Eugene F. Tighe
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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 ...
Eugene Francis Tighe, Jr. (June 19, 1921January 29, 1994) was director of the United States Defense Intelligence Agency (September 1977August 1981).
Defense Intelligence Agency The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) is an intelligence agency and combat support agency of the United States Department of Defense, specializing in defense and military intelligence. A component of the Department of Defense (DoD) and the ...

LTG Eugene F. Tighe, Jr., USAF


Background and education

Tighe was born in 1921, in New Raymer, Colorado, and graduated from
Manual Arts High School Manual Arts High School is a secondary public school in Los Angeles, California, United States. History Manual Arts High School was founded in 1910 in the middle of bean fields, one-half mile from the nearest bus stop. It was the third high sch ...
,
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
, in 1939. He graduated from
Loyola Marymount University Loyola Marymount University (LMU) is a private Jesuit and Marymount research university in Los Angeles, California. It is located on the west side of the city near Playa Vista. LMU is the parent school to Loyola Law School, which is located ...
, Los Angeles, in 1949 as a distinguished graduate, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history. The general also completed
Air War College The Air War College (AWC) is the senior Professional Military Education (PME) school of the U.S. Air Force. A part of the United States Air Force's Air University, AWC emphasizes the employment of air, space, and cyberspace in joint operation ...
at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama in 1966, and received an honorary doctor of military science degree from Norwich University in
Northfield, Vermont Northfield is a town in Washington County, Vermont, United States. The town lies in a valley within the Green Mountains and has been home to Norwich University since 1866. It contains the village of Northfield, where over half of the population ...
, in 1980.LIEUTENANT GENERAL EUGENE F. TIGHE JR.
/ref>


Military career

In September 1942 Tighe enlisted in the
U.S. 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, cl ...
and served at
Fort Bliss Fort Bliss is a United States Army post in New Mexico and Texas, with its headquarters in El Paso, Texas. Named in honor of LTC William Bliss (1815–1853), a mathematics professor who was the son-in-law of President Zachary Taylor, Ft. Bliss h ...
, Texas; Camp Cooke, California; and in Australia. He graduated from the Artillery Officer Candidate School at Camp Columbia, Australia, in 1944 with a commission as a second lieutenant, and was assigned as an anti-aircraft adviser with the
43rd Bombardment Group The 43rd Air Mobility Operations Group is an active duty air mobility unit at Pope Field (formerly Pope AFB), Fort Bragg, North Carolina and is part of the Air Mobility Command (AMC) under the USAF Expeditionary Center. The unit is composed of f ...
,
5th Air Force The Fifth Air Force (5 AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). It is headquartered at Yokota Air Base, Japan. It is the U.S. Air Force's oldest continuously serving Numbered Air Force. The organizat ...
, serving with the group in New Guinea, Netherlands East Indies, the Philippines and the Ryukyu Islands. In January 1946 he was released from active Army duty and accepted a Reserve commission in the U.S. Army Air Forces. Tighe entered active duty with 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 ...
in August 1950 as an intelligence officer with the 78th Fighter-Interceptor Group at
Hamilton Air Force Base Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...
, California. He then served successively from September 1951 to October 1955 as an intelligence officer: one year with the 8th Fighter-Bomber Group at Suwon Air Base, South Korea; two years with the 436th Bombardment Squadron at
Carswell Air Force Base Carswell Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force (USAF) base, located northwest of Fort Worth, Texas. For most of its operational lifetime, the base's mission was to train and support heavy strategic bombing groups and wings. Carswe ...
, Texas; and one year with the 7th Bombardment Group, also at Carswell. He served with the U.S. Air Forces in Europe at Wiesbaden-Schierstein, Germany, as operations officer for the 497th Reconnaissance Technical Squadron from October 1955 to August 1958. Tighe was then assigned to the 544th Aerospace Reconnaissance Technical Wing at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska where he organized the Research Center of the wing in January 1960, and remained as its chief until June 1965. He attended the Air War College from August 1965 to June 1966. Following graduation from the Air War College, Tighe was assigned as director of targets, Headquarters
7th 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 ...
at
Tan Son Nhut Air Base Tan Son Nhut Air Base ( vi, Căn cứ không quân Tân Sơn Nhứt) (1955–1975) was a Republic of Vietnam Air Force (RVNAF) facility. It was located near the city of Saigon in southern Vietnam. The United States used it as a major base duri ...
, Republic of Vietnam. He transferred to Headquarters U. S. Air Force, Washington, D.C., in August 1967, and served in the Directorate of Operations as special assistant in the Reconnaissance Division until July 1968, and as chief of the Operations Review Division until October 1969. In November 1969 he was assigned as deputy director of estimates, in January 1970 he was named director of estimates, and later served as director of intelligence applications in the Office of Assistant Chief of Staff, Intelligence. Tighe was deputy chief of staff, intelligence,
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 (f ...
,
Hickam Air Force Base Hickam Air Force Base is a United States Air Force installation, named in honor of aviation pioneer Lieutenant Colonel Horace Meek Hickam. The installation merged in 2010 with Naval Station Pearl Harbor to become part of the newly formed Joint ...
, Hawaii, from August 1971 until April 1972, when he became director for intelligence, Headquarters
United States Pacific Command United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) is a unified combatant command of the United States Armed Forces responsible for the Indo-Pacific region. Formerly known as United States Pacific Command (USPACOM) since its inception in 1947, ...
at Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii. From September 1974 to August 1976, he was deputy director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, and served as acting director from December 1975 to May 1976. In November, 1975, MG Tighe was promoted to LTG. Following his tour at DIA as Acting Deputy DIA, LTG Tighe was expected to retire, there being no posts available for a USAF LTG Intelligence Officer. At this, LTG Tighe requested to revert to MG so that he could become the deputy chief of staff for intelligence, Headquarters Strategic Air Command, a MG posting at Offutt Air Force Base in August 1976, and served in that position until he was assigned as assistant chief of staff, intelligence, at Air Force headquarters in January 1977. In June 1977 the president appointed Tighe director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. He assumed his duties in September 1977. He was promoted (again) to lieutenant general on September 1, 1977, with date of rank of November 4, 1975. During July and August 1977, he served as special assistant to the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. He retired from the Air Force on September 1, 1981.


Post-military career

In retirement Tighe became a consultant, and regent of Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'', 7 February 1994
Lieut. Gen. Eugene Tighe Jr., 72; Led Study on American P.O.W.'s
/ref> In 1986 he headed a five-month Pentagon review on whether American prisoners of war might still be held captive in Vietnam and elsewhere in Southeast Asia—the panel concluded this might be the case. Tighe died as a result of prostate cancer on January 29, 1994, at the age of 72.


Awards and decorations


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tighe, Eugene 1921 births 1994 deaths Air War College alumni People from Weld County, Colorado Military personnel from Los Angeles Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Air Force generals Loyola Marymount University alumni Directors of the Defense Intelligence Agency Recipients of the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal Norwich University alumni United States Army personnel of World War II American expatriates in Australia American expatriates in Germany Military personnel from Colorado