Major General Orlando Llenza (July 1, 1930 – March 11, 2021) was the second Puerto Rican to reach the rank of Major General (two-star General) 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 ...

. Llenza served as commander of the Puerto Rico Air National Guard (PRANG).

Early years

Llenza was born to Maria Isabel Lopez and Harry B. Llenza in Santurce barrio in the municipality of

San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan (, , ; Spanish for "Saint John") is the capital city and most populous municipality in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2020 census, it is the 57th-largest city under the juri ...

the capital of Puerto Rico, where he received his primary and secondary education. In 1947, he graduated from Central High School and applied for admission at

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

. In 1951 he earned his bachelor's degree in Architecture and a commission as 2nd lieutenant through the Air Force ROTC program.Puerto Rico Herald - Profile: Orlando Llenza
/ref>

Military career

Llenza began his military career as an enlisted airman in the

United States Air Force Reserve The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of commis ...

in 1946 and in 1951 joined the regular

as a 2nd lieutenant assigned to

Reese Air Force Base Reese Technology Center is a research and business park located on the grounds of former Reese Air Force Base in western Lubbock at the unincorporated community of Reese Center. History Reese Technology Center began as the Lubbock Army Air Co ...

Lubbock County, Texas Lubbock County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 census placed the population at 310,639. Its county seat and largest city is Lubbock. The county was created in 1876 and organized in 1891. It is named for Thomas Saltus ...

. He attended USAF

Undergraduate Pilot Training Air Education and Training Command (AETC) is one of the nine Major Commands (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force (USAF), reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force. It was established 1 July 1993, with the realignment of Air Training ...

, the

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 ...

, and

Air Command and Staff College The Air Command and Staff College (ACSC) is located at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama and is the United States Air Force's intermediate-level Professional Military Education (PME) school. It is a subordinate command of the Air Univ ...

in Maxwell Air Force Base, among others.

Korean War

During 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 ...

, Llenza flew as a pilot in the

9th Air Refueling Squadron The 9th Air Refueling Squadron is an active United States Air Force unit, stationed at Travis Air Force Base, California, where it operates the McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender as part of the 60th Operations Group. The squadron was first act ...

Davis–Monthan Air Force Base Davis–Monthan Air Force Base (DM AFB) is a United States Air Force base southeast of downtown Tucson, Arizona. It was established in 1925 as Davis–Monthan Landing Field. The host unit for Davis–Monthan AFB is the 355th Wing (355 WG) assi ...

. During his career he flew the

T-6 Texan The North American Aviation T-6 Texan is an American single-engined advanced trainer aircraft used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), United States Navy, Royal Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force and other air force ...

, B-25 Mitchell,

Boeing KB-29 The Boeing KB-29 was a modified Boeing B-29 Superfortress for air refueling needs by the USAF. Two primary versions were developed and produced: KB-29M and KB-29P. The 509th and 43d Air Refueling Squadrons (Walker AFB, NM and Davis-Montha ...

M tanker,

KC-97 Stratofreighter The Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter is a four-engined, piston-powered United States strategic tanker aircraft based on the Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter. It replaced the KB-29 and was succeeded by the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker. Design and developm ...

tanker,

T-33 Shooting Star The Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star (or T-Bird) is an American subsonic jet trainer. It was produced by Lockheed and made its first flight in 1948. The T-33 was developed from the Lockheed P-80/F-80 starting as TP-80C/TF-80C in development, then d ...

Shooting Star,

F-86 Sabre The North American F-86 Sabre, sometimes called the Sabrejet, is a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as the United States' first swept-wing fighter that could counter the swept-wing Sov ...

D, E, F and H models, F-104 Starfighter, and the

C-47 Skytrain The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota (RAF, RAAF, RCAF, RNZAF, and SAAF designation) is a military transport aircraft developed from the civilian Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in f ...

C-54 Skymaster The Douglas C-54 Skymaster is a four-engined transport aircraft used by the United States Army Air Forces in World War II and the Korean War. Like the Douglas C-47 Skytrain derived from the DC-3, the C-54 Skymaster was derived from a civilian a ...

, C-131 Samaritan transports.

Adjutant General of P.R. National Guard

After leaving active duty, Llenza joined the

Puerto Rico Air National Guard The Puerto Rico Air National Guard (PR ANG) — es, Guardia Nacional Aérea de Puerto Rico— is the aerial militia of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States of America. It is, along with the Puerto Ri ...

