Retired Maj. Gen. Harold H. Bassett died Oct. 4 in San Antonio at age 100. Born in 1907 in Albion, Ill., Basset graduated from West Point in 1929. In the Army Air Corps, he commanded one of the first weather squadrons under the newly formed Air Weather Service in 1937. He was a pilot in the first mass flight of the bombers from the mainland to Hawaii, for which he received a Distinguished Flying Cross. He served in the Weather Service in Washington and Europe during World War II and on the joint staff following the war. He became commander of the Air Force Security Service in 1953 and the Taiwan Defense Command in 1957. He took command of AWS in 1958 and retired a year later.
Former AFCENT Commander Reflects on Lessons of Epic Fury
Sept. 13, 2026
In carrying out Operation Epic Fury, the U.S. military launched its largest air campaign in a generation, striking more than 13,000 targets in Iran before a shaky cease-fire was first imposed in April. Even as the conflict continues, the former commander of Air Forces Central Lt. Gen. Derek C. France…
