BRIGADIER GENERAL FREDRIC N. BUCKINGHAM Brigadier General Fredric N. Buckingham is commander, 314th Airlift Wing, Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark. He commands a fleet of approximately 80 C-130s, the largest tactical airlift wing in the world. Also, he is responsible for training all C-130 aircrews in the Department of Defense, U.S. Coast Guard and many allied nations. The general entered the Air Force in 1964 as a distinguished graduate of the Indiana University Reserve Officer Training Corps program. He has commanded a C-130 squadron and all three stateside tactical airlift wings. He served as theater commander of airlift forces for both Operation Just Cause in Panama and the initial phase of Operation Desert Shield in Saudi Arabia. A command pilot, he has flown more than 6,000 hours, principally in C-130 airlift aircraft. General Buckingham served two years as the senior YC-14 operational test pilot responsible for a qualitative evaluation of the YC-14 prototype to perform the tactical airlift mission. Also, he flew 680 combat hours as a C-130 pilot in South Vietnam.EDUCATION1964 Bachelor of science degree in business finance, Indiana University1971 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. 1976 Masters degree in business administration, Golden Gate University1978 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. 1983 Air War College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. 1988 The Executive Development Program, University of Michigan Graduate School of BusinessASSIGNMENTS1 July 1964 - August 1965, student, pilot training, Vance Air Force Base, Okla. 2. September 1965 - December 1965, C-130 combat crew training, Sewart Air Force Base, Tenn. 3. December 1965 - February 1967, C-130 co-pilot, 346th Troop Carrier Squadron, Dyess Air Force Base, Texas 4. February 1967 - April 1968, C-130 aircraft commander, Ching Chuan Kang Air Base, Taiwan 5. April 1968 - January 1970, C-130 aircraft commander, 348th Tactical Airlift Squadron, Dyess Air Force Base, Texas 6. January 1970 - January 1974, C-130 instructor pilot, and standardization and evaluation flight examiner, 4442nd Combat Crew Training Wing, Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark. 7. January 1974 - April 1976, airlift inspector, Inspector General Staff, Headquarters Tactical Air Command, Langley Air Force Base, Va. 8. April 1976 - July 1978, senior YC-14 operational test pilot, Detachment 1, U.S. Air Force Airlift Center, Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. 9. July 1978 - October 1980, C-130 chief pilot, 773rd Tactical Airlift Squadron; later, chief, 463rd Tactical Airlift Wing's Tactics and Techniques Branch, Dyess Air Force Base, Texas 10. November 1980 - July 1982, commander, 345th Tactical Airlift Squadron, Yokota Air Base, Japan 11. July 1982 - May 1983, student, Air War College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. 12. June 1983 - July 1985, chief, Special Activities Division, programs and resources, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. 13. July 1985 - August 1986, vice commander, 317th Tactical Airlift Wing, Pope Air Force Base, N.C. 14. August 1986 - April 1988, commander, 463rd Tactical Airlift Wing, Dyess Air Force Base, Texas 15. April 1988 - June 1989, commander, 317th Tactical Airlift Wing, Pope Air Force Base, N.C. 16. July 1989 - April 1991, vice commander, 21st Air Force, McGuire Air Force Base, N.J. 17. April 1991 - June 1993, vice commander, Warner Robins Air Logistics Center, Robins Air Force Base, Ga. 18. June 1993 - present, commander, 314th Airlift Wing, Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark.FLIGHT INFORMATIONRating: Command pilotFlight hours: More than 6,000Aircraft flown: C-130, C-141, YC-14, YC-15, T-33MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONSLegion of MeritDistinguished Flying CrossMeritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clustersAir Medal with five oak leaf clustersAir Force Commendation MedalVietnam Service Medal with two service starsSouthwest Asia Service Medal with service starRepublic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with PalmEFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTIONSecond Lieutenant Jul 11, 1964First Lieutenant Jan 11, 1966Captain Jan 11, 1968Major Jun 21, 1974Lieutenant Colonel Feb 14, 1980Colonel Dec 1, 1983Brigadier General Nov 1, 1989 (Current as of June 1993)