BRIGADIER GENERAL MILTON E. NELSON

Brigadier General Milton E. Nelson is deputy chief of staff, plans, for Air Training Command with headquarters at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas.

General Nelson was born in Birmingham, Ala., in 1925. He graduated from high school in Tarrant, Ala., in June 1942, and entered active military service shortly thereafter as an aviation cadet. He received his commission as a second lieutenant in the Army Air Corps and his pilot wings in August 1944. He received a bachelor of science degree from the University of Maryland in 1970.

During World War II, General Nelson flew B-17 aircraft with the Eighth Air Force in the European Theater of Operations. In June 1945 he returned to the United States and served as an operations staff officer and attended single engine instructor pilot training.

In December 1946 he was transferred to Japan and served as an operations officer with the 314th Composite Wing and later was a fighter pilot and staff officer with the 49th Fighter Group. He was transferred to Langley Air Force Base, Va., in May 1949, and served with the 4th Fighter Group.

During the Korean War, in December 1950, he went with the 4th Fighter-Interceptor Group to Korea and Japan and flew a combat tour in F-86 aircraft with the Fifth Air Force.

In September 1951 he was transferred to Selfridge Air Force Base, Mich., where he served as aircraft maintenance officer with the 431st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron. He was sent to Ent Air Force Base, Colo., in May 1953 as an operations staff officer in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations, Air Defense Command.

General Nelson became a student at the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., in October 1955. After graduation in May 1956 he was assigned successively as experimental test pilot and chief, Fighter Test Branch, at Headquarters Wright Air Development Center of the Air Force Systems Command at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. He test-flew all Air Force jet fighter aircraft from the F-80 to the F-106. He entered the Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., in September 1960.

In August 1961 General Nelson went to Fuchu Air Station, Japan, as operations staff officer, Tactical Air Division, and later was assistant chief, Office of Tactical Evaluation and Standardization., in the Directorate of Operations and Training, Fifth Air Force. He moved to Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, in June 1962, and served as chief of the Tactical Division and later as deputy commander of the Pacific Air Forces Standardization and Evaluation Group.

General Nelson returned to the United States and in August 1964 was appointed chief, Operational Training, 4520th Combat Crew Training Wing, and later was commander, 4526th Combat Crew Training Squadron (F-105), at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.

He was transferred to the Republic of Vietnam in November 1965 as operations staff officer with the 2d Air Division and later with the Seventh Air Force, Tan Son Nhut Airfield. In August 1966 he became a student at the Air War College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.

He was assigned to Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C., in August 1967 in operational and test evaluation, and in 1969 became assistant for joint matters to the director of operations in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Operations.

General Nelson became the deputy chief of staff for plans, Air Training Command, at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, in August 1971.

His military decorations and awards include the Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross with oak leaf cluster, Air Medal with oak leaf cluster, Air Force Commendation Medal, Presidential Unit Citation Emblem with oak leaf cluster, and the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award Ribbon. He is a command pilot.

General Nelson's hometown is Valparaiso, Fla.

He was promoted to the temporary grade of brigadier general effective Oct. 15, 1971, with date of rank Sept. 26, 1971.

(Current as of Oct. 15, 1971)