John William Handy[1] (born April 29, 1944)[2] is a retired United States Air Force officer. Serving from 1967 to 2005, he reached the rank of general and held a number of high-ranking commands.

John W. Handy
General John W. Handy
Born (1944-04-29) April 29, 1944 (age 79)
Raleigh, North Carolina
AllegianceUnited States
Service/branchUnited States Air Force
Years of service1967–2005
RankGeneral
Commands heldUnited States Transportation Command
Air Mobility Command
Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force
21st Air Force
Tanker Airlift Control Center
Battles/warsVietnam War
Gulf War
AwardsDefense Distinguished Service Medal (2)
Air Force Distinguished Service Medal
Legion of Merit (2)

Handy was commissioned in 1967, and received his pilot wings in 1968. His early commands included the 21st Air Force at McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey; the Air Mobility Command's Tanker Airlift Control Center; two airlift wings; and a maintenance squadron. He then served as director of operations and logistics for the United States Transportation Command; director of programs and evaluations; and deputy chief of staff for installations and logistics with the Air Staff in Washington, D.C. His final two postings were as Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force, from 2000 to 2001, and Commander of the United States Transportation Command and Air Mobility Command, from October 2001 until September 2005.

Handy is a command pilot with more than 5,000 flying hours, principally in airlift aircraft. As a C-130 Hercules pilot, he logged more than 300 combat hours in Southeast Asia.

Education edit

Flight information edit

Awards and decorations edit

  Air Force Command Pilot Badge
  Joint Chiefs of Staff Badge
  United States Transportation Command Badge
Defense Distinguished Service Medal with one bronze oak leaf cluster
  Air Force Distinguished Service Medal
Legion of Merit with one bronze oak leaf cluster
Meritorious Service Medal with three bronze oak leaf clusters
Air Medal
  Joint Meritorious Unit Award
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with four oak leaf clusters
Air Force Organizational Excellence Award with two oak leaf clusters
  Combat Readiness Medal
National Defense Service Medal with two bronze service stars
  Antarctica Service Medal
  Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Vietnam Service Medal with three bronze service stars
Southwest Asia Service Medal with two bronze service stars
  Air Force Overseas Short Tour Service Ribbon
Air Force Overseas Long Tour Service Ribbon with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Longevity Service Award with one silver and three bronze oak leaf clusters
  Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon
  Air Force Training Ribbon
  Philippine Presidential Unit Citation
  Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Award
  Vietnam Campaign Medal
  Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait)

Other achievements edit

  • 1992 Honorary doctor of humanities, Methodist College

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Biographical and Financial Information Requested of Nominees". Hearings Before the Committee on Armed Services, United States Senate (PDF). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. 2002. pp. 1506–1508. ISBN 9780160692970. Retrieved 2021-03-30.
  2. ^ U.S. Dept of Defense News Release Archived 2010-11-29 at the Wayback Machine

  This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Air Force

Military offices
Preceded by Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force
2000–2001
Succeeded by
Preceded by Commander, United States Transportation Command
2001–2005
Succeeded by