MAJOR GENERAL EDWIN J. HOUSE General House was born in Syracuse, N.Y., on July 6, 1895. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, N.Y., in 1917 and was commissioned a second lieutenant of Infantry on Aug. 30, 1917. His first assignment was at Newport News, Va., with the 48th Infantry. On Feb. 15, 1918, he transferred to Washington, D.C., for duty in the Office of the Chief Signal Officer as Executive in the Storage and Traffic Department. In July 1918 he was sent to Langley Field, Va., as Tactical Officer for student fliers. On Dec. 1, 1918, he became Assistant Executive Officer at Langley Field, Va. In May 1919 General House became Post Adjutant at Langley Field. In September 1921 General House entered the Air Service Field Officers School at Langley Field, graduating in June 1922. He was assigned to Luke Field, Hawaii, in August 1922 for service with the 23rd Bombardment Squadron. He became Commanding Officer of the 6th Pursuit Squadron there in November 1922. In April 1924 he became Operations Officer at Luke Field. General House returned to Langley Field, Va., in August 1925 as Secretary and Adjutant of the Air Service Tactical School. In September 1929 he transferred to Mitchel Field, N.Y., as Commanding Officer of the 5th Observation Squadron. In October 1930 he was sent to Washington, D.C., as a member of the Plans Division in the Office of the Chief of Air Corps. In February 1934 he was named Adjutant at the Headquarters of the Army Air Corps Mail Operations in Washington. In October of that year he was made Assistant to the Chief of the Plans Division in the Office of the Chief of Air Corps. The general went to Selfridge Field, Mich., in October 1934 as Commanding Officer of the 94th Pursuit Squadron. He served there also as Intelligence Officer, S-2, of the 1st Pursuit Group, and then as Operations Officer, S-3, of the 1st Pursuit Group, then becoming Executive Officer of that group. General House became Commanding Officer of the 1st Pursuit Group in Selfridge Field in May 1937. In September 1938 he was transferred to Fort Leavenworth, Kan., as a student at the Command and General Staff School, graduating in June 1939. He was ordered to France Field, Canal Zone, in August 1939 where he served as Commanding Officer of the Air Base and of the 6th Bombardment Group. He was then assigned to the Puerto Rican Department. During WWII, he was the ranking U.S. Army Air Force officer in the Italian battle area and head of the 12th Air Support Command. General Eisenhower presented General House with a Legion of Merit for operations in Sicily where he said House "for the first time established the application of a tactical air force operating in support of an American Army." He is rated a command pilot and combat observer. PROMOTIONS First lieutenant of Infantry, Aug. 30, 1917, and was transferred to the Signal Corps on Feb. 21, 1918; captain (temporary) in the Air Service, Aug. 6, 1918. He was transferred to the Aviation Section Signal Corps on June 3, 1919, and back to the Air Service on July 1, 1920. Captain (permanent), Nov. 18, 1920; major (temporary), April 20, 1935; major (permanent), Sept. 1, 1936; lieutenant colonel (temporary), March 1, 1940; lieutenant colonel (permanent), Aug. 30, 1940; colonel (temporary), March 15, 1941; brigadier general (temporary), March 17, 1942, major general, Feb. 5, 1943.