Robert John Walling
Military
Pilot - Crew #501
466th BG - 785th BS
466th BG Archives
Object Number - UPL 13303 - Captain Robert J. Walling Pilot - Crew #501 466th BG - 785th BS
Connections
See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.
Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
Places
- Site type: Airfield
- Known as: Attlebridge Arsenal, Station 120
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Born |
Kansas, USA | 29 March 1918 | |
|
Died |
Santa Rosa, CA, USA | 6 November 1999 | "I guess it's not surprising that a farm boy raised around Wichita, KS, (the ‘air capital’) aspired to be an aviator. I enlisted for 2 1/2 years in the Kansas National Guard to try for an appointment to West Point with military aviation as my goal. What good fortune to have ‘Big Jim’ McKinney as my roommate! We reveled in the best M Company tradition and were probably considered incorrigible by some of our upper classmen. I was somewhat of a maverick, and I relished the USMA athletic programs. My biggest achievement was literally running the track shorts off the USNA track captain. On our team’s bus ride home from the Naval Academy, I was elected track captain for 1943, but with America’s entry into WWII, our class graduation was accelerated six months with graduation in January 1943. Upon graduation, I married Helen Walker and we raised four fine children. "I elected the Army Air Force as my choice of service and was assigned to Chickasha, OK, for primary flight training, followed by Randolph Field and Clovis, NM, for basic and advanced training. First assigned to B-24s, I completed 30 missions in the Eighth Air Force based in England as lead crew pilot and operations officer. "After VJ Day, I was accepted at the Air Force Engineering School from which assignments my SAC commanding officer tried to dissuade me as leading to a career in the ‘Nuts and Bolts’ command. After graduation, I was assigned as B-36 Program Manager at Wright Field, and that was the first of many procurement and production assignments on aircraft and missile programs. "I took early retirement in 1967 to manage the family business and expanded my activities into oil and gas exploration, gold mining in Alaska, winery operations, and ferrying civilian aircraft to Europe and Hawaii. With these activities and trips to visit scattered children’s families, I have made good use of several civilian aircraft. It has been a rewarding life, and I value most highly the many friendships West Point and my Air Force career have afforded me." Dad wrote the preceding biographical sketch for his 50th Reunion Book. He had a magnificent career in the Air Force, and he loved every minute. He gave his whole heart and soul to his family, career, and country. The following is a brief synopsis of his Air Force years. In December 1948, Dad was assigned as Chief of the Air Force Production and Flight test, B-36 program in Ft. Worth, TX. In January 1951, he was assigned Air Force Plant representative to the Government Aircraft Plant in Tulsa, OK. They developed organizations and facilities with Douglas Aircraft Company for the production of the B-47 aircraft. In September 1951, Dad began the master’s of business administration program at Harvard Business School, graduating in June 1953. He was assigned to the Directorate of Procurement and Production Headquarters in Washington, DC, in July 1953, for the procurement of Air Force bombers and missiles. They developed programs, plans, and financial requirements for the Secretary of the Air Force and for Congressional review and authorization. In July 1957, Dad was transferred to Seattle, WA, as the Air Force Plant Representative to the Boeing Aircraft Company. He managed a staff of 250 Air Force specialists in contract administration, production accounting, production surveillance, quality assurance, and production flight test and acceptance for the B-52, KC-135, and Bomarc Missile programs. In June 1960, Dad became Deputy Commander, Western Contract Management Region, Air Force Systems Command in Mira Loma, CA, where he was responsible for contract management of all Air Force contracts in 13 western states, including missile site activation. Three years later, Dad was assigned as Chief, Contract Management Division, USAF Inspector General, at Norton AFB, CA. The team completed industrial management assistance surveys of Lockheed Missile and Space Division, McDonnell Aircraft Company, Guidance and Control Division of the Litton Company, theThiokol Chemical Company, and numerous other inspections of Air Force procurement and contract management functions. Dad became Chief of Program Control for the Manned Orbital Laboratory in September 1965, involving major participation in the development and presentation of program plans and funding requirements for the Office of the Secretary of Defense and Congressional committees. His last assignment was as Executive Director, Directorate of Contract Administration, Defense Supply Agency, in Washington, DC. He was responsible for the management of technical direction for all contract functions of the agency throughout the U.S., including $15 billion of the Defense Department’s procurements. Dad’s West Point roommate, Jim McKinney, wrote in the ]an ’43 Howitzer the following sentiments that rang true throughout his entire life. "Bob can always be characterized by his sincerity and straightforwardness in all that he does. He is every inch an athlete and exemplifies all those qualities that one associates with a truly virile man. He is thrifty and has a real sense of value. He is a person who will inspire the confidence and respect of his followers because he faces the world squarely and is ready to give back more than he gets!" Dad, We salute you and echo the words, "Well done, be thou at peace." |
|
Buried |
Santa Rosa, CA, USA | 10 November 1999 | Santa Rosa Memorial Park Santa Rosa Sonoma County California, USA |
| Wichita, KS, USA | 1253 Woodrow Avenue | ||
|
Other Graduated |
West Point, NY, USA | United States Military Academy | |
|
Enlisted |
Revisions
Contributor466thHistorian
Changes
