Thomas McInerney (born March 7, 1937) is a political commentator and a retired

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 ...

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 ...

, who served in top military positions under the

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

and

Secretary of Defense A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...

. McInerney was a forward air controller and

fighter pilot A fighter pilot is a military aviator trained to engage in air-to-air combat, air-to-ground combat and sometimes electronic warfare while in the cockpit of a fighter aircraft. Fighter pilots undergo specialized training in aerial warfare and ...

during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, 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 Vie ...

and had flown 407 combat missions during his four tours of duty. In addition to his Vietnam service, McInerney served overseas in

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

;

Pacific Air Forces Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) is a Major Command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force and is also the air component command of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM). PACAF is headquartered at Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam (fo ...

and as commander of

Eleventh Air Force The Eleventh Air Force (11 AF) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). It is headquartered at Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson, Alaska.This unit is not related to the Eleventh Air Force headquarte ...

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

. Since his retirement in 1994, McInerney has been on the boards of several military contractors. He was a frequent guest on Fox News until 2018 when he claimed (without evidence) that

John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American politician and United States Navy officer who served as a United States senator from Arizona from 1987 until his death in 2018. He previously served two terms ...

, whom he called "Songbird John", betrayed his country when he was a prisoner of war in Vietnam. He was a staunch advocate of the Iraq War, defended the use of torture, and defended the George W. Bush administration. In 2008, it was revealed that the Pentagon under the Bush administration supplied McInerney with talking points to use in his commentary.

Education

McInerney was born March 7, 1937, in

Havre de Grace, Maryland Havre de Grace (), abbreviated HdG, is a city in Harford County, Maryland, Harford County, Maryland. It is situated at the mouth of the Susquehanna River and the head of Chesapeake Bay. It is named after the port city of Le Havre, France, which ...

, and graduated from Garden City (N.Y.) High School in 1955. He earned a BS degree from the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

in 1959 and a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

in international relations from

George Washington University , mottoeng = "God is Our Trust" , established = , type = Private federally chartered research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.8 billion (2022) , preside ...

in 1972. McInerney graduated from the Armed Forces Staff College in 1970 and from the

National War College The National War College (NWC) of the United States is a school in the National Defense University. It is housed in Roosevelt Hall on Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C., the third-oldest Army post still active. History The National War Colle ...

in 1973.

Military career

After graduating from USMA in June 1959, McInerney was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 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 ...

. He then joined the Air Force, and completed initial pilot training at

Bartow Air Base Bartow Executive Airport is a public airport four miles (6 km) northeast of Bartow, in Polk County, Florida. It is owned by the Bartow Airport Authority. Facilities The airport covers and has three asphalt runways: * Runway 5/23: 5,000 x ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, and

Laredo Air Force Base Laredo Air Force Base, is a since-deactivated Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT) installation of the Air Training Command (ATC) in Laredo, Texas. The facility was originally established as Laredo Army Air Field, a World War II U.S. Army Air For ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, in November 1960. He participated in the Berlin and Cuban crises in 1962, flying escort missions in the West Berlin Air Corridor and escort reconnaissance missions over Cuba during the

Cuban Missile Crisis The Cuban Missile Crisis, also known as the October Crisis (of 1962) ( es, Crisis de Octubre) in Cuba, the Caribbean Crisis () in Russia, or the Missile Scare, was a 35-day (16 October – 20 November 1962) confrontation between the United S ...

. In April 1963, he was one of the first forward air controllers assigned to

South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...

with a Vietnamese army division. He participated in three additional Southeast Asia deployments. After completing the Armed Forces Staff College in February 1970, he was transferred to the Directorate of Operational Requirements, Air Force headquarters. Upon graduation from

in July 1973, McInerney was assigned to the

58th Tactical Fighter Training Wing The 58th Special Operations Wing (58 SOW) is a combat unit of the United States Air Force stationed at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. The 58 SOW is part of the Air Education and Training Command (AETC) Nineteenth Air Force. The 58 SOW ser ...

, Luke Air Force Base, as F-104 and F-5 director of operations. In August 1974, he became the air attaché to the U.S. Embassy in London. From November 1976 until October 1977, he was vice commander of the

20th Tactical Fighter Wing The 20th Fighter Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force and the host unit at Shaw Air Force Base South Carolina. The wing is assigned to Air Combat Command's Fifteenth Air Force. The wing's mission is to provide, project, and sustain c ...

, Royal Air Force Station Upper Heyford,

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. McInerney then became military assistant to Ambassador Robert W. Komer. In March 1979, McInerney became commander of the

3d Tactical Fighter Wing The 3rd Wing is a unit of the United States Air Force, assigned to the Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) Eleventh Air Force. It is stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. The Wing is the largest and ...

