BRIGADIER GENERAL CHARLES W. SWEENEY
Retired Dec. 27, 1979
Brigadier General Charles W. Sweeney was born in Lowell, Mass., in 1919. He graduated from North Quincy High School (Mass.) in 1937. After graduating from high school, he attended evening classes at Boston University and also at Purdue University.
Charles Sweeney joined the Army Air Corps as an aviation cadet on April 28, 1941. Receiving his commission as a pilot in the Army Air Corps as an aviation cadet on April 28, 1941. Receiving his commission as a pilot in the Army Air Corps in December 1941, Lieutenant Sweeney spent two years at Jefferson Proving Grounds Ind. From the proving grounds in 1943, Charles Sweeney, now a captain, moved to Eglin Field, Fla., where he served as an operations officer and also a test pilot.
In 1944 he was promoted to the rank of major in the Army of the United States. At this time he was acting as a B-29 pilot instructor at Grand Island, Neb. Later in the same year, Major Sweeney was reassigned to Wendover Field, Utah and it was here that he began working in the "Silver Plate" project, the code name of the pilot and crew training program for the coming World War II atomic missions.
On May 4, 1945 (at the age of 25 and with the rank of major) Charles Sweeney became commander of the 393d Bombardment Squadron, a B-29 unit, which seven weeks later (on June, 1945) flew to a base on Tinian in the Mariana Islands.
It was during August 1945 that Major Sweeney flew the history-making missions and dropped the bomb which brought World War II to a close.
In November 1945, Major Sweeney and the 393d Bombardment Squadron returned home to Roswell Air Force Base, N.M. His mission at Roswell was to train aircrews for a third atomic mission -- a peacetime experiment on Bikini. Just a few months later on June 28, 1946, he was discharged from active duty with the rank of lieutenant colonel.
Colonel Sweeney, on Feb. 21, 1956, was appointed wing commander by Governor Christian A. Herter. Also in 1956, the unit was again re-designated as the 102d Air Defense Wing, and on April 6, 1956, Colonel Sweeney received his promotion to the rank of brigadier general. 1958 saw the wing receive its present designation as the 102d Tactical Fighter Wing.
General Sweeney
General Charles Keller was born in Rochester, New York, on February 13, 1868 (Kelley, n.d.). In 1897, he married Frances Rosenfield; the couple had two sons, Ira C. and Charles
Major General Winfield Scott Hancock was a member of the West Point Class of 1844. He was commissioned into the infantry and served in the Mexican War. Prior to the battle of Fredericksburg, Hancock had earned a great reputation as a combat leader for his actions in the peninsular campaign.
Battle of Midway, 4th June -- 7th June, 1942." » Maintenance Mode. N.p., n.d. Web. 17
Many people have been born that have struck a chord with the world. Some people have become legends, patriots and even heroes. Though one person stood out among the rest, this one was not made a hero, but was born to be one. He was a hero at what he strived to be in life and he has captured the attention of the public like no other solider has done before or since. This great Canadian Air Force Ace became one of the legendary figures in 20th century air warfare. With his daring and dramatic dogfights in France, he achieved a record of 72 kills in his many encounters. His role on the ground during the Second World War training pilots changed and inspired a whole new generation of fighter pilots. This man is known as Billy Bishop, the legendary and great Canadian hero who captured and won the respect of his enemies, comrades and the world.
In 1941, the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Leckie enlisted in the Marines. He was assigned to H Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment. He deployed to Guadalcanal, Australia, New Guinea, and Cape Gloucester and participated
Bombs At Bikini the official report of Operation Crossroads written by W. A. Shurcliff historian of Joint Task Force One
DDG-67 is another name for the USS Cole; the name Cole is a tribute to Sergeant Darrell Samuel Cole, a marine who was also a hero. Darrell Samuel Cole was born on July 20, 1920 in Flat River, Missouri. In WW II, Cole took command after his squad leader was killed was in 1944. He was earned a promotion to Sergeant. In 1945, the troops were sent to Iwo Jima on February 19, where he was serving as a leader of machine gun group. During combat after killing large numbers of Japanese soldiers himself at their strong points, and he was only armed with a pistol and grenades. Cole was killed making his way back to his squad. He was later awarded a Medal of Honor for his deeds.
The Doolittle Raid, as it is commonly referred to as today, was officially classified as the First Special Aviation Project (Shepherd). This project was planned with extreme secrecy. The crew was made up of pilots who volunteered without knowledge of mission details. Only a few officers were fully briefed and not even the captain of the aircraft carrier was briefed until shortly before deployment (Shepherd). In the initial phase of the planning the Army practiced flying B-25 Michells on an airfield meant to simulate the flight deck of a naval aircraft carrier (WorldWar2.com). Eventually the takeoffs were attempted on an actual aircraft carrier, the USS Hornet (WorldWar2.com). The problem they had to solve was to reduce the weight of the bombers so they could take-off from the flight deck of the carrier (WorldWar2.com). When it was determined that pilots could overcome this obstacle the command of the project was given to Lieutenant Cornel James Doolittle (Shepherd).
Armies and Navies have clashed since antiquity, but the airplane that enables aerial combat is barely a century old. Airplanes saw widespread combat in the First World War, and, despite the doubts and financial concerns of military leaders of the time, the brave men who fly them have gained their own dedicated military division, the United States Air Force. Billy Mitchell, through his charisma and an image that endeared him in American culture, was an instrumental figure in developing the modern Air Force.
Born August 1923 in Guide Rock, Nebraska. Enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps upon graduating from High School in June 1942.
Cecil enlisted as Gunner in the Field Artillery Brigade on the 14th of February, 1917 and embarked from Sydney aboard the HMAT A28 Miltiades on the 2nd of August, 1917. Cecil was a Corporal in the 10th Field Artillery Brigade.
Lawson, Robert L., and Barrett Tillman. U.S. Navy Air Combat: 1939-1946. Osceola, WI: MBI Pub., 2000. Print.
Defense Nuclear Agency, (1984). Operation crossroads, 1946. Retrieved from U.S. Defense Nuclear Agency website: http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq76-1.htm
Lieutenant General Conway the commander of the First Marine Expeditionary Force who was responsible for ...