Lieutenant General Edmund Francis O'Connor (March 31, 1922 – September 20, 2016) was an American Air Force lieutenant general and command pilot who was vice commander,

Air Force Logistics Command An atmosphere () is a layer of gases that envelop an astronomical object, held in place by the gravity of the object. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A stellar atmosphere ...

, with headquarters at

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 County, Ohio, Greene and Montgomery County, Ohio, Montgomery counties. It includes both Wright and Patte ...

, Ohio.

Biography

O'Connor was born in 1922, in

Fitchburg, Massachusetts Fitchburg is a city in northern Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The third-largest city in the county, its population was 41,946 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Fitchburg State University is located here. History ...

, where he graduated from St. Bernard's High School. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, N.Y., in 1943, with a Bachelor of Science degree in military engineering and a commission as second lieutenant. While at the academy he attended flying school at Stewart Field, N.Y., and received his pilot wings in 1943. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in aeronautical engineering from the

Air Force Institute of Technology The Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) is a postgraduate institution and provider of professional and continuing education for the United States Armed Forces and is part of the United States Air Force. It is in Ohio at Wright-Patterson ...

, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. During World War II, O'Connor served in the European Theater of Operations as a pilot in Italy with the 459th Bombardment Group,

Fifteenth Air Force The Fifteenth Air Force (15 AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base. It was reactivated on 20 August 2020, merging the previous units of the Ninth Air Forc ...

. He returned to the United States in September 1944 and attended the

Command and General Staff School The United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC or, obsolete, USACGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military ...

at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., from October 1944 to January 1945. He then served at Muroc Army Air Base (now Edwards Air Force Base), Calif., until April 1946 when he entered the Air Force Institute of Technology at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. From August 1948 to April 1950 he served as chief of the Instrument Unit and later as assistant chief, Accessories Branch, Headquarters Air Materiel Command at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. In June 1950 he was assigned to the 3rd Air Rescue Group in Japan and held positions as flight commander, squadron commander, and later was assistant deputy commander of the group which was engaged in the Korean War. He returned to the United States in 1953 and was assigned as chief, B-52 Weapon System Program at Headquarters

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 ...

, and remained in that position until July 1958 when he entered 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 (United States Air Force), Air University, AWC emphasizes the employment of air, ...

at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. In July 1959 he was assigned to Headquarters U.S. Air Force where he served in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Materiel, as chief of the Defense Branch and later as chief, Weapon Systems Division; then was chief, Fighter Systems Staff Office, in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Systems and Logistics. In March 1962 O'Connor was assigned to the

Air Force Systems Command The Air Force Systems Command (AFSC) is an inactive United States Air Force Major Command. It was established in April 1951, being split off from Air Materiel Command. The mission of AFSC was Research and Development for new weapons systems. AFS ...

and went to

Norton Air Force Base Norton Air Force Base (1942–1994) was a United States Air Force facility east of downtown San Bernardino in San Bernardino County, California. Overview For the majority of its operational lifetime, Norton was a logistics depot and heavy-l ...

, Calif., as deputy director of the Ballistic Systems Division. In November 1964 he became director of program management of the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center, NASA, Huntsville, Ala., where he was responsible for the management of Saturn/Apollo launch vehicle programs and that portion of the Saturn/Skylab program assigned to the Marshall Space Flight Center. In August 1969 O'Connor became vice commander of Aeronautical Systems Division, AFSC, at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. He was transferred to Headquarters

, Andrews Air Force Base, Md., in August 1970, as Deputy Chief of Staff, Procurement and Production. In September 1972 he assumed duties as vice commander, AFSC. O'Connor was appointed vice commander,

, with headquarters at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, in October 1973. His military decorations and awards include the

Air Force Distinguished Service Medal The Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) 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 the United S ...

with oak leaf cluster, Distinguished Flying Cross,

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 establi ...

with seven oak leaf clusters,

Army Commendation Medal The Commendation Medal is a mid-level Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, United States military decoration presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. Each branch of the United States Armed Forces issu ...

with oak leaf cluster, and the Distinguished Unit Citation Emblem. He has been awarded three National Aeronautics and Space Administration Medals: for Outstanding Leadership, in 1966; the Exceptional Service Medal, in 1969, for his contribution to the Apollo 8 lunar orbital mission; and the Distinguished Service Medal, in 1969, for his contribution to the Apollo 11 lunar landing. He was promoted to the grade of

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank 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 battlefield, who was norma ...

effective Sept. 1, 1972, with date of rank Sept. 1, 1972. He retired in 1975 and died on September 20, 2016, at the age of 94.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oconnor, Edmund F. 1922 births United States Air Force generals 2016 deaths People from Fitchburg, Massachusetts United States Army Air Forces pilots of World War II Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) Recipients of the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal Military personnel from Massachusetts