Leslie J. Westberg (June 23, 1920 – January 4, 1997) was a

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 ...

in the

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 ...

. He piloted bombers on combat missions in both

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

and 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 ...

and reconnaissance aircraft in the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...

Biography

Personal

General Westberg was born June 23, 1920, in

Menasha, Wisconsin Menasha () is a city in Calumet and Winnebago counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 18,268 at the 2020 census. Of this, 15,144 were in Winnebago County, and 2,209 were in Calumet County. The city is located mostly in Win ...

, graduated from Menasha High School in 1938, and later attended the

University of Omaha The University of Nebraska Omaha (Omaha or UNO) is a public research university in Omaha, Nebraska. Founded in 1908 by faculty from the Omaha Presbyterian Theological Seminary as a private non-sectarian college, the university was originally kno ...

World War II

He enlisted in September 1942 in the

United States 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 ...

and entered civilian pilot training and the aviation cadet program. He graduated in November 1943 with a commission as second lieutenant and his pilot wings. He then received training as a bomber pilot at Maxwell Field, Alabama; Charleston, South Carolina; and Langley Field, Virginia. Westberg served from June 1944 to April 1945 with the Fifteenth Air Force in Italy and flew 35 combat missions in B-24 Liberator bombers.

Post-War

From 1945 to 1954, he served in various bomber organizations as lead crew aircraft commander on B-25 Mitchell,

B-26 Invader The Douglas A-26 Invader (designated B-26 between 1948 and 1965) is an American twin-engined light bomber and ground attack aircraft. Built by Douglas Aircraft Company during World War II, the Invader also saw service during several major Col ...

B-29 Superfortress The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is an American four-engined propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to its predecessor, the B-17 F ...

, and

B-36 Peacemaker The Convair B-36 "Peacemaker" is a strategic bomber that was built by Convair and operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) from 1949 to 1959. The B-36 is the largest mass-produced piston-engined aircraft ever built. It had the longest win ...

medium and heavy bomber aircraft; operations officer; inspector; and as maintenance and tactical squadron commander at Memphis, Tennessee, and Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington.

Korean War

He flew 27 combat missions in B-29s in 1950 during the

with the United Nations Forces in Korea. He served from October 1954 to August 1957 at

March Air Force Base March Air Reserve Base (March ARB), previously known as March Air Force Base (March AFB) is located in Riverside County, California between the cities of Riverside, Moreno Valley, and Perris. It is the home to the Air Force Reserve Command's ...

, California, in staff and command positions, flying B-47 Stratojets with the 22d and 320th Bombardment Wings. He then became base commander of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, a position he held until October 1958. General Westberg next served at Strategic Air Command headquarters at Omaha, Nebraska, as deputy chief of the Command Control Division. In January 1962 he was transferred to Washington, D.C., where he served as Chief, Operations Division, and later as Deputy Chief, Joint Alternate Command Element, in the organization of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He served at

Hahn Air Base Hahn Air Base was a United States Air Force installation near Lautzenhausen in Germany for over 40 years. The major unit was the United States Air Force's 50th Tactical Fighter Wing during most of the years it was active. It was originally buil ...

, Germany, from September 1963 to June 1965 and flew F-100 Super Sabre aircraft with the 50th Tactical Fighter Wing as deputy commander for operations and later vice commander. He then served at Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, from June 1965 to August 1966 as commander of The United States Logistic Group Detachment 10 and flew F-105 and F-100 aircraft with Tactical Air Command rotational units. After graduation from the National War College in August 1967, General Westberg served at

Shaw Air Force Base Shaw Air Force Base (Shaw AFB) is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located approximately west-northwest of downtown Sumter, South Carolina. It is one of the largest military bases operated by the United States, and is under the jurisdict ...

, South Carolina, as commander of the 363d Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, and was an RF-4C Phantom pilot.

Vietnam War

He was transferred in July 1968 to the Republic of Vietnam, where he commanded the 460th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing at Tan Son Nhut Airfield. Later he became chief of staff of the

Seventh Air Force The Seventh Air Force (Air Forces Korea) (7 AF) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). It is headquartered at Osan Air Base, South Korea. The command's mission is to plan and direct air component operations in ...

. During his Vietnam tour of duty, he flew 600 hours and a total of 240 combat missions in the RF-4C reconnaissance aircraft. He moved to Hawaii in August 1969 to become Deputy Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations, Pacific Command.

Civil Air Patrol

General Westberg was the commander of Headquarters Civil Air Patrol-U.S. Air Force, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., and the National Commander of the Civil Air Patrol, the Air Force

auxiliary Auxiliary may refer to: * A backup site or system In language * Auxiliary language (disambiguation) * Auxiliary verb In military and law enforcement * Auxiliary police * Auxiliaries, civilians or quasi-military personnel who provide support of ...

from 1972 to 1975.

Awards and decorations

He is 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 ...

. His military decorations and awards include the Silver Star, Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster, Distinguished Flying Cross with oak leaf cluster, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal with 16 oak leaf clusters, Air Force Commendation Medal, Presidential Unit Citation Emblem, Distinguished Unit Citation Emblem, and the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award Ribbon. He was promoted to the grade of brigadier general on September 1, 1969, with date of rank May 27, 1969.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Westberg, Leslie J. 1920 births 1997 deaths Military personnel from Wisconsin United States Air Force generals United States Army Air Forces officers United States Army Air Forces bomber pilots of World War II United States Air Force personnel of the Korean War United States Air Force personnel of the Vietnam War American Korean War bomber pilots American Vietnam War pilots University of Nebraska Omaha alumni National War College alumni Recipients of the Air Medal Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) Recipients of the Legion of Merit People from Menasha, Wisconsin American expatriates in Germany