Michael John O'Brian (5 January 1928 — 1 December 1995) known as ''M.J. O'Brian'' and ''Micky O'Brian'' was among the pioneering officers of the

Pakistan Air Force The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) (; ) is the aerial warfare branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces, tasked primarily with the aerial defence of Pakistan, with a secondary role of providing air support to the Pakistan Army and Pakistan Navy when re ...

and

two-star rank Military star ranking is military terminology, used in mainly English speaking countries, to describe general and flag officers. Within NATO's armed forces, the stars are equal to OF-6–10. Star ranking One-star A one-star rank is usuall ...

air officer who holds the distinction of being the only Air Force officer to serve as Commandant of the National Defence College, Islamabad. He served as the Deputy Chief of Air Staff from 1974 to 1975. O'Brian was one of the distinguished

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

pilots who participated in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947 and the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. Throughout his career, O'Brian served as the Commandant of National Defence College, Islamabad, Deputy Chief of Air Staff, Base Commander PAF Base Korangi Creek, Commandant

PAF Academy The Pakistan Air Force Academy Asghar Khan (PAFAA) is an accredited four-year military academy which provides undergraduate education to officer candidates of the Pakistan Armed Forces, primarily the Pakistan Air Force (PAF).Shaheen Foundati ...

, and Commander No. 35 Wing.

Early life

Of Irish descent, Michael John O'Brian was born on 1 May 1928 into a

family in

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

. His brother, Charles O'Brian was a Excise and Taxation officer in

Sargodha Sargodha (Punjabi language, Punjabi/; ; ) is a city and capital of Sargodha Division, located in Central Punjab, central Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab, Pakistan. It is Pakistan's List of most populous cities in Pakistan, 11th most populous city and ...

Personal life

Flying Officer M. J. O'Brian married June Brown on 18 April 1949, at St. Anthony's Church on Empress Road,

. Both families were very old residents of Lahore. The bride had won the title of 'Miss Karachi 1949' in a beauty competition.

Military career

Royal Indian Air Force

O'Brian enlisted in the

Royal Indian Air Force The Royal Indian Air Force (RIAF) was the aerial force of British Raj, British India and later the Dominion of India. Along with the British Indian Army, and the Royal Indian Navy, it was one of the Armed Forces of British Indian Empire. The ...

(RIAF) on 29 April 1946 after graduating the 39 Course of the Initial Training Wing, Pune. He was promoted to Pilot Officer on 29 October 1946.

Accident

On 9 December 1946, he was struck by a Spitfire Mk XIVe while parked in his Spitfire LF Mk VIII at RIAF Station Ambala. There were no injuries. He was promoted to Flying Officer on 29 April 1947.

Pakistan Air Force

After the

Partition of British India The partition of India in 1947 was the division of British India into two independent dominion states, the Union of India and Dominion of Pakistan. The Union of India is today the Republic of India, and the Dominion of Pakistan is the Islam ...

, he joined the

Royal Pakistan Air Force The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) (; ) is the aerial warfare branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces, tasked primarily with the aerial defence of Pakistan, with a secondary role of providing air support to the Pakistan Army and Pakistan Navy when requi ...

(RPAF) and participated in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. After the war, O'Brian pursued his

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

in mathematics at

Forman Christian College Forman Christian College is a private nonprofit Liberal arts college, liberal arts Universities in Pakistan, university in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. It was founded in 1864 and is administered by the Presbyterian Church (USA), Presbyterian Church ...

in 1948. O'Brian attended the College of Flying Training, where he gained a

in aviation sciences and received a Certified Diploma in Flying from the Flying Instructors School. O'Brian held a

Master of Science A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medici ...

Military Science Military science is the study of military processes, institutions, and behavior, along with the study of warfare, and the theory and application of organized coercive force. It is mainly focused on theory, method, and practice of producing mi ...

and

honorary An honorary position is one given as an honor, with no duties attached, and without payment. Other uses include: * Honorary Academy Award, by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, United States * Honorary Aryan, a status in Nazi Germany ...

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

War studies War studies, sometimes called polemology, is the multi-disciplinary study of war. It pertains to the military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfa ...

from National Defence College, Islamabad. O'Brian was promoted to Wing Commander on 1 August 1961 and commanded the No. 35 Wing PAF until 28 January 1962. O'Brian played an important role in setting up the training institutes within the Pakistan Air Force. He was appointed as the 12th Commandant

in September 1969 until February 1973 when he was given command of PAF Base Korangi Creek. On 13 May 1974, O'Brian was appointed as the Deputy Chief of Air Staff until 31 August 1975. The following day, O'Brian became the first officer of the Pakistan Air Force to become the Commandant of the National Defence College, Islamabad. On 22 April 1976, Commandant O'Brian led a delegation of the College on a visit to

Peking Beijing, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's most populous national capital city as well as China's second largest city by urban area after Shanghai. It is l ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

where banquets were held by both countries for each other. The Pakistani delegation returned to Pakistan on 3 May 1976.

Retirement

O'Brian retired from the Pakistan Air Force in April 1978.

Death

He lived a quiet life and died on 1 December 1995.

References

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:O'Brian, Michael John 1928 births 1998 deaths Pakistan Air Force personnel Pakistan Air Force air marshals Pakistani military aviators Pilots of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 Pilots of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 Pakistani Christians Military personnel from Lahore Forman Christian College alumni Academic staff of the National Defence University, Pakistan Pakistani people of Irish descent People from Punjab Province (British India)