William S. Stone
Encyclopedia
General
William Sebastian Stone (January 6, 1910 – December 2, 1968) was an American
United States Air Force
General and the third Superintendent of the United States Air Force Academy
. His final assignment was as the air deputy to the Supreme Allied Commander Europe.
Stone was born at Cape Girardeau, Missouri
on January 6, 1910. After graduating from high school in St. Louis
, he attended the United States Military Academy
, and, upon graduation on June 12, 1934, was commissioned a Second Lieutenant.
Upon completing flying training in October 1935, he was assigned to the 32nd Bomb Squadron at March Field, California
. Two years later, in June 1937, he entered the California Institute of Technology
. He received the degree of master of science in meteorology the following year and was assigned to Fort Lewis
, Washington as the Weather Officer.
In May 1940, he was appointed to West Point as an instructor in economics, government and history. After two years at West Point, he was assigned to head the Air Corps Weather Research project at the California Institute of Technology. This assignment was followed by attendance at the Command and General Staff College
, Fort Leavenworth
, Kansas
, and then duty as chief of staff and deputy commander of the Air Corps Weather Wing at Asheville, North Carolina
. During this assignment he spent several months on temporary duty in the Europe
an, Far East
ern and Pacific
theaters.
In the summer of 1944, General Stone was appointed director of Weather Services for the Army Air Force in the Pacific Ocean area and for the U.S. Strategic Air Forces in Guam
during the bombing raids on Japan
.
In 1946, he was appointed chief of staff of the Air Weather Service in Washington, D.C.
The following year, he returned to West Point as associate professor in the Department of Social Sciences; and while in that assignment he earned a master's degree in economics from Columbia University
. In August 1950, he entered the National War College
. Upon graduation the following summer, he was assigned to Headquarters, U.S. Air Forces in Europe, initially as assistant chief of the Plans Division, then the following year as division chief.
After promotion to the grade of brigadier general, he was transferred to Headquarters, U.S. Air Force, in July 1953, as deputy director and then director of personnel planning. In September 1956, he was appointed assistant deputy chief of staff for personnel in the grade of major general. In June 1957, he was assigned to McGuire Air Force Base
, New Jersey, as commander, Atlantic Division, Military Air Transport Service
; and upon its reorganization, as commander, Eastern Transport Air Force.
In August 1959, he was assigned as superintendent at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado
, where he served for three years. He was then returned to the headquarters of the U.S. Air Force in Washington as deputy chief of staff personnel. Upon completion of this assignment in July 1966, Stone was assigned to Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe
in Paris
as air deputy to the Supreme Allied Commander Europe. Stone died while on active duty on December 2, 1968.
with oak leaf cluster
, Legion of Merit
with two oak leaf clusters, Bronze Star
, Air Medal
and the Army Commendation Ribbon
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
William Sebastian Stone (January 6, 1910 – December 2, 1968) was an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
General and the third Superintendent of the United States Air Force Academy
United States Air Force Academy
The United States Air Force Academy is an accredited college for the undergraduate education of officer candidates for the United States Air Force. Its campus is located immediately north of Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, United States...
. His final assignment was as the air deputy to the Supreme Allied Commander Europe.
Stone was born at Cape Girardeau, Missouri
Cape Girardeau, Missouri
Cape Girardeau is a city located in Cape Girardeau and Scott counties in Southeast Missouri in the United States. It is located approximately southeast of St. Louis and north of Memphis. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 37,941. A college town, it is the home of Southeast Missouri...
on January 6, 1910. After graduating from high school in St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, he attended the United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
, and, upon graduation on June 12, 1934, was commissioned a Second Lieutenant.
Upon completing flying training in October 1935, he was assigned to the 32nd Bomb Squadron at March Field, 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...
. Two years later, in June 1937, he entered the California Institute of Technology
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
. He received the degree of master of science in meteorology the following year and was assigned to Fort Lewis
Fort Lewis
Joint Base Lewis-McChord is a United States military facility located south-southwest of Tacoma, Washington. The facility is under the jurisdiction of the United States Army Joint Base Garrison, Joint Base Lewis-McChord....
, Washington as the Weather Officer.
In May 1940, he was appointed to West Point as an instructor in economics, government and history. After two years at West Point, he was assigned to head the Air Corps Weather Research project at the California Institute of Technology. This assignment was followed by attendance at the Command and General Staff College
Command and General Staff College
The United States Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military officers. The college was established in 1881 by William Tecumseh Sherman as a...
