

Awards and decorations

Gerhart's decorations included the Silver Star with two

oak leaf cluster An oak leaf cluster is a ribbon device to denote preceding decorations and awards consisting of a miniature bronze or silver twig of four oak leaves with three acorns on the stem. It is authorized by the United States Armed Forces for a speci ...

s, Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross,

Bronze Star 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 ...

Air Medal The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight. Criteria The Air Medal was establish ...

with two oak leaf clusters, French Croix de Guerre with Palm, and

Belgian Croix de guerre The ''Croix de guerre'' ( French) or ''Oorlogskruis'' (Dutch), both literally translating as "Cross of War", is a military decoration of the Kingdom of Belgium established by royal decree on 25 October 1915. It was primarily awarded for bravery ...

with Palm. He was rated a

command pilot U.S. Air Force aeronautical ratings are military aviation skill standards established and awarded by the United States Air Force for commissioned officers participating in "regular and frequent flight",The standard by which flight status has bee ...

, combat and technical observer. *

Army Distinguished Service Medal * Silver Star ribbon

Silver Star with two oak leaf clusters * Legion of Merit ribbon

Legion of Merit * Distinguished Flying Cross ribbon

Distinguished Flying Cross * Bronze Star Medal ribbon

with two oak leaf clusters * Ruban de la croix de guerre 1939-1945

French Croix de Guerre with palm * Oorlogskruis with Palm

with palm

Effective dates of promotion

First Lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a ...

(temporary) March 12, 1935 (permanent) August 1, 1935 * Captain (permanent) January 6, 1940 * Major (temporary) March 21, 1941 (permanent) January 6, 1947 * Lieutenant Colonel (temporary) January 5, 1942 *

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

(temporary) September 1, 1943 (permanent) April 2, 1948 *

Brigadier General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

(temporary) January 23, 1945 (permanent) October 9, 1951 *

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 ...

(temporary) December 3, 1952 (permanent) April 7, 1954 *

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

(temporary) June 30, 1957 *

General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

(temporary) August 1, 1962

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gerhart, John K. United States Air Force generals United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Silver Star University of Chicago alumni Harvard Business School alumni People from Saginaw, Michigan 1907 births 1981 deaths Recipients of the Croix de guerre (Belgium) Recipients of the Croix de Guerre (France) Recipients of the Air Medal United States Army Air Forces officers Military personnel from Michigan