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LIEUTENANT GENERAL THOMAS S. MOORMAN SR.
Retired Aug. 1, 1970, Died Dec. 23, 1997
Lieutenant General Thomas Samuel Moorman is
superintendent of the Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs, Colo. The Air Force
Academy provides instruction, experience and motivation to each cadet so that he
will graduate with the knowledge, character and qualities needed for leadership
that are essential to his progressive development as a career officer in the
U.S. Air Force.
General Moorman was born at the Presidio of Monterey, Calif., in 1910. He
attended John J. Phillips High School in Birmingham, Ala. In 1933 he graduated
from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., and entered the Air Corps
flying training school at Randolph Field, Texas.
He earned his pilot wings in October 1934 and was assigned to the 4th
Observation Squadron, 5th Composite Group at Luke Field, Hawaii. In July 1936,
General Moorman was reassigned to the 97th Reconnaissance Squadron at Mitchel
Field, N.Y. for a 12-month tour.
In 1937 General Moorman entered the field of meteorology, obtained a master of
science degree from the California Institute of Technology and embarked on a
sphere of activity which would dominate the next 20 years of his career. After a
two-year assignment as Weather Officer at Randolph Field, Texas, he gained
valuable information in meteorology through further study at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology.
In July 1941,General Moorman was assigned to Air Corps Headquarters in
Washington, D.C., where he served as chief climatologist and assistant director
of the Air Corps Research Center and liaison officer to the U.S. Weather Bureau.
From May 1943 until December 1943, General Moorman was commanding officer of the
21st Weather Squadron, first at Bradley Field, Conn., and later in England.
General Moorman became staff weather officer and later director of weather for
Ninth Air Force in the European Theater of Operations, a position he held from
January 1944 until December 1944. From January 1945 until June 1945, he served
as commanding officer of the 21st Weather Squadron and Staff Weather Officer for
Ninth Air Force.
After V-J Day in 1945, General Moorman returned to the U.S. as deputy chief of
staff for Air Weather Service. One year later he became air weather officer at
Headquarters Army Air Forces and remained in that position until he entered the
Air War College at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
From July 1948 until June 1951, General Moorman served with the Far East Air
Forces in Tokyo as commander of the 2143d Air Weather Wing (now the 1st Weather
Wing), and upon his return to the United States he became deputy commander of
the Air Weather Service at Andrews Air Force Base, Md.
On April 22, 1954, his 16 years of weather operations culminated in his
appointment as Air Weather Service commander, responsible for providing
environmental support to the Air Force and Army through weather central forecast
centers, base weather stations, observation sites, world-wide weather
reconnaissance and atmospheric sampling.
Returning to the Far East in 1958, General Moorman assumed command of the
Thirteenth Air Force at Clark Air Base, Philippines. He was responsible for air
operations throughout Southeast Asia, as well as for the air defense of the
Philippines in conjunction with the Philippine Air Force.
On July 28, 1961, General Moorman became vice commander in chief, Headquarters
Pacific Air Forces, Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, and on July 1, 1965, General
Moorman became superintendent of the Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs,
Colo.
Among his awards and decorations are the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of
Merit with two oak leaf clusters, Bronze Star Medal and the Air Medal.
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