Robert Dale Russ - Arlington VA - Grave of a Famous Person on Waymarking.com

He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery in Section 30, Site 571-2

Description: From Find A Grave: US Air Force General. A decorated combat pilot of the Vietnam War, he rose in rank to become the Commander-in-Chief of Tactical Air Command (now Air Combat Command) and was considered the father of the F-15E Strike Eagle fighter aircraft, a bomb-carrying version of the F-15 Eagle air-to-air fighter. After graduating from Wapato High School in Wapato, Washington in 1951, he enrolled at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington and graduated in 1955 with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration. While at Washington State, he entered the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps program and received a 2nd lieutenant's commission upon graduation. He then entered active duty in September 1955 at Lackland Air Force Base (now part of Joint Base San Antonio), Texas. The following year he completed pilot training at Webb Air Force Base, Texas (now closed), and subsequently attended F-84F Thunderjet gunnery school at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, and F-100A Super Sabre gunnery school at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. In May 1957 he was assigned to the 81st Tactical Fighter Wing at Royal Air Force Station Bentwaters, England, flying F-84F Thunderjet and later, F-101A Voodoo fighter aircraft. In May 190 he returned to the US and was assigned to the 437th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron at Oxnard Air Force Base, California (now closed), where he flew F-101B fighter aircraft. In May 1962 he was transferred to Hamilton Air Force Base (now Hamilton Army Airfield), California where he performed duty as chief of the Fighter Section, Directorate of Tactical Evaluation, 28th Air Division, until August 1964, when he entered the Air Command and Staff College (ACSC) at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. After graduating from ACSC in July 1965, he was assigned to Headquarters Air Defense Command at Ent Air Force Base, Colorado (now closed). That same year, he also received a Master's Degree in Business Administration from George Washington University, Washington DC. While at Ent, he served as a fighter officer in the Directorate of Tactical Evaluation and later as aide to the Commander-in-Chief, Air Defense Command. From July 1967 until January 1968 he attended F-4 Phantom replacement training at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, after which he was assigned to the 12th Tactical Fighter Wing at Cam Ranh Bay Air Base, Republic of Vietnam, where he flew 242 combat missions, of which 50 were over North Vietnam. In March 1969 he returned to the US and was assigned as a plans officer in the Fighter and Reconnaissance Branch of the Force Development Directorate, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, Plans and Operations, Headquarters US Air Force in Washington DC. In December 1970 he moved to the Organization of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and served as a plans officer for general purpose forces, Directorate of Plans, until July 1972 when he attended the National War College at Fort McNair, Washington DC. After graduating the following June, he became the vice commander of the 68th Tactical Air Support Group, at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina until January 1974, when he became the deputy commander for operations of Shaw's 363rd Tactical Reconnaissance Wing. The following month he became the vice commander of the 4th Tactical Fighter Wing at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina until August 1975, when he became its wing commander. In February 1977 he became assistant deputy chief of staff for plans at Headquarters Tactical Air Command (HQ TAC), Langley Air Force Base (now Joint Base Langley-Eustis) and in July 1977 was named the command's assistant deputy chief of staff, operations, for operations and training. A year later, he became the assistant deputy chief of staff, operations, for control and support at HQ TAC. In November 1979 he was assigned to Headquarters US Air Force as the director of operational requirements, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, Research, Development and Acquisition. Date of birth: 03/07/1933 Date of death: 05/22/1997 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   10/09/2021 Don.Morfe visited it