George T. Babbitt

General, U.S. Air Force

George T. Babbitt was born 22 June 1942 in Bremerton, WA. As a teenager in the late 1950s, Babbitt became the original drummer for The Ventures rock group. Just before the band gained fame with their huge hit "Walk Don't Run" in 1960, Babbitt had to drop out because he was not old enough to play the night clubs and bars the band was beginning to work in.

Babbitt was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Air Force in 1965 through the AF Reserve Officer Training Corps program at the University of Washington. He trained as an Aircraft Maintenance Officer and served as Officer in Charge of fighter flight lines in the U.S., the Pacific and Europe. He twice commanded aircraft maintenance squadrons and was Deputy Commander for maintenance of a European F-15 wing.

Babbitt's key assignments included Director, Defense Logistics Agency at Fort Belvoir, VA; Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, Headquarters U.S. Air Force; Deputy Director for Materiel Management, Defense Logistics Agency; Director of Supply, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, and Director of Logistics for both Headquarters Air Training Command and Headquarters U.S. Air Forces in Europe.

On 1 June 1997, Babbitt was promoted to the rank of four-star General and assigned as Commander, Air Force Materiel Command (COMAFMC) at Wright-Patterson AFB, OH.

General Babbitt retired from the Air Force on 1 June 2000.

Education

● 1965 Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
● 1970 Master of Science degree in Logistics Management, Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH
● 1975 Program Managers Course, Defense Systems Management College, Fort Belvoir, VA
● 1978 Armed Forces Staff College, Norfolk, VA
● 1986 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, AL
● 1989 The Executive Development Program, Kellogg School of Business, Northwestern University, IL
● 1993 Program for Senior Managers in Government, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, MA

Assignments

● June 1965 - February 1966, student, aircraft maintenance officer course, Chanute AFB, IL.
● February 1966 - June 1969, RF-4C Maintenance Officer, RAF Alconbury, England.
● June 1969 - September 1970, student, Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH.
● September 1970 - September 1971, Squadron Maintenance Officer, 12th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, Tan Son Nhut Air Base, South Vietnam.
● September 1971 - August 1973, maintenance planner, B-1A System Program Office, Rockwell International, Los Angeles, CA.
● August 1973 - January 1976, Support Equipment and Spares Manager, B-1A System Program Office, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH.
● January 1976 - January 1978, Deputy Program Manager for Logistics, Precision Location Strike System Program Office, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH.
● January 1978 - July 1978, student, Armed Forces Staff College, Norfolk, VA.
● July 1978 - August 1980, Maintenance Officer and later, Commander, 1st Aircraft Generation Squadron, Langley AFB, VA.
● August 1980 - September 1981, Commander, 36th Aircraft Generation Squadron, Bitburg Air Base, West Germany.
● September 1981 - July 1985, Assistant Deputy Commander for Maintenance and later, Deputy Commander for Maintenance, 36th Tactical Fighter Wing, Bitburg Air Base, West Germany.
● July 1985 - June 1986, student, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, AL.
● June 1986 - June 1990, Division Chief and later, Deputy Director of Logistics Plans and Programs, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, DC.
● June 1990 - July 1992, Director, Logistics, Headquarters Air Training Command, AFB, TX.
● July 1992 - June 1993, Director, Logistics, Headquarters U.S. Air Forces in Europe, Ramstein Air Base, Germany.
● June 1993 - March 1994, Director of Supply, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, DC.
● April 1994 - June 1995, Deputy Director of Materiel Management, Defense Logistics Agency, Alexandria, VA.
● June 1995 - October 1996, Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, DC.
● October 1996 - May 1997, Director, Defense Logistics Agency, Fort Belvoir, VA.
● May 1997 - May 2000, Commander, Air Force Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH.

Medals, Awards and Badges

Air Force Distinguished Service Medal
Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster
Air Force Commendation Medal
Presidential Unit Citation
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Valor Device
Air Force Organizational Excellence Award with 2 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters
National Defense Service Medal with Bronze Star
Vietnam Service Medal with 3 Bronze Stars
Air Force Overseas Short Tour Service Ribbon with Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster
Air Force Overseas Long Tour Service Ribbon with Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster
Air Force Longevity Service Award with Silver and Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster
Air Force Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon
Air Force Training Ribbon
Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation
Vietnam Campaign Medal
Master Maintenance Badge

Promotion Dates

Second Lieutenant - 19 March 1965
First Lieutenant - 30 November 1966
Captain - 12 June 1968
Major - 1 February 1975
Lieutenant Colonel - 1 November 1979
Colonel - 1 August 1984
Brigadier General - 1 September 1990
Major General - 1 July 1993
Lieutenant General - 1 July 1995
General - 1 June 1997