Clark Air Base Clark Air Base is a Philippine Air Force base on Luzon Island in the Philippines, located west of Angeles City, about northwest of Metro Manila. Clark Air Base was previously a United States military facility, operated by the U.S. Air Forc ...

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. In February 1981, he became commander of the

313th Air Division The 313th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Pacific Air Forces at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa. It was inactivated on 1 October 1991. History The unit's origins begin with the World War II 313th ...

, Kadena Air Base,

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. McInerney then was deputy chief of staff for operations and intelligence, Headquarters

, Hickam Air Force Base,

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

, from June 1983 to July 1985, when he became commander of

Third Air Force The Third Air Force (Air Forces Europe) (3 AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA). Its headquarters is Ramstein Air Base, Germany. It is responsible for all U.S. air forces in E ...

, Royal Air Force Station Mildenhall,

. In October 1986, McInerney was assigned as vice commander in chief, Headquarters

U.S. Air Forces in Europe The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

Ramstein Air Base Ramstein Air Base or Ramstein AB is a United States Air Force base in Rhineland-Palatinate, a state in southwestern Germany. It serves as headquarters for the United States Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA) and also ...

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

. He became commander of Alaskan Air Command, Alaskan NORAD Region, and Joint Task Force Alaska in May 1988. McInerney assumed command of Alaskan Command upon its activation in July 1989 and became commander of

when Alaskan Air Command was redesignated Eleventh Air Force in August 1990. McInerney's last active duty assignment was as assistant vice chief of staff, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. He retired from the Air Force on 1 July 1994. McInerney's military awards and decorations include the following: *

Distinguished Service Medal Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a high award of a nation. Examples include: *Distinguished Service Medal (Australia) (established 1991), awarded to personnel of the Australian Defence Force for distinguished leadership in action * Distinguishe ...

with 1 oak leaf cluster *

Defense Superior Service Medal The Defense Superior Service Medal (DSSM) is a military decoration of the United States Department of Defense, which is presented to United States Armed Forces service members who perform superior meritorious service in a position of significant ...

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 1 oak leaf cluster * Distinguished Flying Cross with 1 oak leaf cluster *

Bronze Star Medal 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 ...

with 1 oak leaf cluster and

"V" device A "V" device is a metal capital letter "V" with serifs which, when worn on certain decorations awarded by the United States Armed Forces, distinguishes an award for heroism or valor in combat instead of for meritorious service or achievement. ...

* Meritorious Service Medal with 1 oak leaf cluster *

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 17 oak leaf clusters * Air Force Commendation Medal with 1 oak leaf cluster * National Defense Service Medal * Vietnam Service Medal with 1

silver star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an e ...

and 1

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 ...

Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation The Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross also known as the Vietnamese Gallantry Cross or Vietnam Cross of Gallantry ( vi, Anh-Dũng Bội-Tinh) is a military decoration of the former Government of South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam). The medal wa ...

with palm * Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal with ''1960''- device McInerney has also been awarded the Third

Order of the Rising Sun The is a Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge features rays of sunlight ...

by the Japanese government. McInerney was inducted into the USAF Order of the Sword in July 1980.

Post military career

Beginning in January 2002, McInerney was a military analyst on

Fox News The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is owne ...

until May 2018. McInerney was a staunch advocate for the Iraq War. In 2002, he incorrectly predicted that a military campaign against Iraq would be "shorter" than the 42 days it took to complete the Persian Gulf War in 1991, and further, "It is going to be absolutely awesome, and that's why this war, if we do it properly, will go very quick, and we'll have less civilian casualties than we did last time." In 2004, he claimed without evidence that with the aid of a

Russian Special Forces Spetsnaz are special forces in numerous post-Soviet states. (The term is borrowed from rus, спецназ, p=spʲɪtsˈnas; abbreviation for or 'Special Purpose Military Units'; or .) Historically, the term ''spetsnaz'' referred to the S ...

team with GRU, Saddam had transported

weapons of mass destruction A weapon of mass destruction (WMD) is a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or any other weapon that can kill and bring significant harm to numerous individuals or cause great damage to artificial structures (e.g., buildings), natura ...

