MAJOR GENERAL ROBERT W. PAULSON

Major General Robert William Paulson is commander of the Air Force Communications Service, with headquarters at Scott Air Force Base, Ill.

General Paulson was born in 1915, in Burlington, Wash., and graduated from Roosevelt High School, Seattle, Wash., in June 1934. He received a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from the University of Washington at Seattle in 1939, and a master of science degree in electrical engineering in 1950 from the California Institute of Technology at Pasadena.

He entered the U.S. Army as an aviation cadet in December 1940 and was commissioned a second lieutenant following completion of pilot training at Stockton, Calif., in August 1941. From August 1941 to March 1944, he completed glider pilot training, was an instructor for basic flying school, and was commander of the Primary Glider Flying School at Tucumcari, N.M. In March 1944 he was transferred to France where he flew A-20s with the 410th Bombardment Group. He returned to the United States in August 1945 and was assigned to Randolph Field, Texas, as a communications officer for the Flying Training Command.

In June 1950 General Paulson was transferred to Japan where he was assigned as assistant director of communications in the Office of the Director of Operations, Far East Air Forces. He remained in Japan until May 1953 when he was assigned to the Ninth Air Force, Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., as director of communications-electronics. This tour of duty lasted until February 1956 when he was transferred to Blytheville Air Force Base, Ark., as a group commander and later as executive officer for the 461st Tactical Bombardment Wing.

From September 1957 to June 1958, General Paulson was assigned as director of communications-electronics for the Eighteenth Air Force and later the Twelfth Air Force at Waco, Texas. He then attended the Industrial College of the Armed Forces in Washington, D.C., and after graduation was assigned to Headquarters U.S. Air Force in the Directorate of Communications-Electronics. In August 1960 he was transferred to the Defense Communications Agency where he served as director of plans and programs.

General Paulson was assigned to MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., in December 1961 where he served two years as assistant chief of staff, Communications-Electronics, U.S. Strike Command. He became director of communications-electronics for the same command in October 1963 and remained at MacDill until his transfer in July 1965 to Lindsey Air Station, Germany, where he became commander of the European-African-Middle Eastern Communications Area, with additional duty as deputy chief of staff for communications-electronics, U.S. Air Forces in Europe. He became commander of the Air Force Communications Service in July 1967.

His decorations include the Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters, Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with seven oak leaf clusters and Distinguished Unit Citation Emblem.

(Current as of Sept. 15, 1968)