General to receive Order of the Sword

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. James M. Hodgman
  • 55th Wing Public Affairs
OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. (AFNS) --  Retired Gen. John D. W. Corley, the former commander of Air Combat Command, is scheduled to be inducted into ACC's Order of the Sword Jan. 13 during a ceremony in Omaha, Neb.

The Order of the Sword is the highest honor the enlisted corps can bestow on an individual and recognizes someone for significant contributions to the enlisted force.

The honor was established by the Air Force enlisted corps to recognize and honor senior officers, colonels or above, and civilian equivalents, for conspicuous and significant contributions to the welfare and prestige of the enlisted force and mission effectiveness, as well as the overall military establishment.

Chief Master Sgt. Martin Klukas, the ACC command chief, will be a part of the induction ceremony, and said General Corley is more than deserving of the honor.

"To be selected for the Order of the Sword, one has to be an amazing leader and personify the meaning of the sword ... truth, justice and power, rightfully used," Chief Klukas said. "Furthermore, that person had to demonstrate unrelenting dedication to the enlisted corps and General Corley did that and much more.

"He worked tirelessly every day to make life better for our Airmen and their families. He introduced numerous quality-of-life initiatives from securing more than $100 million for dorm renovations to shelling out more than $10 million for chapel, child development center and fitness facility upgrades across the command," Chief Klukas added.

General Corley's dedication to the enlisted force didn't stop with finding funds for various programs, the chief stressed.

The general routinely visited bases throughout ACC, as well as deployed locations around the world to thank Airmen for their service and sacrifice and ask them what they needed.

"General Corley put his money where his mouth was -- regarding caring for our warriors and their families," Chief Klukas said, "He was always focused on what could be done to improve the quality of life for the enlisted corps. The Airmen in ACC acknowledged this fact by nominating him and will soon induct him as one of the elite few to receive ACC's Order of the Sword. 

"Anyone who served with General Corley knows how fortunate we were to have served with this great American, a true leader among leaders," the chief said.

With General Corley's induction into the Order of the Sword, he'll take part in a tradition dating back several centuries.

The original order of the sword was patterned after two orders of chivalry founded during the Middle Ages in Europe, the British Royal Order of the Sword and the Swedish Military Order of the Sword, still in existence today. In 1522, King Gustavus I of Sweden ordered the noblemen commissioned by him to appoint officers to serve him, and these people became known as the noncommissioned officers.

This tradition was adopted from the Royal Order of the Sword and passed to the United States during the Revolutionary War.