Thomas S. Power
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| Thomas S. Power | |
|---|---|
| 1905-1970 | |
| Place of birth | New York City |
| Allegiance | U.S. Air Force |
| Years of service | 1929-1964 |
| Rank | General |
| Commands | Strategic Air Command Air Research and Development Command |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards | Silver Star Legion of Merit (2) Distinguished Flying Cross Bronze Star Medal Air Medal (2) |
General Thomas Sarsfield Power was commander in chief of the Strategic Air Command and an active military flier for more than 30 years.
Born in New York City in 1905, General Power attended Barnard Preparatory School in New York and entered the Air Corps flying school Feb. 17, 1928. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in February 1929.
His early service included assignments at most of the famed Air Corps fields of the day - Chanute Field, Illinois, as a student officer; Langley Field, Virginia, as commanding officer of the 2d Wing Headquarters Detachment; Bolling Field, Washington, D.C., for duty as an Army air mail operations pilot; Randolph Field, Texas, as a flying instructor; Maxwell Field, Alabama, to attend the Air Tactical School, and completing his early career as engineering and armament officer at Nichols Field, Philippines.
During World War II, General Power first saw combat flying B-24 missions with the 304th Bomb Wing in North Africa and Italy.
Returning to the United States in August 1944, he was named commander of the 314th Bomb Wing (Very Heavy) and moved his B-29s to Guam as part of the 21st Bomber Command.
From Guam, General Power led and directed the first large-scale fire bomb raid on Tokyo, Japan, on March 9, 1945.
On Aug. 1, 1945, General Carl Spaatz, then commanding general of the U.S. Strategic Air Forces in the Pacific, moved General Power up on his staff as deputy chief of operations. He served in this capacity during the atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
During the Operation Crossroads, the atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll in 1946, General Power was assigned as assistant deputy task force commander for air on Admiral William H. P. Blandy's staff.
Then came assignments as deputy assistant chief of air staff for operations in Washington, and a period of air attaché duty in London, prior to his transfer to the Strategic Air Command as vice commander in 1948.
During the next six years, General Power assisted General Curtis E. LeMay, then commander in chief of the Strategic Air Command, in building up SAC.
Then came his appointment as commander of the Air Research and Development Command in 1954, a position he held for three years.
When General LeMay was named vice chief of staff of the Air Force in 1957, General Power became commander in chief of SAC and was promoted to four-star rank.
General Power was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star, Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster, Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star Medal, Air Medal with oak leaf cluster, Commendation Ribbon with oak leaf cluster, and the French Croix de Guerre with Palm.
During the Cuban missile crisis,1962, Thomas Power supported a strong response, including nuclear weapons. He declared to a Senate defence committee:'Restraint? Why are you so concerned with saving their lives? The whole idea is to kill the bastards. At the end of the war if there are two Americans and one Russian left alive, we win'.
Power retired from the Air Force on November 30, 1964 and died December 6, 1970. He was a rated command pilot and aircraft observer.
| Preceded by Curtis E. LeMay |
Commander, Strategic Air Command 1957—1964 |
Succeeded by John Dale Ryan |
This article incorporates text from http://www.af.mil/bios/bio.asp?bioID=6801, a public domain work of the United States Government.
