Thomas McClelland is a decorated U.S. Navy veteran who served in the Vietnam War and Operation Desert Storm.

Early life and education

Thomas McClelland was born on June 8, 1942, in Louisville, Kentucky, and a graduate of Southern Illinois University. He earned his Officer Commission through the Aviation Officer Candidate Program in January 1966 and was designated a Naval Aviator in April 1967. He attended the Naval War College and later earned a master's degree in Business Administration from New Mexico Highlands University.

Naval career

Captain McClelland's sea duty aviation assignments include tours with VA-82, CVW-14, VA-113, VA-97 and CVW-9. He has deployed aboard USS ''America'' (CVA-66), USS ''Coral Sea'' (CVA-43), USS ''Enterprise'' (CVN-65), USS ''Ranger'' (CVA-61), USS ''Carl Vinson'' (CVN-70), and USS ''Kitty Hawk'' (CV-63). His command tours began in 1980 with the Light Attack Weapons School in Lemoore, California. He has commanded the VA-97 Warhawks, Carrier Air Wing NINE, and the Amphibious Cargo Ship, USS ''St. Louis'' (LKA-116), in Sasebo, Japan. His final operational command was during Desert Storm, where he served as Commander, Amphibious Squadron FIVE, conducting advance force operations with the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit against the Iraqi Army. Captain McClelland's shore duty assignments include Instructor Pilot and Safety Officer for VA-122 in Lemoore, CA; A-7 Projects Officer at the

Naval Weapons Evaluation Facility The Naval Weapons Evaluation Facility (NWEF) operated through the Cold War investigating aircraft-weapon interfaces to provide United States Navy aircraft with nuclear weapons delivery capability. History The United States Army Air Corps began ...

in Albuquerque, NM; Director of the Technical Support Group for the Director of Naval Warfare in Washington DC; Force Readiness Officer for Commander Naval Air Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet; Deputy and Chief of Staff for the Chief of Naval Education and Training in Pensacola, FL; and his final active duty assignment as Chief of Staff for the Commander in Chief, U.S. Naval Forces Europe, in London, England.

Post-Naval career and awards

Captain McClelland began his second career at Admiral Farragut Academy in 1998, after 32 years of Naval Service. He has earned the following personal awards: Five Legion of Merit Medals, the Distinguished Flying Cross, four

Meritorious Service Medal A Meritorious Service Medal is an award presented to denote acts of meritorious service, and sometimes gallantry, that are worthy of recognition. Notable medals with similar names include: * Meritorious Civilian Service Award *Meritorious Service Me ...

s, two Individual Air Medals, 25 Strike/Flight Air Medals, six Navy Commendation Medals, and the Combat Action Ribbon. He has over 4,700 flight hours in 23 different aircraft, over 1,200 carrier landings, and more than 300 combat missions.

Personal life

Captain McClelland resides in St. Petersburg, Florida with his wife, Dona. His son, Charles, teaches Biology in Menifee, California and his daughter, Katherine, is a Marketing Project Team Leader for website development company in San Diego, California.

Flight information

Rating: Naval Aviator
Flight hours: More than 4,700
Carrier Landing: More than 1,200*Davis, J.R
"Grand Club - Naval Aviators with Over 1,000 Carrier Arrested Landings"
"Grand Club", July 18, 2007.
Aircraft flown: 23

Awards and decorations

McClelland's awards include:

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:McClelland, Thomas Living people United States Navy officers United States Naval Aviators Southern Illinois University Carbondale alumni New Mexico Highlands University alumni Naval War College alumni People from St. Petersburg, Florida 1942 births Recipients of the Air Medal Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) Recipients of the Legion of Merit Military personnel from Louisville, Kentucky