BRIGADIER GENERAL EDWARD MENDEL

Brigadier General Edward Mendel is deputy chief of staff, plans and programs, Air Force Logistics Command, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. He is also the assistant to the commander for intelligence.

General Mendel was born in 1928, in Hollywood, Calif. He graduated from Victor Valley Union High School in May 1945 and entered the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md., in 1946. After graduation in June 1950, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force. Between August 1958 and August 1960, General Mendel attended the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, where he earned a master of science degree in aeronautical engineering and the higher degree of aeronautical and astronautical engineer. He attended the program for management development at the Harvard Business School in 1964, and graduated from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces in 1968.

General Mendel earned his pilot wings in August 1951, graduating with Class 1951-E at Williams Air Force Base, Ariz. His first assignment following pilot training was on Okinawa, where he was an air defense interceptor pilot. He next was assigned to the 8th Fighter-Bomber Wing at Suwon, Korea, from March 1952 until July 1952. During that time he flew 100 combat missions in the F-80C Shooting Star and accumulated 143 hours of combat flying. Upon his return to the United States in September 1952, he was assigned to Moody Air Force Base, Ga., as an instructor pilot.

General Mendel attended the ground electronics officers course at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., in preparation for an assignment with the 501st Tactical Control Wing at several locations in Germany, where he participated in developing the ground electronic environment from 1955 to 1958. Following graduate school at the University of Michigan, he moved to the 6595th Aerospace Test Wing at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., as a test controller with the Titan intercontinental ballistic missile development program.

In August 1964 General Mendel was transferred to the U.S. Army Test Site at Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands as the Air Force liaison officer. He returned to Vandenberg Air Force Base in September 1965 as chief of the plans division for the Air Force's Western Test Range.

Following graduation from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, General Mendel was assigned as a forward air controller and air liaison officer to the Republic of Vietnam army forces in I Corps. During that period he added 263 combat missions and more than 475 additional combat flying hours to his credit, most of them while flying the 0-2 Super Skymaster.

In March 1970 General Mendel was assigned to the Office of the Secretary of Defense in Washington, D.C., as the military staff assistant to the deputy director for tactical testing and evaluation. General Mendel returned to Williams Air Force Base in June 1972 as the deputy commander for operations of the 82nd Flying Training Wing, Air Training Command. In February 1974 he was appointed vice commander of the 12th Flying Training Wing, Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, and in May 1975 he became commander of the 64th Flying Training Wing, at Reese Air Force Base, Texas.

General Mendel became the deputy for readiness development, Air Force Acquisition Logistics Division, Air Force Logistics Command, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, in June 1977. He was assigned to his present duty in June 1978.

He is a command pilot with more than 4,200 hours of flying time and is a senior missileman. His military decorations and awards include the Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross with oak leaf cluster, Bronze Star Medal, Air Medal with nine oak leaf clusters, Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster and the Presidential Unit Citation ribbon. He received from the Republic of Vietnam the Gallantry Cross with six service stars and the Air Service Medal, Honor Class. General Mendel also wears the Office of the Secretary of Defense identification badge.

General Mendel was promoted to the grade of brigadier general Feb. 1, 1977, with date of rank Jan. 30, 1977.

(Current as of January 1979)