Academy honors distinguished graduates

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U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AFPN) --  Contributions to the Air Force and nation have earned two Air Force Academy graduates the academy’s distinguished graduate awards.

Retired Col. Frederick Gregory and retired Gen. Ronald W. Yates have earned the 2004 Distinguished Graduate Award. The awards will be presented on behalf of the academy and its Association of Graduates.

The award is given annually to academy graduates as a way to identify to the public and the cadet wing the broad national impact U.S. Air Force Academy graduates have on society.

Colonel Gregory graduated from the academy in 1964 and is the acting administrator for NASA. He leads the NASA team and manages its resources. In 2002, Colonel Gregory became the deputy administrator. In that capacity, he served as the chief operating officer for the agency. He was responsible for directing and managing many of the programs as well as the day-to-day operations and activities at NASA.

The colonel has extensive experience as an astronaut, test pilot and manager of flight safety programs and launch support operations. He was selected as an astronaut in January 1978 and has logged 455 hours in space. Colonel Gregory was the first African American to command any space vehicle. He logged 455 hours in space as pilot for the orbiter Challenger in 1985, as spacecraft commander aboard Discovery in 1989, and as spacecraft commander aboard Atlantis in 1991.

Colonel Gregory retired from the Air Force in December 1993 after logging 7,000 hours in more than 50 types of aircraft, including 550 combat missions in Vietnam. His 30-year Air Force career included serving as a helicopter pilot and as a fighter pilot. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School and served as an engineering test pilot for the Air Force and for NASA.

General Yates graduated from the academy in 1960 and was the second academy graduate to attain the rank of general. He served as the commander of the Air Force Systems Command and was the first commander of the Air Force Materiel Command.

As a young fighter pilot in Vietnam, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his courage under fire. He amassed more than 5,000 hours of flight time in more than 50 different types of aircraft. General Yates was instrumental in the development and enhancement of the A-10 Thunderbolt II, F-15 Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon, F/A-22 Raptor, the Joint Strike Fighter, and Global Positioning System guided bombs. In recognition of his leadership abilities, the enlisted force presented him with the Order of the Sword -- an award reserved for only the most revered leaders.

Although he retired after 35 year in the Air Force on July 1, 1995, General Yates continues to selflessly serve the Air Force and nation through his many endeavors to advance the applications of science and technology across the military spectrum. He is a member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots, the Board of Visitors of the National Defense University, and he has served on the Association of Graduates Board of Directors for eight years. General Yates also has served on the Board of Visitors for Carnegie Mellon University's Software Engineer Institute, as a commissioner for the National Research Council Commission on Engineering and Technical Systems, and he was a member of the Ballistic Missile Defense Office Advisory Group.