Retired Gen. John W. Pauly, former commander in chief of US Air Forces in Europe, died on Aug. 7 in Colorado Springs, Colo., announced the Air Force on Thursday. He was 90. Pauly led USAFE from August 1978 to August 1980, retiring from the service after that assignment. Born in Albany, N.Y., in 1923, Pauly entered West Point in 1942, receiving his commission and pilot wings three years later, according to his official Air Force biography. During the Korean War, Pauly flew 55 combat missions in the B-26 bomber, amassing 230 combat flying hours. He accumulated more than 6,000 flying hours during his Air Force career. Several years after leaving the Air Force, Pauly became chief executive officer of Systems Control Technology in Palo Alto, Calif., according to his obituary in the Colorado Springs Gazette.
When Airmen eject, the mission is clear: America leaves no warrior behind. Airmen are trained to survive, evade, resist, and escape the enemy, and everyone from ground crew to rescue personnel and commanders are committed to doing everything necessary—and possible—to bring downed Airmen home.