Robert F. Worley

Robert F. Worley
Robert F. Worley
	Army Commendation Medal; Purple Heart (3)

Robert F. Worley (October 10, 1919 – July 23, 1968) was a United States Air Force major general and fighter pilot who was killed in action in 1968, in South Vietnam. General Worley was one of three U.S. Air Force general officers (pilots) who were casualties of the Vietnam War.

Early life

General Worley was born in Riverside, California.

US Air Force career

Worley began his military career in October 1940 at

Bolling Field, Washington, D.C. and Baltimore Municipal Airport

as a fighter pilot and as a squadron commander.

World War II

During World War II, he participated in the

Italian campaigns, and the Pacific theater campaigns. His combat record included 120 aerial missions with 215 combat hours in the P-40 and P-47 fighter planes. While in command of the 314th Fighter Squadron based in North Africa, Captain Worley was shot down on his first mission while flying close air support for US ground troops in the African desert, he walked back through the enemy lines and returned to his unit. Promoted to major, he went on to command the 1st Fighter Squadron in the Pacific War

.

Following World War II, he helped organize and commanded the jet transitional school at Williams Field, Arizona.

Vietnam War and death

General Worley commanded the

Fort McNair

, Washington, D.C., General Worley was rated a command pilot and parachutist.

In 1966, Worley was appointed as vice-commander of the Seventh Air Force.^[1]

On 23 July 1968, he was flying an RF-4C Phantom aircraft when it was hit by ground fire and crashed approximately 65 miles (105 km) northwest of Da Nang Air Base, South Vietnam.

He and his wife, Bette Lorraine Worley (1920–2011), are buried at

Arlington, Virginia.^[2]

References

^ "Major General Robert Franklin Worley". U.S. Air Force. 30 November 1966. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
^ Burial Detail: Worley, Robert F (Section 30, Grave 370-RH) – ANC Explorer

External links

Robert Franklin Worley, Major General, United States Air Force, ArlingtonCemetery.net, 7 June 2023, an unofficial website

This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Air Force

[1] "Major General Robert Franklin Worley". U.S. Air Force. 30 November 1966. Retrieved 7 August 2014.

[2] Burial Detail: Worley, Robert F (Section 30, Grave 370-RH) – ANC Explorer

[1]

[2]

Authority control databases
International	FAST VIAF
National	United States
Other	NARA