William P. Acker

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William P. Acker
Battles/warsKorean War
Vietnam War
AwardsSee below

Major General William Preston Acker (October 22, 1930 – July 24, 2018) was a major general in the United States Air Force and educator.[1][2]

Biography

Acker was born in

Air War College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, in 1971; and the six-week Harvard University
advanced management Program in 1973.

Career

In June 1952 the General entered pilot training at

Okinawa
.

He transferred to

Davis-Monthan Air Force Base
, Arizona, in August 1964, General Acker became a squadron operations officer and later director of operations and training for the 4453rd Combat Crew Training Wing.

After completing the Armed Forces Staff College in September 1967, he moved to Southeast Asia as flight commander and operations officer with the

.

His next assignment was as chief of the Tactical Training and Standardization Branch at Headquarters

, where he was assistant deputy commander for operations and assisted in the conversion from F-100s to F-4s.

In August 1970 he returned to the United States to enter the Air War College. Graduating in May 1971, he became chief of the Officer Management Division, Directorate of Personnel Resources, Air Force Military Personnel Center, Randolph Air Force Base, Texas. After attending Harvard University's six-week advanced management program in June 1973, General Acker was appointed vice commander of the 49th Tactical Fighter Wing, Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico

Returning to Thailand in March 1974, he assumed command of the

432d Tactical Reconnaissance Wing
(redesignated 432nd Tactical Fighter Wing) at Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base. In this assignment he commanded a wing with 6,000 people, four F-4 fighter squadrons and one reconnaissance squadron. General Acker returned to the Air Force Military Personnel Center in April 1975 as vice commander.

From March 1976 to February 1978, he was deputy commanding general, U.S. Military Enlistment Processing Command, Fort Sheridan, Illinois. He then became commander of the U.S. Air Force Recruiting Service and deputy chief of staff, recruiting, Headquarters Air Training Command at Randolph Air Force Base. In March 1979 General Acker took command of the Air Force Military Training Center, Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, and in July 1981 returned to Randolph Air Force Base, as vice commander of Air Training Command. Acker assumed command of the Third Air Force in 1983 before retiring in 1985. Following is retirement from the Air Force he served as the 19th President of Georgia Military College from 1985–1992.

Flight information

Rating:
Command pilot
Flight hours: 5,000 hours
Aircraft flown: F-84, F-100, F-4
Pilot wings from:
Bartow Air Force Base
, Florida

Awards and decorations

US Air Force Command Pilot Badge
Personal decorations
Air Force Distinguished Service Medal
Defense Superior Service Medal
Width-44 crimson ribbon with a pair of width-2 white stripes on the edges Legion of Merit
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Distinguished Flying Cross with bronze oak leaf cluster
Width-44 crimson ribbon with two width-8 white stripes at distance 4 from the edges. Meritorious Service Medal
Silver oak leaf cluster
Silver oak leaf cluster
Air Medal with two silver oak leaf clusters
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Air Force Commendation Medal with bronze oak leaf cluster
Air Force Organizational Excellence Award
Service awards
Combat Readiness Medal
Campaign and service medals
Bronze star
Width=44 scarlet ribbon with a central width-4 golden yellow stripe, flanked by pairs of width-1 scarlet, white, Old Glory blue, and white stripes
National Defense Service Medal with bronze service star
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Bronze star
Bronze star
Vietnam Service Medal with two bronze service stars
Service, training, and marksmanship awards
Silver oak leaf cluster
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Air Force Longevity Service Award
with silver and two bronze oak leaf clusters
Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon
Foreign awards
Vietnam Gallantry Cross
United Nations Service Medal for Korea
Vietnam Campaign Medal

Effective dates of promotion

Promotions
Insignia Rank Date
Major general July 1, 1975

References

  1. ^ "Major General William P. Acker".
  2. ^ "William Acker Obituary (1930 – 2018) – San Antonio, TX – San Antonio Express-News". Legacy.com. August 2018.

External links