Charles Graham Boyd

General, U.S. Air Force

Charles Graham Boyd was born on 15 April 1938 near Rockwell City, IA.

Military Career

Boyd entered the U.S. Air Force in April 1959. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant through the aviation cadet program in July 1960 and served in a variety of assignments in Europe, the Pacific, and the Continental U.S.

A Command Pilot, with over 2,400 flight hours, he flew F-100s and F-105s in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. He was shot down on 22 April 1966 while on his 105th mission. From 1966 to 1973 (2,488 days), he was a prisoner of war, interned in various prisons in North Vietnam. He was released on 12 February 1973 as a part of Operation Homecoming.

Boyd was Vice Commander of Strategic Air Command's 8th Air Force, Director of Plans at Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, DC, and Commander of Air University, with headquarters at Maxwell AFB, AL, before becoming Deputy Commander in Chief, U.S. European Command, Stuttgart-Vaihingen, Germany, which was his final assignment.

General Boyd is the only Vietnam War POW to reach four-star rank.

Assignments:

• April 1959-July 1960, student, undergraduate pilot training, Aviation Cadet Program, Greenville AFB, MS.
• July 1960-January 1961, student, F-100 combat crew training, Luke AFB, AZ, and Nellis AFB , NV.
• July 1961-October 1963, F-100 fighter pilot, 510th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Clark Air Base, Republic of the Philippines.
• October 1963-August 1964, F-105 fighter pilot, 355th Tactical Fighter Wing, George AFB, CA.
• August 1964-November 1965, F-105 fighter pilot, 355th Tactical Fighter Wing, McConnell AFB, KS.
• November 1965-April 1966, F-105 fighter pilot, 388th Tactical Fighter Wing, Royal Thai AFB, Thailand.
• April 1966-February 1973, interned in various prisons throughout North Vietnam.
• February 1973-August 1973, repatriation orientation.
• August 1973-June 1975, undergraduate student, Air Force Institute of Technology, University of Kansas.
• June 1975-June 1976, graduate student, Air Force Institute of Technology, University of Kansas.
• August 1976-May 1977, student, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, AL.
• June 1977-June 1979, Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff, Allied Forces Southern Europe, and Executive Officer to the Chief of Staff, Allied Air Forces, Southern Europe, Naples, Italy.
• June 1979-September 1980, Chief, Western Hemisphere Division, Directorate of Plans, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, DC.
• September 1980-June 1982, Deputy Assistant Director for Joint and National Security Council matters, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, DC.
• June 1982-July 1984, Assistant Director for Joint and National Security Council matters, Headquarters U.S. Air Force.
• July 1984-December 1986, Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Programs, Headquarters U.S. Air Forces in Europe, Ramstein Air Base, West Germany.
• December 1986-June 1988, Vice Commander, 8th Air Force, Barksdale AFB, LA.
• June 1988-August 1989, Director of Plans, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, Plans and Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, DC.
• August 1989-January 1990, Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, DC.
• January 1990-October 1992, Commander, Air University, Maxwell AFB, AL.
• October 1992-August 1995, Deputy Commander in Chief, U.S. European Command, Stuttgart-Vaihingen, Germany.

Promotions and Dates:

Second Lieutenant: 22 July 1960

First Lieutenant: 22 January 1962

Captain: 22 January 1965

Major: 1 December 1970. He was promoted to Major while a prisoner of war in Vietnam.

Lieutenant Colonel: 1 May 1975

Colonel: 1 December 1979

Brigadier General: 1 April 1985

Major General: 1 November 1987

Lieutenant General: 3 January 1990

General: 1 December 1992. General Boyd is the only Vietnam War POW to reach the four-star rank.

Medals and Awards

Air Force Cross

Air Force Distinguished Service Medal

Silver Star Medal (2 Awards)

Legion of Merit (3 Awards)

Distinguished Flying Cross

Bronze Star with "Valor" Device (3 Awards)

Purple Heart (3 Awards)

Defense Meritorious Service Medal

Air Medal (2 Awards)

Air Force Commendation Medal

Badges

Command Pilot

Education:

1975 - Bachelor of Arts degree, University of Kansas.
1976 - Master of Arts degree, University of Kansas.
1977 - Air War College, Maxwell AFB, AL.
1986 - Program for Senior Executives in National and International Security at Harvard University.

In Retirement

Following his retirement from the Air Force in 1995, Boyd served as Strategy Consultant to Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Newt Gingrich. From July 1998, he was Executive Director of the U.S. Commission on National Security for the 21st Century, whose final report in January 2001 predicted a growing threat to the U.S. from terrorism. He has also served as Senior Vice President and Washington Program Director of the Council on Foreign Relations.

From 1 May 2002 until 31 December 2009, he was the President and CEO of Business Executives for National Security (BENS), a national security public interest group. From 14-17 December 2009, Boyd led a delegation from BENS to Pyongyang, North Korea, to discuss economic issues with officials from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea government. Boyd remains involved with BENS as a member of the Board of Directors.

He is a member of the board of directors at defense electronics firm, DRS Technologies; graphics software firm, Forterra Systems; and venture capitalists, In-Q-Tel, who support the work of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Personal

His wife is Jessica Tuchman Mathews, president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. General Boyd is a widower - his first wife, Millicent Sample Boyd (23 April 1938-11 April 1994) is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.