Late space, missile pioneer receives full military honors

  • Published
SAN ANTONIO (AFPN) --  Retired Gen. Bernard Adolph Schriever, widely regarded as the father and architect of the Air Force space and missile programs, was buried July 12 with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

After a chapel ceremony at Fort Myer, General Schriever was placed on a caisson and escorted by the Air Force Honor Guard to the cemetery. Three T-38 Talons from the 50th Flying Training Squadron from Columbus Air Force Base, Miss., performed a flyover after he was laid to rest at the gravesite.

A graveside eulogy was given by Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff., followed by the U.S. flag being presented to General Schriever’s widow, Joni James Schriever, by Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper. Also in attendance was Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld.

Under General Schriever’s leadership, the Air Force developed programs such as the Thor, Atlas, Titan and Minuteman missiles, and all aerospace systems that have been launched into orbit, including those supporting NASA in its Mercury man-in-space program.

General Schriever was born in 1910 in Bremen, Germany, and immigrated to the United States in 1917 with his parents. He began his military career in the Army field artillery, but later earned his wings and a commission in the Army Air Corps in 1933 at Kelly Field, Texas.

After World War II, General Schriever was assigned to the Pentagon where he later recounted the interest by military and civilian leaders concerning the feasibility of reconnaissance satellites, especially as the nuclear age began.

In 1959, General Schriever assumed command of Air Research and Development Command, which later became Air Force Systems Command on April 1, 1961, under a reorganization initiated by him. He was promoted to full general in 1961 and retired in 1966.