(WMDs) to

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

and the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon for safekeeping. Although McInerney said they had been moved to three places in Syria and one in Lebanon, the final report of the Iraq Survey Group, by Charles A. Duelfer, special adviser on Iraqi weapons to the C.I.A., concluded that any stockpiles had been destroyed long before the war and that transfers to Syria were "unlikely." In 2006, McInerney advocated for regime change via military action against Iran and North Korea. McInerney has been a member of the Boards of Directors of military contractors, including Alloy Surfaces Company, Kilgore Flares Co, Nortel Government Solutions Inc. Pan American International Academy (Flight Simulators), Agusta Westland NA, and Crescent Partnerships. In 2008, it was revealed that McInerney received email communications from the Pentagon with talking points that he should use to defend the Bush administration in his TV appearances and columns. In 2010, McInerney provided his support against the court martial of fellow birther Terrence Lakin, who refused to deploy to Afghanistan due to his suspicion of President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

's birthplace. On September 6, 2016, McInerney was 1 of 88 retired military leaders who endorsed the Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump. On September 15, 2020, McInerney was 1 of 235 retired military leaders who endorsed President Trump's re-election for president.

Views

McInerney has called President Obama a

treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...

ous leader who is "aiding and abetting the enemy." McInerney also has said there were "widespread and legitimate concerns that the President

bama Bama or BAMA may refer to: Places * Bama, shortened form of Alabama, a state of the United States of America ** The University of Alabama, the public university serving the state, often known as simply ''Bama'' * Bama, one of the colloquial Burm ...

is constitutionally ineligible to hold office." In 2010, McInerney called for strip-searching all Muslim men between the ages of 18 and 28 at airports. In 2015, as a

contributor and a member of the

Iran Policy Committee The Iran Policy Committee (IPC), formed in February 2005, is a pressure group meant to influence US government policy towards Iran. IPC is made up of former White House, State Department, The Pentagon and CIA officials as well as scholars from thi ...

, McInerney was noted for suggesting on Fox News that terrorists could have flown the disappeared Malaysia Airlines 370 to Pakistan. In May 2018, McInerney appeared on

Fox Business News Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

and asserted to the show's host

Charles Payne Charles Payne may refer to: * Charles Payne (clergyman) (1830–1899), Methodist clergyman and president of Ohio Wesleyan University * Charles Payne (television personality) (born 1960), American Fox Business Network contributor and co-host of '' ...

, that torture had "worked on"

(when he was a

POW A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war ...

in North Vietnam) and "That's why they call him 'Songbird John',"Erik Wemple
Fox Business guest says torture 'worked' on John McCain
''Washington Post'' (May 10, 2018).Greg Price
Watch: Former Fox News Military Analyst Resurfaces Fake 'Songbird' John McCain Nickname to Defend Torture Use
''Newsweek'' (May 10, 2018). referencing an unverified claim made against McCain during the Republican primary in South Carolina in 2000. After the show, Payne apologized on

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

to Senator McCain and his family for what McInerney had said which he himself did not hear or challenge because he was being told at the same time by the control room to "wrap the segment". Afterward, Fox News announced that McInerney would never appear on Fox News or Fox Business again. On November 28, 2020, McInerney pushed claims about election fraud after the 2020 elections. He claimed that "US special forces command seized a server farm in

Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

", which was run by the

Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...

(CIA). Both the U.S. Army and U.S. Army Special Operations Command denied that such an attack occurred. He later called on President Trump "to declare a

national emergency A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to be able to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state du ...

, use the Insurrection Act, declare

martial law Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory. Use Marti ...

, suspend

habeas corpus ''Habeas corpus'' (; from Medieval Latin, ) is a recourse in law through which a person can report an unlawful detention or imprisonment to a court and request that the court order the custodian of the person, usually a prison official, t ...

, set up

military tribunals Military justice (also military law) is the legal system (bodies of law and procedure) that governs the conduct of the active-duty personnel of the armed forces of a country. In some nation-states, civil law and military law are distinct bodie ...

, and suspend the electoral college ote for president and vice-presidenton December 14 and the

presidential inauguration A presidential inauguration is a ceremonial event centered on the formal transition of a new president into office, usually in democracies where this official has been elected. Frequently, this involves the swearing of an oath of office. Examples o ...

on January 20". He claimed that the election was being stolen from Trump and treasonous parties should be arrested and charged and a "full investigation" must be done by President Trump.

References

External links

Official United States Air Force biography
* ttps://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/europe/jan-june99/casualties_5-14.html Interview with Thomas McInerney and Lt. General Gard from 1999 {{DEFAULTSORT:McInerney, Thomas United States Air Force generals United States Air Force personnel of the Vietnam War American conspiracy theorists American broadcast news analysts American people of Scotch-Irish descent United States Military Academy alumni Elliott School of International Affairs alumni National War College alumni Living people 1937 births Recipients of the Air Medal Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) Recipients of the Order of the Sword (United States) Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Defense Superior Service Medal People from Havre de Grace, Maryland United States air attachés Garden City High School (New York) alumni