Korean War Veteran, former PACAF commander, shares his experiences to empower Airmen

The 75th Anniversary of the United States Air Force is an occasion for reflection. One Airman who played a critical role in the Air Force's rich history is retired Lt. Gen. James D. Hughes, a former commander-in-chief of Pacific Air Forces (CINCPACAF) from June 1978 to June 1981.

Born in Balmville, New York on July 7, 1922, Hughes just celebrated his centennial birthday.

A scrapbook photo shows Lt. Gen. (Ret.) James D. Hughes, former commander in chief of Pacific Air Forces, smiling on the ladder of an F-15 Eagle. Hughes flew 101 combat missions during the Korean War and flew in a variety of aircraft throughout his thirty-five-year career including early model F-15s, F-16 Fighting Falcons, F4 Phantoms, F-100 Super Sabres, F-80 Shooting Stars, P-47 Thunderbolts and P-51 Mustangs. (Courtesy photo)

$(document).ready(function () { let isDesktopInit = false; let detailSize = "full"; let displayhgt = "95vh"; let $this = $('[data-fancybox]').fancybox($.extend(true, {}, $.fancybox.defaults, { buttons: ['share'], caption: function (instance, item) { var caption = ''; if (item.type === 'image') { if (isMobile()) { caption += '

' + '

' + $(this).find('figcaption').html() + getDetailsURL($(this).parent()) + getDownloadURL($(this).parent()) + showFBShare() + '

/U.S. Air Force Release. This material from the originating organization/author(s) might be of the point-in-time nature, and edited for clarity, style and length. Mirage.News does not take institutional positions or sides, and all views, positions, and conclusions expressed herein are solely those of the author(s).View in full here.

You might also like