, Fort Leavenworth
Fort Leavenworth
Fort Leavenworth is a United States Army facility located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, immediately north of the city of Leavenworth in the upper northeast portion of the state. It is the oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C. and has been in operation for over 180 years...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, and then duty as chief of staff and deputy commander of the Air Corps Weather Wing at Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville is a city in and the county seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. It is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the 11th largest city in North Carolina. The City is home to the United States National Climatic Data Center , which is the world's largest active...
. During this assignment he spent several months on temporary duty in the Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an, Far East
Far East
The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...
ern and Pacific
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
theaters.
In the summer of 1944, General Stone was appointed director of Weather Services for the Army Air Force in the Pacific Ocean area and for the U.S. Strategic Air Forces in Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
during the bombing raids on Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
In 1946, he was appointed chief of staff of the Air Weather Service in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
The following year, he returned to West Point as associate professor in the Department of Social Sciences; and while in that assignment he earned a master's degree in economics from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. In August 1950, he entered the National War College
National War College
The National War College of the United States is a school in the National Defense University. It is housed in Roosevelt Hall on Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C., the third-oldest Army post still active. It was officially established on July 1, 1946, as an upgraded replacement for the...
. Upon graduation the following summer, he was assigned to Headquarters, U.S. Air Forces in Europe, initially as assistant chief of the Plans Division, then the following year as division chief.
After promotion to the grade of brigadier general, he was transferred to Headquarters, U.S. Air Force, in July 1953, as deputy director and then director of personnel planning. In September 1956, he was appointed assistant deputy chief of staff for personnel in the grade of major general. In June 1957, he was assigned to McGuire Air Force Base
McGuire Air Force Base
JB MDL McGuire is a United States Air Force base located approximately south-southeast of Trenton, New Jersey. McGuire is under the jurisdiction of the USAF Air Mobility Command...
, New Jersey, as commander, Atlantic Division, Military Air Transport Service
Military Air Transport Service
The Military Air Transport Service is an inactive Department of Defense Unified Command. Activated on 1 June 1948, MATS was a consolidation of the United States Navy Naval Air Transport Service and the United States Air Force Air Transport Command into a single, joint, unified command...
; and upon its reorganization, as commander, Eastern Transport Air Force.
In August 1959, he was assigned as superintendent at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, where he served for three years. He was then returned to the headquarters of the U.S. Air Force in Washington as deputy chief of staff personnel. Upon completion of this assignment in July 1966, Stone was assigned to Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe
Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe
Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe is the central command of NATO military forces. It is located at Casteau, north of the Belgian city of Mons...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
as air deputy to the Supreme Allied Commander Europe. Stone died while on active duty on December 2, 1968.
Awards and decorations
Stone was a rated command pilot and technical observer. His decorations include the Air Force Distinguished Service MedalAir Force Distinguished Service Medal
The Air Force Distinguished Service Medal was created by an act of the United States Congress on July 6, 1960. The medal was intended as a new decoration of the United States Air Force to replace the policy of awarding the Army Distinguished Service Medal to Air Force personnel.The Air Force...
with oak leaf cluster
Oak leaf cluster
An oak leaf cluster is a common device which is placed on U.S. Army and Air Force awards and decorations to denote those who have received more than one bestowal of a particular decoration. The number of oak leaf clusters typically indicates the number of subsequent awards of the decoration...
, Legion of Merit
Legion of Merit
The Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements...
with two oak leaf clusters, Bronze Star
Bronze Star Medal
The Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration that may be awarded for bravery, acts of merit, or meritorious service. As a medal it is awarded for merit, and with the "V" for valor device it is awarded for heroism. It is the fourth-highest combat award of the...
, Air Medal
Air Medal
The Air Medal is a military decoration of the United States. The award was created in 1942, and is awarded for meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight.-Criteria:...
and the Army Commendation Ribbon
Air Force Distinguished Service MedalAir Force Distinguished Service MedalThe Air Force Distinguished Service Medal was created by an act of the United States Congress on July 6, 1960. The medal was intended as a new decoration of the United States Air Force to replace the policy of awarding the Army Distinguished Service Medal to Air Force personnel.The Air Force...
with oak leaf cluster
Legion of MeritLegion of MeritThe Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements...
with two oak leaf clusters
Bronze StarBronze Star MedalThe Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration that may be awarded for bravery, acts of merit, or meritorious service. As a medal it is awarded for merit, and with the "V" for valor device it is awarded for heroism. It is the fourth-highest combat award of the...
Air MedalAir MedalThe Air Medal is a military decoration of the United States. The award was created in 1942, and is awarded for meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight.-Criteria:...
Army Commendation Ribbon