Brigadier General Tedd L. Bishop is commander of the 437th Military Airlift Wing at Charleston Air Force Base, S.C.
General Bishop was born in Asheville, N.C., in 1926. He attended Asheville-Biltmore College in 1946, Ohio University in 1947, and received a bachelor's degree from the University of Omaha in 1965.
In March 1944 he entered military service under the aviation cadet program; however, the cadet program closed and he served as a B-24 aircraft flight engineer until discharged in October 1945. General Bishop reentered the aviation cadet program in October 1947 and, as an outstanding cadet, graduated and was commissioned a year later. He next served at Stewart Air Force Base, Tenn., and later at Donaldson Air Force Base, S.C., where he flew C-82s, C-47s and gliders. At Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., he completed the Air Tactical School in 1950, and B-26 combat crew training in 1952.
General Bishop was assigned to the 3d Bombardment Wing in Korea in June 1952, where he flew 50 night intruder combat missions in the B-26. Returning to Donaldson Air Force Base, he served with the newly organized 63d Troop Carrier Wing as an operations officer and flew C-119s and C-124s. During this assignment he participated in the Lebanon Crisis, Suez Crisis, Distant Early Warning Line construction, Operation Deep Freeze, Congo Crisis, and other major operations. He was the major planner and flew in the joint Army-Air Force "Operation Arctic Night," which was one of the largest troop drops north of the Arctic Circle. In addition, he is credited with saving four C-124 transport aircraft during flight operations in the Antarctic. From September 1960 to June 1961, General Bishop attended the Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
During the next three years he served as chief of the Airlift Division for the Air Ground Operations School at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., and later at Hurlburt Field, Fla., where he helped develop the air-ground operation system ultimately employed in Southeast Asia operations. In 1964 General Bishop entered the University of Omaha under "Operation Bootstrap" and received his degree. Reassigned to the Military Airlift Command in September 1965, he served as operations officer with the 438th Military Airlift Wing at McGuire Air Force Base, N.J.
He was transferred to Japan in July 1967 and was assigned to the 56th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron at Yokota Air Base, where he served as operations officer and squadron commander. Assigned to Headquarters Air Weather Service, Scott Air Force Base, Ill., in August 1970, he was deputy chief of staff for Air Operations. While at Scott, he served as permanent chairman of the Interagency Joint Sampler Working Group and as permanent committeeman with the Interdepartmental Hurricane and Typhoon Conference.
General Bishop was transferred to McClellan Air Force Base, Calif., in May 1971, as commander of the 9th Weather Reconnaissance Wing, and was awarded the Order of the Sword by the Military Airlift Command noncommissioned officers for recognition of leadership. As commander of the 9th WRW, he directed units based in Kansas, Puerto Rico, Guam, New Mexico, Alaska, Japan, Hawaii and California.
Extensive duty in Southeast Asia followed, with General Bishop participating in both combat and noncombat operations. He also has the distinction of being one of the few people to have flown operationally over both the North and South Poles.
General Bishop commanded the 443d Military Airlift Wing (The University of MAC), Altus Air Force Base, Okla., from May 1973 to March 1975. He was responsible for developing the initial training program for the first operational cadre of C-5 aerial refuelers. In addition, he instituted the first visualator-simulator training program for the C-5 and C-141.
General Bishop was assigned as commander of the 437th Military Airlift Wing, Charleston Air Force Base, S.C., in March 1975.
He has logged more than 15,000 military and civilian accident-free flying hours. His military decorations and awards include the Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster, Distinguished Flying Cross, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal with four oak leaf clusters, Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters and the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award Ribbon with six oak leaf clusters.
He was promoted to the grade of brigadier general effective Oct. 1, 1973, with date of rank Sept. 20, 1973.
(Current as of January 1976)