John B. Sams Jr. is Vice President of the Air Force Systems business unit, part of Boeing Integrated Defense Systems

Boeing Integrated Defense Systems

Boeing Defense, Space & Security formerly known as Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a unit of The Boeing Company responsible for defense and aerospace products and services. Boeing Integrated Defense Systems was formed in 2002 by combining the former "Military Aircraft and Missile Systems"...

. Until his retirement in 1999 with the rank of Lieutenant General, he was commander of the US 15th Air Force based at Travis Air Force Base

Travis Air Force Base

Travis Air Force Base is a United States Air Force air base under the operational control of the Air Mobility Command , located three miles east of the central business district of Fairfield, in Solano County, California, United States. The base is named for Brigadier General Robert F...

, California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

.

Military career

Sams was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in 1967, and flew more than 700 hours in 100 missions as a C-7A

De Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou

The de Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou is a Canadian-designed and produced specialized cargo aircraft with short takeoff and landing capability...

 pilot in Vietnam

Vietnam War

The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...

. Subsequently, he served as an operations and staff officer for the Joint Chiefs of Staff

Joint Chiefs of Staff

The Joint Chiefs of Staff is a body of senior uniformed leaders in the United States Department of Defense who advise the Secretary of Defense, the Homeland Security Council, the National Security Council and the President on military matters...

; as the director of bomber operations and as director of conventional plans at Strategic Air Command

Strategic Air Command

The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...

; and as Director of Forces, Plans and Operations at Air Force Headquarters. He commanded the 1st Airborne Command and Control Squadron

1st Airborne Command and Control Squadron

The 1st Airborne Command and Control Squadron is part of the 55th Wing at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. It operates the E-4 aircraft conducting airborne command and control missions.-History:...

; 7 Bombardment Wing (Heavy)

7th Bomb Wing

The 7th Bomb Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command Twelfth Air Force. It is stationed at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, where it is also the host unit....

; the College of Aerospace Doctrine, Research and Education at Air University; 60th Airlift Wing

60th Air Mobility Wing

The 60th Air Mobility Wing is the host unit at Travis Air Force Base in California. It is the largest air mobility organization in the United States Air Force and is responsible for strategic airlift and aerial refueling missions around the world...

 and the Tanker Airlift Control Center at Headquarters Air Mobility Command. The general also commanded the air mobility forces for Operation Provide Hope

Operation Provide Hope

Operation Provide Hope was a humanitarian operation conducted by the U.S Air Force to provide medical equipment to former Soviet republics during their transition to democratic and free-market states. The operation was announced by Secretary of State James A. Baker, III on January 22-23, 1992 and...

 flying support to Russia and the republics of the former Soviet Union

Soviet Union

The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

 in February 1992. Before becoming 15th Air Force commander, he was vice commander of Air Mobility Command

Air Mobility Command

Air Mobility Command is a Major Command of the U.S. Air Force. AMC is headquartered at Scott AFB, Illinois, east of St. Louis....

.

Boeing

In February 2000, Sams assumed the position of Boeing director of C-17 Field Services, responsible for the deployment of C-17 Globemaster III

C-17 Globemaster III

The Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is a large military transport aircraft. Developed for the United States Air Force from the 1980s to the early 1990s by McDonnell Douglas, the C-17 is used for rapid strategic airlift of troops and cargo to main operating bases or forward operating bases throughout...

 into the Air Force operating inventory. He later became the director of business development for the 767 Global Tanker/Transport Aircraft

Boeing KC-767

The Boeing KC-767 is a military aerial refueling and strategic transport aircraft developed from the Boeing 767-200ER. The tanker received the designation KC-767A in 2002, after being selected by the US Air Force initially to replace older KC-135Es...

 program.

Education

Sams holds a bachelor's degree in history from The Citadel and a master's degree in personnel management from Central Michigan University

Central Michigan University

Central Michigan University is a public research university located in Mount Pleasant in the U.S. state of Michigan...

. He is also a graduate of the Emory University

Emory University

Emory University is a private research university in metropolitan Atlanta, located in the Druid Hills section of unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The university was founded as Emory College in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia by a small group of Methodists and was named in honor of...

 Advanced Management Program and the Advanced School for Government at Harvard University

Harvard University

Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...

.

1967 Bachelor's degree in history, The Citadel, Charleston, S.C.

1973 Squadron Officer School

1977 Master's degree in personnel management, Central Michigan University

1981 Distinguished graduate, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.

1985 Distinguished graduate, Air War College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.

1988 Advanced Management Program, Emory University

1994 Advanced School for Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.

1995 Seminar XXI Program, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

External links

• Full military career history at US Air Force website

Boeing Names John B. Sams Jr. Vice President in Air Force Systems