MAJOR GENERAL KENNETH EUGENE WEBBER

Kenneth Eugene Webber was born in Rock Rapids, Iowa, in 1900. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Air Service June l2, 1923. He then became a student at the Air Corps Primary Flying School at Brooks Field, Texas. In February 1924 he was transferred to the Coast Artillery Corps and assigned to Fort Barrancas, Fla. In March 1926 he was transferred to the 64th Coast Artillery in Hawaii.

On April 13, 1929, General Webber was transferred to the finance department and named property auditor of the Eighth Coast Artillery at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. The following 12 years he served successively as finance officer at Randolph Field, Texas; the American Barracks in China; Fort Francis E. Warren, Wyo., and Camp Shelley, Mass. He received a master of business administration degree from Harvard University in 1938.

General Webber, in June l941 was appointed assistant estimates and fiscal control officer and assistant executive officer in the Office of the Chief of Finance. In June 1943 he was named finance officer at Fort Sam Houston and a month later became a student at Duke University, where he took a fiscal course. In December 1943 he returned to the Office of the Chief of Finance for duty in the Demobilization and Planning Branch, and in March 1944 became chief of the Foreign Fiscal Affairs Branch of that office.

In July l944 General Webber was assigned to the Air Force headquarters in the China-Burma-India theater as assistant finance officer and a month later became finance officer. In November 1944 he was appointed the fiscal director of the U.S. Forces in the China theater, and from March to May 1946 served as budget officer in the European theater. He then was reassigned to China as budget director and fiscal adviser of the Nanking Headquarters Command.

In September 1947 General Webber was named assistant chief of the Army Audit Agency in the Office of the Chief of Finance at Washington, D.C. He became chief of the Army Audit Agency in December 1947. On June 14, 1948, be was transferred to the Air Force and named acting director of finance at U.S. Air Force headquarters. Two months later he was appointed director of finance of the U.S. Air Force.

General Webber was transferred to Air Materiel Command headquarters at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, in June l952 for duty as deputy director of procurement and production. He assumed command of the Eastern Air Procurement District with headquarters in New York City in February 1953.

In October 1953 he was named deputy commander of the Middleton Air Materiel Area at Olmstead Air Force Base, Middleton, Pa.

Going to Air Force headquarters, Washington, D.C., in April 1954, General Webber was designated the auditor general in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, Comptroller.

General Webber has been awarded the Legion of Merit and the Army Commendation Ribbon with oak leaf cluster.

(Up to date as of April 1954)