Retired Maj. Gen. John J. Pesch, who led the Air National Guard from April 1974 to January 1977 died Jan. 10 at his home in Virginia at age 88. He entered the Army Air Forces in 1942, initially flying the A-24 and later the B-17 in which he flew 31 combat missions. He joined the Maine Air National Guard after the war and returned to active duty for the Korean War and again in 1959, serving on the Air Staff. After a stint with Air Defense Command, he became deputy director in 1966 of the Air Guard at the National Guard Bureau. Retired Lt. Gen. John Conaway, former NGB chief, said that Pesch “reset the Air National Guard after the Vietnam War with new fighter force structure and established the active duty rotational missions for the Air National Guard.” (NGB report by Lt. Col. Ellen Krenke; Bangor Daily News obituary)
Dick Cheney’s Legacy with the Air Force
Nov. 6, 2025
Dick Cheney, who died Nov. 3 at 84, is best remembered by most Americans as among the most powerful Vice Presidents in history, a consummate Washington insider who had previously served in the Nixon administration, was Chief of Staff for President Gerald Ford, a Congressman for a decade, and Secretary…
