Joseph Randall Holzapple - Arlington VA - Grave of a Famous Person on Waymarking.com

He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery in Section 4, Site 21-2

Description: From Find A Grave: US Air Force General. He served as the Commander-in-Chief of US Air Forces in Europe from 1969 to 1971. After completing high school, he attended Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, and graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration in 1938. In December 1940 he entered the US Army Aviation Cadet Training Program and graduated in August 1941 with a commission as a 2nd lieutenant and his pilot wings. He subsequently performed various flying duties at Jackson Field (now Hawkins Field), Mississippi, Wright-Patterson Field (now Wright-Patterson Air Force Base), Ohio, and Barksdale Field (now Barksdale Air Force Base), Louisiana. In September 1942, after the outbreak of the US involvement in World War II, he was sent to the European Theater of Operations where he served as operations officer and then commander of the 319th Bombardment Group, Twelfth Air Force. He flew 91 combat missions in North Africa and Europe with a total of 390 combat hours primarily in B-26 Marauder aircraft. In November 1944 the 319th Group converted to B-25 Mitchell aircraft and used them for approximately two months before the 319th returned to the US where it was reequipped with A-26 Invader aircraft. In May 1945 the 319th relocated to Okinawa where it operated until August 1945. During this period he flew eight combat missions over Japan and mainland China, totaling 33 combat hours. In September 1946 he returned to the US 1946 and was assigned to Headquarters Army Air Forces, Washington, DC, where he served in the Requirements Division of the Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff for Training and Requirements. In August 1949 he entered the Armed Forces Staff College in Norfolk, Virginia and completed the Joint Operations Course there in January 1950. He returned to Washington, DC and was assigned to Headquarters Air Force for duties with the Air Force Special Weapons Project. In September 1951 he was assigned to the Air Research and Development Command at Baltimore, Maryland, where he served first as the Deputy for Strategic Air and later as Assistant for Operational Readiness. From August 1954 to August 1955, he attended the National War College at Fort McNair in Washington, DC and from there he was assigned to Royal Air Force Sculthorpe, England, to become commander of the 47th Bombardment Wing. In October 1956 he was assigned to Headquarters US Air Forces in Europe in Wiesbaden, Germany, as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, and later became its Chief of Staff. In July 1958 he returned to the US to become the Deputy Director for Operational Forces with Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations at Headquarters Air Force in Washington DC. The following year he was assigned to the Air Research and Development Command at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, as the Assistant Deputy Commander for Weapons Systems Management, and in July 1960 he became commander of Wright Air Development Division. In July 1961 he returned to Headquarters Air Force as the Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Systems and Logistics and in May 1964 he became the Director of the Weapon Systems Evaluation Group, Office of the Director of Defense Research and Engineering, Department of Defense, Washington DC. In September 1966 he returned to Headquarters Air Force as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Research and Development. On February 1, 1969 he was promoted to the rank of general and became the Commander-in-Chief, of the US Air Forces in Europe, with headquarters at Lindsey Air Station, Wiesbaden, Germany, and Commander of the Fourth Allied Tactical Air Force with headquarters at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, in January 1969. He received an Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree from Bradley University in 1958 and from the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, in 1970. He retired from the Air Force on September 1, 1971 with 30 years of continued military service in the US Army Air Corps and US Air Force. Date of birth: 09/07/1914 Date of death: 11/14/1973 Area of notoriety: Military Marker Type: Monument Setting: Outdoor Visiting Hours/Restrictions: None Fee required?: No Web site: [Web Link]

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Date Logged Log   10/10/2021 Don.Morfe visited it