Charles Graham Boyd – General, United States Air Force

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BOYD, CHARLES GRAHAM (POW)
Captain, U.S. Air Force
421st Tactical Fighter Squadron,
Date of Action: April 22, 1966

Citation:

The Air Force Cross is presented to Charles Graham Boyd, Captain, U.S. Air Force, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an opposing armed force as a combat strike pilot in an F-105D Thunderchief approximately 35 miles northwest of Hanoi, North Vietnam, on 22 April 1966.

On that date, Captain Boyd volunteered to participate in a flight with the mission of destroying Surface to Air Missile (SAM) Sites posing a threat to flights striking a bridge in the Phu Tho area. While attacking a hostile SAM site, Captain Boyd saw two missiles streak toward his aircraft. His superb airmanship and instant reaction enabled him to evade the missiles, which burst very near his aircraft. Without hesitation, Captain Boyd continued the attack on the hostile missile site. As he made a second pass through the intense flak which filled the sky around him, Captain Boyd’s aircraft received a direct hit by anti-aircraft fire and he was forced to eject himself in a heavily populated, hostile area. The selfless act of making repeated attacks through intense ground fire after barely avoiding two missiles was far beyond the normal call of duty. Through his extraordinary heroism, superb airmanship, and aggressiveness in the face of hostile forces, Captain Boyd reflected the highest credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.

Courtesy of the United States Air Force

GENERAL CHARLES G. BOYD
Retired effective August 1, 1995

General Charles G. Boyd was deputy commander in chief, U.S. European Command, Stuttgart-Vaihingen, Germany. He oversaw the daily activities of a unified command with an area of responsibility encompassing 82 countries and more than 13 million square miles. The command supports and advances U.S. interests and policies throughout the area. Also, it provides combat-ready forces in support of U.S. commitments to the NATO alliance.

He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant through the aviation cadet program in July 1960 and has served in a variety of assignments in Europe, the Pacific, and the Continental United States. He is a command pilot, and flew F-105s in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. The general was vice commander of Strategic Air Commands’s 8th Air Force, director of plans at Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C., and commander of Air University, with headquarters at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., before assuming his current position.

EDUCATION:

1975 Bachelor of arts degree, University of Kansas
1976 Master of arts degree, University of Kansas
1977 Air War College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
1986 Program for Senior Executives in National and International Security, Harvard University, Mass.

ASSIGNMENTS:

1. April 1959 – July 1960, student, undergraduate pilot training, Aviation Cadet Program, Greenville Air Force Base, Miss.
2. July 1960 – January 1961, student, F-100 combat crew training, Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., and Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.
3. July 1961 – October 1963, F-100 fighter pilot, 510th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Clark Air Base, Republic of the Philippines
4. October 1963 – August 1964, F-105 fighter pilot, 355th Tactical Fighter Wing, George Air Force Base, Calif.
5. August 1964 – November 1965, F-105 fighter pilot, 355th Tactical Fighter Wing, McConnell Air Force Base, Kan.
6. November 1965 – April 1966, F-105 fighter pilot, 388th Tactical Fighter Wing, Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand
7. April 1966 – February 1973, interned in various prisons throughout North Vietnam
8. February 1973 – August 1973, repatriation orientation
9. August 1973 – June 1975, undergraduate student, Air Force Institute of Technology, University of Kansas
10. June 1975 – June 1976, graduate student, Air Force Institute of Technology, University of Kansas
11. August 1976 – May 1977, student, Air War College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
12. June 1977 – June 1979, special assistant to the chief of staff, Allied Forces Southern Europe, and executive officer to the chief of staff, Allied Air Forces, Southern Europe, Naples, Italy
13. June 1979 – September 1980, chief, Western Hemisphere Division, Directorate of Plans, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
14. September 1980 – June 1982, deputy assistant director for Joint and National Security Council matters, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
15. June 1982 – July 1984, assistant director for Joint and National Security Council matters, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
16. July 1984 – December 1986, deputy chief of staff for plans and programs, Headquarters U.S. Air Forces in Europe, Ramstein Air Base, West Germany
17. December 1986 – June 1988, vice commander, 8th Air Force, Barksdale Air Force Base, La.
18. June 1988 – August 1989, director of plans, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, Plans and Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
19. August 1989 – January 1990, assistant deputy chief of staff for plans and operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
20. January 1990 – October 1992, commander, Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
21. October 1992 – present, deputy commander in chief, U.S. European Command, Stuttgart-Vaihingen, Germany

FLIGHT INFORMATION:

Rating: Command pilot
Flight hours: More than 2,400
Aircraft flown: F-100, F-105

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS:

Air Force Cross
Distinguished Service Medal
Silver Star with oak leaf cluster
Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters
Distinguished Flying Cross
Bronze Star Medal with “V” device and two oak leaf clusters
Purple Heart with two oak leaf clusters
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Air Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Commendation Medal

OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS:

Order of the Sword
Distinguished graduate, Air Force Institute of Technology, University of Kansas

EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION:

Second Lieutenant Jul 22, 1960
First Lieutenant Jan 22, 1962
Captain Jan 22, 1965
Major Dec 1, 1970
Lieutenant Colonel May 1, 1975
Colonel Dec 1, 1979
Brigadier General Apr 1, 1985
Major General Nov 1, 1987
Lieutenant General Jan 3, 1990
General Dec 1, 1992

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General Boyd is living at this time.  His wife is buried in Section 30, Grave 497

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