GENERAL WILLIAM V. MCBRIDE

General William V. McBride is vice chief of staff, U.S. Air Force.

General McBride was born in Wampum, Pa., in 1922. He received his high school education in that town and later attended the Garfield Business Institute, Beaver Falls, Pa. In 1950 he attended New York University, New York City.

General McBride enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1942 and entered aviation cadet training. He completed navigation training at the Pan American Airways Navigation School, Coral Gables, Fla., and graduated as a second lieutenant. He next attended bombardier school in Carlsbad, N.M., and in March 1943 entered combat crew training as a navigator-bombardier in B-26 aircraft at MacDill Field, Fla.

In July 1943 General McBride joined the 387th Bombardment Group in the European Theater of Operations as squadron navigator and later served as group navigator. He helped plan and flew on many of the important missions in support of the Allied ground forces offensive, including D-Day operations.

After World War II, he trained new navigators at Ellington Army Air Field, Texas, and then was assigned to Lackland Army Air Field, Texas, to help organize the present Air Force basic training base. He attended basic and advanced pilot training at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, and Barksdale Air Force Base, La., in 1947-1948, to become a triple-rated officer.

Since that time, many of his military assignments have been in the Military Airlift Command in weather reconnaissance, air rescue and airlift functions.

During the Korean War, he commanded the Second Air Rescue Group in Okinawa and in the Philippines. After a tour of duty in Headquarters Air Rescue Service as deputy chief of staff for plans, he commanded the Eighth Air Rescue Group at Stead Air Force Base, Nev., during 1956-1957. He then commanded the 1608th Air Transport Group (Military Air Transport Service) at Charleston Air Force Base, S.C. The group was responsible for providing airlift to Africa, the Middle East and Latin America.

In 1959 General McBride was assigned as a student to the National War College in Washington, D.C., and in early 1960, as a member of a small official group of National War College students, visited Moscow and toured points of interest in the Soviet Union.

In July 1960 he was assigned to Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Directorate of Plans, to work on problems related to counterinsurgency and special warfare. He served first as assistant chief of the Cold War Division and later as the chief of the Special Warfare Division.

In June 1964 he was selected by Secretary of the Air Force Eugene M. Zuckert to become his military assistant. When Secretary Harold Brown replaced Mr. Zuckert in October 1965, General McBride remained as the military assistant where he was called on to advise and assist the secretary and undersecretary on operational, planning and programming matters.

He was assigned as commander of the 437th Military Airlift Wing (Military Airlift Command), Charleston Air Force Base, S.C., in August 1966. General McBride was assigned to Headquarters Military Airlift Command in March 1969 as deputy chief of staff, materiel; he became deputy chief of staff, operations, in September 1969; and chief of staff, Military Airlift Command, in March 1970.

General McBride was assigned as vice commander in chief, U.S. Air Forces in Europe, with headquarters at Lindsey Air Station, Wiesbaden, Germany, in September 1971. He assumed command of Air Training Command in September 1972, and became commander of Air Force Logistics Command in September 1974.

General McBride was appointed vice chief of staff, U.S. Air Force effective Sept. 1, 1975.

His military decorations and awards include the Distinguished Service Medal. with two oak leaf clusters, Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters, Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with 13 oak leaf clusters, Presidential Unit Citation Emblem, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award Ribbon with oak leaf cluster, and French Croix de Guerre with gold star. He is a command pilot and a navigator.

He was promoted to the grade of general effective Sept. 1, 1974, with same date of rank.

(Current as of Sept. 1, 1975)