AWARDS
AWARDS/General Carl “Tooey” Spaatz Award
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Air Force Secretary Michael W. Wynne (at left) presents the first General Carl “Tooey” Spaatz Award to General David C. Jones (ret.) at the Foundation's 2007 symposium. |
It is named after Carl Andrew Spaatz, who flew in combat during the First World War, shooting down three enemy aircraft. He was the aircraft commander of the Question Mark during a historic 1929 flight that demonstrated the feasibility of in-flight refueling.
General Spaatz planned for rapid expansion of the Air Corps, observed first-hand the Battle of Britain, and commanded the Eighth Air Force during the first year of World War II. He commanded allied air forces for the invasion of North Africa, commanded the United States Strategic Air Forces for the invasion of Europe until the end of the European war, and then commanded United States Strategic Air Forces in the Pacific.
General Spaatz became Commanding General, U.S. Army Air Forces, and upon creation of the United States Air Force, became its first Chief of Staff, retiring in 1948. He was a founder of the Air Force Historical Foundation in 1953 and was its first President.
The first presentation of the General Carl "Tooey" Spaatz Award was made to General David C. Jones (ret.), who received the award at the Foundation's biennial symposium in October 2007. Jones entered the Army Air Corps in 1942, and received his pilot's wings and was commissioned in 1943. He flew 300 hours on combat missions during the Korean War.
Jones served in command, staff, and operational positions in tanker, bomber, fighter, and training units, and was commander of US Air Forces in Europe. He became Chief of Staff of the Air Force in 1974 and served in that position until becoming the ninth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 1978. His was an influential voice in favor of the SALT II and Panama Canal treaties, both highly controversial.
Although he had advocated skillfully for the B-1 bomber during the Ford administration and early Carter administration, when the President announced cancellation of the B-1 program, General Jones accepted the decision and refused to undermine it, believing that no one in the military should substitute his judgment for the expressed will of the people.
General Jones also accepted his share of the blame for the failure of the attempted rescue of the Americans held hostage in the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. He informed his civilian superiors that he would work for reform of the Joint Chiefs of Staff system, a priority during his second term as Chairman and after his retirement in 1982.
These efforts came to fruition when the Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986 was passed and signed into law, simplifying and clarifying lines of command, the roles of the Chairman and the other members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the unified combatant commands, and the component commands.
General Jones served faithfully, honorably, and well as Chairman under Presidents from both political parties and served as a positive example for all who followed.
