Gordon Blake
Gordon Blake | |
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Air Force Distinguished Service Medal (2) (2)Silver Star Legion of Merit (2) Distinguished Flying Cross (2) Air Medal |
Gordon Aylesworth Blake (July 22, 1910 – September 1, 1997) was a lieutenant general in the United States Air Force who served as director of the National Security Agency from 1962 to 1965.
Early life and training
Gordon Aylesworth Blake was born in Charles City, Iowa, on July 22, 1910,[1] the son of George and Cecelia Blake. He graduated from high school in Charles City and was appointed to the United States Military Academy by the late Gilbert N. Haugen in 1927, graduating on June 11, 1931. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Coast Artillery Corps and detailed as a student officer to pilot training.
In October 1932, Blake completed Primary and Advanced Flying Schools. He was transferred to the Air Corps on January 25, 1933, and was assigned to a pursuit squadron at
, in July 1934, he completed the Communications Officers' Course the following June and was assigned as communications instructor at the Air Corps Technical School, at Chanute Field, Illinois.World War II
Going to
On December 7, 1941, Blake was base operations officer (in the rank of major) at Hickam Field during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and was awarded the Silver Star for gallantry in action that day. He became operations officer, Seventh Air Force Base Command, was promoted to lieutenant colonel, and spent the first months of World War II supervising operation of the airplane ferry route to Australia via Christmas Island – Canton Island – Fiji – New Caledonia.
In October 1942, Blake shifted back to communications work and commanded Army Airways Communications System in the Pacific for the rest of World War II, with the exception of the period October 1943 to January 1944, when on temporary duty in Alaska, he established the Air Communications Office for Alaska. He was promoted to colonel in November 1942. On August 28, 1945, he accompanied a special 150-man task force into Japan to prepare for airborne occupation troop landings on August 30.
Post-war
For his work in World War II, Blake was awarded the
Entering the
Transferred to Air Force Headquarters in January 1953, Blake was appointed deputy director of communications in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, becoming director of communications the following month. Many changes to the United States Air Force system for global communications and navigation, including pioneer operational circuits using tropospheric scatter communications for the first time, were carried out during his tour as director of communications.
Washington and other moves
Blake was named assistant deputy chief of staff for operations on June 2, 1956. In this capacity he served on the Permanent Joint Board for Defense, Canada — US, under which many defense projects such as the Dewline radar network were planned between the two countries. During the latter part of his Washington assignment, he was given the aeronautical rating of command pilot and was promoted to major general, the highest permanent rank in the regular service.
Blake left Washington on January 4, 1957, to become commander of the
On September 1, 1959, Blake was assigned as vice-commander-in-chief and
Blake came to Headquarters
The US Air Force Aircraft Save Award is named after him. It is awarded for any action taken by an air traffic controller or airfield manager that results in the safe recovery of an imperiled airborne aircraft or help given to an endangered aircraft on the ground.
Decorations
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USAF Command Pilot wings | ||||||||||||||||
1st Row | Oak Leaf Cluster
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Silver Star | ||||||||||||||
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2nd Row | Oak Leaf Cluster
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Distinguished Flying Cross | Oak Leaf Cluster
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3rd Row | Army Commendation Medal | American Defense Service Medal with Base Clasp | American Campaign Medal | |||||||||||||
4th Row | Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with four service star
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World War II Victory Medal
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National Defense Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster | |||||||||||||
5th Row | Air Force Longevity Service Award with seven Oak Leaf Clusters
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Philippine Liberation Medal with two stars | Philippine Independence Medal |
References
- ^ Fogerty, Robert P. (1953). "Biographical Data on Air Force General Officers, 1917-1952, Volume 1 – A thru L" (PDF). Air Force Historical Research Agency. pp. 172–174. USAF historical studies: no. 91. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 31, 2021. Retrieved November 9, 2021.