MAJOR GENERAL EDWARD P. MCNEFF

Major General Edward P. McNeff is vice commander, Fifth Air Force, with headquarters at Fuchu Air Station Japan.

General McNeff was born in Camden, N.J., in 1924, and graduated from Audubon High School in Audubon, N.J., in 1942. He enlisted in the U.S. Army and entered aviation cadet training in 1942, and in August 1943 graduated from pilot training at Spence Field, Ga., with a commission as second lieutenant.

In January 1944 during World War II, General McNeff joined the 355th Fighter Group of the Eighth Air Force in England. He flew P-47 and P-51 aircraft on 102 combat missions in the campaigns of Normandy, Rheinland, Ardennes-Alsace, Central Europe, and Northern France. He is credited with destroying three enemy aircraft in aerial combat.

He returned to the United States in September 1945 and was assigned to the Air Training Command and served as flight instructor at Goodfellow and Randolph Air Force bases, Texas; Williams Air Force Base, Ariz.; and lastly at Webb Air Force Base, Texas. In October 1950 he began a year of exchange duty with the Naval Air Training Command at Kingsville, Texas.

His tour of duty with the Air Training Command ended in June 1953 when he was transferred to Korea for combat duty with the 51st Fighter Interceptor Wing as an operations officer and flew F-86 aircraft.

In May 1954 he was assigned to the 1002d Inspector General Group, Norton Air Force Base, Calif., as a flight safety project officer, accident investigator, and aircraft accident analyst. Following this three-year tour of duty, he entered the University of Chicago, under the Air Force Institute of Technology Program, and received a master's degree in business administration in 1958.

In January 1959 he was assigned to the 56th Fighter Squadron at O'Hare International Airport, Ill., as an operations staff officer and in August 1959 assumed command of the 62d Fighter Squadron at K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base, Mich.

General McNeff returned to the Far East in June 1961 as the Air Force member of the joint staff in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Operations for the Military Assistance Advisory Group, Taiwan, Republic of China.

He returned to the United States in July 1963 and went to George Air Force Base, Calif., as operations officer for the 436th Tactical Fighter Squadron, and in April 1964 became deputy commander for operations of the 479th Tactical Fighter Wing. During this tour of duty, he completed the Airborne Parachutist Course at Fort Benning, Ga. In May 1965 he assumed duties as commander of the Combat Crew Training Group at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz.

In January 1967 General McNeff was transferred to the Republic of Vietnam as vice commander, 35th Tactical Fighter Wing at Phan Rang Air Base. He flew 205 combat missions in F-100 Super Sabre aircraft. In February 1968 he was assigned as commander of the 405th Fighter Wing, Clark Air Base, Republic of the Philippines, with responsibility for providing air defense for the Philippines and Southeast Asia.

In February 1970 General McNeff was assigned as commander of the 835th Air Division, McConnell Air Force Base, Kan. He assumed duties in August 1971 as vice commander of the U.S. Air Force Tactical Air Warfare Center with headquarters at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.

General McNeff was assigned as vice commander, Twelfth Air Force with headquarters at Bergstrom Air Force Base, Texas, in August 1972. He became vice commander, Fifth Air Force with headquarters at Fuchu Air Station, Japan, in October 1973.

His military decorations and awards include the Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster, Distinguished Flying Cross with two oak leaf clusters, Air Medal with 19 oak leaf clusters, Air Force Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Presidential Unit Citation Emblem, and the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Silver Star. He is a command pilot with more than 6,700 hours of flying.

General McNeff is from Camden, N.J.

He was promoted to the grade of major general effective April 2, 1973, with date of rank Aug. 1, 1969.

(Current as of Dec. 1, 1973)