BRIGADIER GENERAL CLARENCE T. EDWINSON

Clarence Theodore Edwinson was born in 1912. He attended Topeka High School, Kan., and Washburn College there.

Enlisting as a flying cadet in February 1934, General Edwinson took his flying training and continued as a flying cadet until Feb. 29, 1936, when he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Reserve, and assigned to Barksdale Field, La. From July 1937 to December 1940 he served as an instructor and flight commander at Randolph Field, Texas and then went to Pursuit School at Craig Field, Ala.

Going to England as a military observer with the Royal Air Force Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain, General Edwinson returned to the United States in March 1942, to become group operations officer at Dale Mabry Field, Fla. In December of that year he enrolled as a student at the Command and General Staff School, Fort Leavenworth, Kan., and graduated the following February.

Immediately thereafter, the general assumed command of a fighter wing at Drew Field, Fla., and in May 1943, went to Alaska as executive officer of the Eleventh Air Force. That October he was appointed wing executive officer to the San Francisco Fighter Wing in California, and in April 1944 assumed command of the 412th Base Unit at Seattle, Wash., moving the unit to Portland, Ore.

Moving to Italy in August 1944, General Edwinson was designated commander of the 82nd Fighter Group. The following January he went to Bluethenthal Field, N.C., as deputy base commanding officer, and on March 13, 1945, assumed command of the base. On Oct. 21, 1945 he became deputy base commanding officer of Shaw Field, S.C.

The following May, General Edwinson assumed command of the 366th Fighter Group at Fritzlar Air Base, Germany, and that November was named commander of Lechfeld Air Base there. In February 1947, he returned to Fritzlar Air Base as commanding officer of the 27th Fighter Group, and in July of that year assumed command of the 86th Fighter Wing in Germany.

Returning to the United States in June 1949, General Edwinson became base and wing commanding officer of the 3902nd Air Base Wing, Strategic Air Command, at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. In August 1949, he assumed command of the 42nd Air Division, SAC, at Offutt, and moved with the division to Bergstrom Air Force Base, Texas. On April 6, 1951 the general took command of the 42nd Air Division, Eighth Air Force, SAC, at Bergstrom, becoming special assistant to the commander, Second Air Force, SAC, at Bergstrom Air Force Base, on June 30, 1957.

Joining the Air Defense Command, on Aug. 15, 1957 General Edwinson was assigned duty as commander of the 30th Air Division (Defense), Eastern Air Defense Force, with station at Willow Run Air Force Station, Belleville, Mich., with additional duty on Aug. 17 as commander, 30th Continental Air Defense Division.

On June 10, 1958, he was relieved from additional duty as commander, 30th CONAD Division and assigned additional duty as commander, 30th NORAD (CONAD) Division, Belleville, Mich.

His decorations include the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters and the French Croix de Guerre with Palm. He is rated a command pilot.