Brigadier General Leland C. Shepard Jr., is deputy chief of staff, personnel, Military Airlift Command, with headquarters at Scott Air Force Base, Ill.
General Shepard was born in Miami, Fla., in 1923. He graduated from Ponce de Leon High School, Coral Gables, Fla., and was attending the University of Florida when he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps in April 1942. He has a juris doctor degree from the University of Florida, 1948, and is a graduate of the Air Command and Staff College, 1958.
He graduated from Army Air Forces flying school and was commissioned as a second lieutenant and received his pilot wings in May 1943. After B-25 pilot transition training at Greenville Army Air Base, S.C., he was assigned to the 83d Bombardment Squadron in November 1943 and flew 25 combat missions from bases in southern Italy. In March 1944 he transferred to the China-Burma-India Theater of Operations and flew 33 missions in Burma, also in B-25 aircraft. He returned to the United States in October 1944 to serve as an instructor pilot, first at Moody and then at Albany Fields, Ga.
At the end of World War II, General Shepard returned to the University of Florida where he earned the degree of juris doctor. After admission to the bar in 1948, he applied for duty as a judge advocate. In April 1949 he returned to active duty and was assigned to Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas, as assistant staff judge advocate and in September 1951 was transferred to Moody Air Force Base as staff judge advocate.
In 1952 General Shepard requested return to line duty and, after training in B-26 aircraft, served one year in Korea as pilot and operations officer of the 13th Bombardment Squadron. In 1954 General Shepard moved to Japan for assignment with the 40th Fighter Squadron. He flew F-86 and B-57 aircraft with operational squadrons, and then served with the 41st Air Division operations staff before returning to the United States in August 1957 to attend the Air Command and Staff School.
General Shepard was assigned to Headquarters Strategic Air Command at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., in July 1958, where he served for five years in personnel staff, command post and instructor pilot jobs.
In July 1963 General Shepard was assigned to the 7th Air Division at High Wycombe Air Station, England, as a command post controller and B-47 pilot. In 1965, 7th Air Division was inactivated and he was transferred to Sixteenth Air Force at Torrejon Air Base, Spain, as chief of the Control Division.
General Shepard returned to the United States in June 1967 for duty at the U.S. Air Force Military Personnel Center, Randolph Air Force Base, Texas. During that tour, he served as chief of flying status, then as chief of the task force which implemented the Weighted Airman Promotion System. On completion of this project in 1970, he was named deputy director of resources and distribution.
General Shepard was transferred to Headquarters U.S. Air Force in March 1971 and assigned as deputy director, personnel plans. In June 1972 he was reassigned as deputy director, personnel programs.
He was transferred to Korea in August 1973 as chief of staff, Joint United States Military Assistance Group, Korea.
General Shepard returned to the United States in May 1975 to assume duties as deputy chief of staff for personnel, Headquarters Military Airlift Command, Scott Air Force Base, Ill.
His military decorations and awards include the Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster, Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal and the Distinguished Unit Citation Emblem. He is a command pilot.
General Shepard's hometown is Coral Gables, Fla.
He was promoted to the grade of brigadier general effective Feb. 1, 1973, with date of rank Jan. 31, 1973.
(Current as of March 2021)