First SAC Heroes Inducted into Hall of Fame

The Strategic Air Command Hall of Fame will induct its first members Thursday evening during a Wings of Freedom gala to be held at the Strategic Air & Space Museum in Ashland, Neb. Inductees include Gen. Curtis LeMay, who led SAC for nearly 10 years, established its headquarters at Offutt AFB, Neb., and laid the groundwork for the Air Force’s ICBM capability; Gen. Thomas Power, who succeeded LeMay as SAC commander in 1957; Gen. Richard Ellis, who served as the command’s ninth leader from 1977-1981; Gen. Bernard Schriever, who is widely regarded as the father of the Air Force’s ballistic missile and military space program; and retired CMSAF James McCoy, who at 85 is the only living member to be inducted into the Hall of Fame’s first class. McCoy established the command’s noncommissioned officer academy and its NCO leadership programs and later served as SAC’s senior enlisted adviser. McCoy also served as chairman of the Air Force Association’s board of directors from 1994-1996. Other posthumous inductees include J. Robert Beyster, who founded the Science Applications International Corp in 1969; and Arthur C. Storz Sr., who played a key role in promoting Offutt as the location for SAC headquarters, reported Omaha’s Bellevue Leader. “Funds raised from the gala will be used to support operations and help the museum make needed improvements in its 18-year-old facility,” said museum director Michael McGinnis in a release.