Tom William Scott (October 8, 1902 – December 22, 1988) 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

U.S. 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 Sign ...

who served in

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 ...

. He started his military career in 1930, becoming a fighter pilot and flying instructor. He was posted to the

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 the late 1930s. He commanded an air base in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

during World War II. During the Korean War he served as vice commander of the 20th Air Force and went on two combat missions. He retired in 1957. He was the father of astronaut

David Scott David Randolph Scott (born June 6, 1932) is an American retired test pilot and NASA astronaut who was the seventh person to walk on the Moon. Selected as part of the third group of astronauts in 1963, Scott flew to space three times and ...

Early career

Tom William Scott was born in

Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 397,532. The Wichita metro area had a population of 647,610 in 2020. It is located in ...

, on October 8, 1902. He graduated from the

University of California The University of California (UC) is a public land-grant research university system in the U.S. state of California. The system is composed of the campuses at Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, San Franci ...

in 1926, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the

United States Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical r ...

in May 1930. Scott served as a fighter pilot and assistant aircraft engineering officer at Rockwell Field, California, and as a flying instructor and supply and mess officer at March Field, California. His promotion to

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 ...

was confirmed on August 12, 1935. He was stationed at Nicholas Field in the Philippines from 1937 to 1939. On returning to the United States, he was posted to Brooks Field, Texas.

World War II and postwar

During

, Scott served as chief of the Sub-Depot Control Section at

Duncan Field Kelly Field (formerly Kelly Air Force Base) is a Joint-Use facility located in San Antonio, Texas. It was originally named after George E. M. Kelly, the first member of the U.S. military killed in the crash of an airplane he was piloting. I ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

, and deputy commander of the

San Antonio Air Materiel Area The San Antonio Air Logistics Center is a former air depot of the United States Air Force located alongside Kelly Air Force Base.San Antonio Air Logistics Center Office of History, Kelly AFB, Texas. A Brief History of Kelly Air Force Base. San An ...

. He went to Europe in January 1944, where he commanded several air base depots there. At one time, he was commander of the Burtonwood Air Depot, which was the chief maintenance depot for aircraft flying over Europe. Scott returned to the United States in 1946, and became the deputy chief of staff for materiel of the 12th Air Force at March Field. He attended the

Industrial College of the Armed Forces The Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy (Eisenhower School), formerly known as the Industrial College of the Armed Forces (ICAF), is a part of the National Defense University. It was renamed on September 6, 20 ...

in 1949, and then became the deputy commander of

Ellington Air Force Base Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base is a joint installation shared by various active component and reserve component military units, as well as aircraft flight operations of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) under the aegis ...

in Texas. In September 1949, he was posted to

Vance Air Force Base Vance Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located in southern Enid, Oklahoma, about north northwest of Oklahoma City. The base is named after local World War II hero and Medal of Honor recipient, Lieutenant Colonel Leon Robert Va ...

in Oklahoma as a wing and base commander, and served as the deputy commander of the Flying Training Air Force at

Waco, Texas Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the 22nd-most populous city in the st ...

until 1952. Scott then became the vice commander of the 20th Air Force, and he saw action in the

, flying two combat missions in Boeing B-29 Superfortress bombers. In 1954, he was posted to

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) is a United States Air Force base and census-designated place just east of Dayton, Ohio, in Greene and Montgomery counties. It includes both Wright and Patterson Fields, which were originally Wilbur Wr ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

as the deputy commander for supply of the

Air Materiel Command Air Materiel Command (AMC) was a United States Army Air Forces and United States Air Force command. Its headquarters was located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. In 1961, the command was redesignated the Air Force Logistics Command wi ...

. In this capacity, he was second in command of the world-wide supply activities of the Air Force, including the Mutual Defense Assistance Program. His promotion to

was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on November 8, 1954. His final posting, on July 15, 1955, was deputy commander of the

, at

San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

. He retired on March 1, 1957. Scott's decorations include the Legion of Merit with an

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 ...

, the Bronze Star Medal and the Croix de Guerre with palm. In 1961, Scott settled in La Jolla, California and became a member of the La Jolla Shores Protective Association the following year. He was a La Jolla Town Council trustee from 1966 to 1972. He died there on December 22, 1988. A memorial service was held at St. James by-the-Sea Episcopal Church in La Jolla, and he was buried at

Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery is a federal military cemetery in the city of San Diego, California. It is located on the grounds of the former Army coastal artillery station Fort Rosecrans and is administered by the United States Department ...

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United Stat ...

. He was survived by his wife, Marian, and sons Tom Junior and

. David became an astronaut in 1963, and walked on the Moon as commander of Apollo 15 in 1971.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Scott, Tom Wilkiam 1902 births 1988 deaths People from Wichita, Kansas Military personnel from Kansas United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II Burials at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Air Force generals University of California alumni United States Army Air Forces officers United States Air Force personnel of the Korean War