Brigadier General CLEO M. BISHOP

Brig. Gen. Bishop was born in Kingman, Maine, in 1917, and received his secondary education in Guilford, Maine. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, N.Y., in January 1943, with a bachelor of science degree and a commission as second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Air Corps. He attended flying training during his last year as a cadet at the U.S. Military Academy and received his pilot wings in December 1942.

During World War II, he served in the European Theater of Operations as a P-51 pilot. Following his return to the United States in 1945, he was assigned to Headquarters Continental Air Command, Mitchel Field, N.Y. Following a year as a student at New York University, he was assigned from 1949 to 1951 to the Headquarters U.S. Air Force Directorate of Flying Safety. From 1952 to 1955, he commanded the 79th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 20th Tactical Fighter Wing, at Woodbridge, England.

From 1956 to 1960 General Bishop was assigned to Headquarters Ninth Air Force, Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., as an operations staff officer and director of operations. He went from this assignment to Headquarters U.S. Air Force in Washington, D.C., where he was assigned to the Directorate of Operations. From 1963 to 1964 he was a student at the National War College in Washington, D C.

In 1964 he was assigned as the vice commander, 36th Tactical Fighter Wing at Bitburg, Germany, and in August 1966, he went to Headquarters U.S. Air Forces in Europe as the director of safety. From April to August 1967, he was the vice commander, 388th Tactical Fighter Wing at Korat, Thailand. He then was assigned to Headquarters Seventh Air Force, South Vietnam, as the assistant deputy chief of the Tactical Air Control Center.

In October 1967 General Bishop went to George Air Force Base, Calif., as the commander, 831st Air Division; and in August 1968 he assumed duties as deputy commander, Fifth Allied Tactical Air Force, Vicenza, Italy.

His military decorations include the Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with five oak leaf clusters, Air Force Commendation Medal and Purple Heart. He is a command pilot with more than 4,200 flying hours including 126 combat hours during World War II and the Vietnam conflict.


(Current as of Dec. 1, 1968)


Change in assignment to assistant deputy chief of staff, operations, Headquarters Tactical Air Command, Langley Air Force Base, Va., effective Sept. 1, 1970.