Maurice Milton Beach was born at Caro, Michigan, on April 1, 1903. He served as a private first class, sergeant, and staff sergeant in the Air Corps from January 15, 1923, to June 23, 1930. On December 18, 1930, he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Air Service of the Officers’ Reserve Corps of the Army, meanwhile serving as a staff sergeant in the Regular Army from November 10, 1931, to June 6, 1937.
SERVICE
He served on active duty as an Airplane Pilot and Assistant Engineer Officer of the 90th Attack Squadron, Fort Crockett, Texas, from June 1930 to October 1931. After vacating his commission as captain, for appointment as a second lieutenant in 1937 he served on active duty as an Airplane Pilot, Engineer Officer, Squadron Exchange Officer and Adjutant of the 4th Transport Squadron, Rockwell Air Depot, Coronado, California.
In November 1938 he was assigned to the 10th Transport Group at Wright Field, Dayton, Ohio, as Command Pilot, Assistant Group Adjutant, and Adjutant of the Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron, and as Assistant and Operations Officer. In June 1940 he was made Wing Operations Officer and Squadron Adjutant, Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron, 50th Transport Wing, at Wright Field, later serving as Group Operations Officer of the 10th Transport Group at that station.
Between March and August 1942 he served as Commanding Officer and Squadron Officer, first with the 10th Transport Group and later with a Carrier Group at Patterson Field, Ohio, and General Mitchel Field, Wisconsin. In August 1942 he was assigned to command the 53rd Troop Carrier Wing, Pope Field, North Carolina, and between that date and February 1944 he served with that organization at Fort Sam Houston, Texas; Del Valle Army Air Base, Austin, Texas, and at Sedalia Army Air Field, Warrensburg, Missouri.
In February 1944 he went overseas as Commanding Officer of the 53rd Troop Carrier Wing in the European Theater of Operations.
On March 7, 1946, he vacated the rank of Brigadier General reverting to the rank of Colonel.
In October 1946 he was named acting Air Inspector of the Warner Robins Air Material Area, Robins Field, Georgia. In June 1947, he was named Deputy for Engineering of the Warner Robins Air Material Area, later serving as the Chief of the Maintenance Division of that organization.
He retired from the Air Force in the rank of Brigadier General on January 31, 1949.
He was rated a Command Pilot and Aircraft Observer.
PROMOTIONS
Second Lieutenant, Air Reserve, December 18, 1925; Second Lieutenant, Air Reserve, December 18, 1930; First Lieutenant, Air Reserve, December 29, 1931; Captain, Air Reserve, March 12, 1936, to May 25, 1937; Second Lieutenant, Air Reserve, May 26, 1937; First Lieutenant, Air Reserve, February 8, 1939; Captain, Air Reserve, October 8, 1945; Major, A.U.S., February 1, 1942; Lieutenant Colonel, A.U.S. (Air Corps), July 25, 1942; Colonel, A.U.S. (Air Corps), September 2, 1942; Lieutenant Colonel, A.U.S., July 6, 1943; Colonel, A.U.S., August 1, 1944; Brigadier General, A.U.S., April 2, 1945; terminated Brigadier General, A.U.S., March 7, 1946; Colonel, A.U.S., September 2, 1942; Major, Air Corps, July 5, 1946; Colonel, April 2, 1948; retired with rank of Brigadier General, January 31, 1949.
DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross with Oak Leaf Cluster, Bronze Star Medal, Air Medal, American Defense Service Medal, American Campaign Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, French Legion of Honor, French Croix de Guerre with Palm.