. He fulfilled many roles within the 156th Tactical Fighter Group at

Muñiz Air National Guard Base Muñiz Air National Guard Base is the home base for the Puerto Rico Air National Guard. This installation is located within the grounds of Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in Carolina, Puerto Rico 14 km (9 miles) east of San Juan, Pue ...

including flight leader, squadron commander and group deputy commander for operations. In 1965 Llenza was part of the U.S. action in the Dominican Republic at the start of the Dominican Civil War. Llenza was named

Adjutant General An adjutant general is a military chief administrative officer. France In Revolutionary France, the was a senior staff officer, effectively an assistant to a general officer. It was a special position for lieutenant-colonels and colonels in staf ...

of the

Puerto Rico National Guard The Puerto Rico National Guard (PRNG) – es, Guardia Nacional de Puerto Rico– is the national guard of the U.S. Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The Constitution of the United States specifically charges the National Guard with dual federal and s ...

by Governor

Carlos Romero Barceló Carlos Antonio Romero Barceló (September 4, 1932 – May 2, 2021) was a Puerto Rican politician who served as the governor of Puerto Rico from 1977 to 1985. He was the second governor to be elected from the New Progressive Party (PNP). He als ...

, a position which he held from 1977 to 1983. His promotion to major general in the Air Force Reserve 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 February 8, 1979. Llenza became the mission director in

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...

for US AID from 1983 to 1986. As a civilian he was a successful architect with Llenza & Llenza (the other Llenza was Hector his brother). Llenza was also the recipient of many awards, including the U.S.

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 ...

and the National Order of Merit-Ecuador. General Llenza was the Chairman of the American Veterans' Committee for Puerto Rico Self-Determination. Llenza was a member of the Board of Directors of the United States Council for Puerto Rico Statehood.United States Council for Puerto Rico Statehood
/ref> After retiring from the Air National Guard, Llenza worked for the

United States Agency for International Development The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. With a budget of over $27 b ...

as the mission director in Quito, Ecuador, for three years.

Death

Llenza died on March 11, 2021, in Miami, Florida, and was buried at the

Puerto Rico National Cemetery Puerto Rico National Cemetery is a United States national cemetery located in the city of Bayamón, in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. It encompasses of land, and at the end of 2005, had 44,722 interments. Until 2021, it was the only United St ...

in Bayamón, Puerto Rico.

Awards and decorations

Among Llenza's decorations and medals were the following: *

Air Force Distinguished Service Medal The Air Force Distinguished Service Medal (AFDSM) is a military decoration of the United States Air Force and United States Space Force and is presented to airmen and guardians to recognize distinguished and exceptionally meritorious service to ...

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 ...

National Defense Service Medal The National Defense Service Medal (NDSM) is a service award of the United States Armed Forces established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953. It is awarded to every member of the US Armed Forces who has served during any one of four ...

Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal The Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (AFEM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces, which was first created in 1961 by Executive Order of President John Kennedy. The medal is awarded to members of the U.S. Armed Forces who, after ...

Combat Readiness Medal The Combat Readiness Medal is an award of the United States Air Force and United States Space Force created in 1964. The original Combat Readiness Medal was an award senior to the Air Force Commendation Medal, and it was awarded for superior and ...

Air Force Longevity Service Award The Air and Space Longevity Service Award (ASLSA) is a military award of the United States Air Force and United States Space Force established as the Air Force Longevity Service Award by Air Force General Order 60, on 25 November 1957 by General ...

Armed Forces Reserve Medal The Armed Forces Reserve Medal (AFRM) is a service medal of the United States Armed Forces that has existed since 1950. The medal recognizes service performed by members of the reserve components and is awarded to both officers and enlisted per ...

(with Bronze Hourglass Device) * USAF_Marksmanship_ribbon

Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon * Air_Force_Training_Ribbon

Air Force Training Ribbon The Air and Space Training Ribbon (ASTR) is the lowest military award of the United States Air Force and United States Space Force, ranking only above foreign military awards. The Air and Space Training Ribbon was authorized as the Air Force T ...

Puerto Rico Medal for Distinguished Service *

Florida Distinguished Service Medal *

Puerto Rico Civil Disturbance Ribbon * Service Medal1

Puerto Rico Service Medal with two bronce Oak leaf clusters Badges: * COMMAND PILOT WINGS

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 ...

Foreign award National Order of Merit-Ecuador

References

External links

Puerto Rico Herald
{{DEFAULTSORT:Llenza, Orlando 1930 births 2021 deaths Burials at Puerto Rico National Cemetery Air Command and Staff College alumni Air War College alumni American Korean War pilots Georgia Tech alumni National Guard (United States) generals Puerto Rican United States Air Force personnel Puerto Rican aviators People from Santurce, Puerto Rico Puerto Rican military officers Puerto Rico Adjutant Generals Recipients of the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal United States Air Force generals United States Air Force reservists Puerto Rico National Guard personnel