John B. Montgomery was born in Spartanburg, South Carolina on 23 November 1911. He graduated from Wofford College, Spartanburg, with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1933. He entered the Air Corps Flying Training Center at Randolph Field in February 1934 and finished his pilot training at Kelly Field in March 1935, receiving his pilot’s rating.

After a year of active duty at Langley Field, Virginia, as a flying cadet, he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Air Force Reserve on 29 February 1936 and on 1 October 1938 received his Regular Commission by competitive examination. He remained at Langley until 1941, training as a pilot, navigator and bombardier in bombardment aircraft, including the new Flying Fortress, the B-17.

One of General Montgomery’s first major assignments on completion of this training was to fly as navigator and pilot on the first B-24 flight of the Air Corps Ferrying Command across the Atlantic. The inauguration of this service across the Atlantic in 1941 was a milestone in air operations, as it opened passenger service from Washington, D.C., to Scotland. For his participation in this project, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Later that same year, General Montgomery was selected as a member of the flight crew for one of the two B-24s which transported personnel of the Harriman Mission to Moscow. He remained in Moscow while the Mission negotiated with the Russian Government and from there continued the flight around the world and back to the United States by way of Iran, India, Malayan Peninsula, Australia, and the Central Pacific. For this mission, he was awarded the second Distinguished Flying Cross. He was then assigned to Headquarters Air Force Combat Command at Boling Field, D.C.

In March 1942, General Montgomery was transferred to Air Force Headquarters for duty in the Directorate of Bombardment. In March 1943, he became Chief of the Bombardment Branch. He was transferred to the Second Air Force at Colorado Springs in September 1943 for duty in the Operations Division.

In April 1944, he was transferred to the XXI Bomber Command, Salina, Kansas. He commanded the headquarters during the period of manning and organization.

General Montgomery moved with the XXI Bomber Command to the Marianas in late 1944, as Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, remaining in this assignment until the end of World War II. He participated in seven combat missions against Japan, including the mass fire raids against Tokyo and Nagoya. During an attack on Nagoya in the spring of 1945, General Montgomery was Command Pilot in a B-29 named “Command Airplane” which circled the target for 45 minutes during the course of the fire raid, reporting progress of the attack and weather conditions over target to incoming bombers. For his combat service, he awarded the Silver Star, the Air Medal and the Bronze Star Medal. For his staff work during this period, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal.

In November 1945, he joined the U.S Strategic Bombing Survey in Tokyo, returning a few weeks later for duty with the Survey in Washington, where he remained until August 1946. He won the Legion of Merit for his work with the Survey.

He was then assigned to the Office of the Assistant Secretary of War for Air as assistant executive and in August 1947 was designated executive. In September 1947, the Assistant Secretary of War for Air became the first Secretary of the Air Force and General Montgomery remained as executive for a year.

In November 1948, he was assigned to Strategic Air Command headquarters as Director of Operations.

On 8 May 1953, he was appointed commander of the Eighth Air Force at Fort Worth, Texas. General Montgomery resigned from the Air Force in June 1955. He was active in Air Force Reserve affairs serving as a Major General from 1962 to 1965 when he retired.

General Montgomery has been awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross with one Oak Leaf Cluster, Air Medal, and Bronze Star Medal. He is rated a command pilot, celestial navigator, aircraft observer and technical observer. He is a member of the Air Force Association (having served as president in 1962-1963), and the Navy League, Kappa Alpha.

He has a total of more than 5000 hours flying time. Of this total 1250 hours are in four-engine aircraft, with more than 100 hours to his credit in F-84 jet aircraft.

After leaving active duty in 1955, General Montgomery served as Assistant Vice President in Charge of Operations of American Air Lines from 1956 to 1957. In 1957, he became Vice President, General Manager, Specialist in Engines at General Electric. After leaving G.E. in 1960 he became President of Daystrom, Inc. (name was later changed to Weston Instruments, Inc.). In 1964, he assumed the position of President of the Marquardt Corp at Van Nuys, California. He remained there until 1968 when he became President of CCI Corps, Tulsa. General Montgomery left CCI in 1971.

General Montgomery is a member of the Board of Directors of the Falcon Foundation. He is presently Vice Chairman and a Director of the Tool Research and Engineering Corp of Beverly Hills, California where he has been employed since 1971.

(as of 1971)