Walter W. Wise Jr. was born in Victoria, Ala., in 1899. On Aug. 6, 1919, he enlisted in the Air Corps as a private and rose to the rank of staff sergeant before being honorably discharged Aug. 5, 1922. He then joined the Air Corps of the Alabama National Guard and served the following seven years as a private, staff sergeant, technical sergeant and master sergeant.
General Wise was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Air Corps, Alabama National Guard, Sept. 18, 1929, and was promoted to first lieutenant June 25, 1930. On April 4, 1934, he was appointed a first lieutenant of Air Corps in the National Guard and was promoted to captain Sept. 7, 1940. During this service he was attached on permanent duty status to the 31st Division Aviation in Birmingham, Ala.
In November 1940, General Wise was called to active duty with the Air Corps as engineering officer of the 106th Observation Squadron in Birmingham. From July through September 1941, he served as supply officer for the 66th Observation Group during maneuvers in Louisiana, and in October assumed command of the Sub-Depot at Turner Field, Ga. On May 1942, he became commander of the Sub-Depot at Smyrna, Tenn., and the following January was named sub-depot coordinator for the Fairfield Air Service Command at Patterson Field, Ohio. In March 1943, he assumed command of the 56th Sub-Depot at Lockbourne Army Air Base, Ohio.
General Wise was transferred to the Headquarters Air Service Command, Wright Field, Ohio, in September 1943 as chief of the Aircraft and Engine Accessories Section, and in January 1945 was appointed chief of the Associated Equipment Maintenance Section of the Air Technical Service Command. In July 1945, he became Chief of the Maintenance Division of the Eighth Air Force Service Command, and in October 1945 assumed that position with the 22nd Air Depot on Okinawa. In January 1946, he was assigned as chief of the Maintenance Division of the Fourth Air Service Area Command there.
In July 1946, General Wise was assigned to the Pacific Air Depot at Hickam Field, Hawaii, where he served two years. During that time, he was chief of the Maintenance Division until March 1947; deputy for engineering until January 1948; assistant chief of staff for supply until May 1948; and deputy commander until June 1948. He then was named chief of the Maintenance Division, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Materiel at the Air Force headquarters. He was designated Director of Maintenance-Engineering in that office in April 1951. In May 1952, he became Deputy for Air of the Joint Task Force 132, with station at Fort Myer, Va., and participated in the atomic weapons tests on Eniwetok in 1952.
In January 1952, General Wise was named deputy director of Maintenance-Engineering at Air Materiel Command headquarters, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio.
His decorations include the Legion of Merit and Bronze Star Medal. He is rated a command pilot.
(Current as of September 1953)