William Sebastian Stone

General, U.S. Air Force

William Sebastian Stone was born on 6 January 1910 in Cape Girardeau, MO. After graduating from high school in St. Louis, he attended the U.S. Military Academy. Upon graduation on 12 June 1934, he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Air Corps.

Military Career

After completing flying training in October 1935, he was assigned to the 32nd Bomb Squadron at March Field, CA. In June 1937, he entered the California Institute of Technology. He received a Master of Science degree in Meteorology the following year and was assigned to Fort Lewis, WA, as the Weather Officer.

In May 1940, he was deployed to West Point as an Instructor in Economics, Government and History. Two years later, he was assigned to head the Air Corps Weather Research project at the California Institute of Technology. This assignment was followed by attendance at the Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, KS. After graduation, he was assigned duty as Chief of Staff and Deputy Commander of the Air Corps Weather Wing at Asheville, NC. During this assignment, he spent several months on temporary duty in the European, Far Eastern and Pacific Theaters.

In the summer of 1944, Stone was appointed Director of Weather Services for the Army Air Force in the Pacific Ocean area and for the U.S. Strategic Air Forces in Guam during the bombing raids on Japan.

In 1946, he was appointed Chief of Staff of the Air Weather Service in Washington, DC. The following year, he returned to West Point as an Associate Professor in the Department of Social Sciences; while in that assignment, he earned a Master's Degree in Economics from Columbia University. In August 1950, he entered the National War College. Upon graduation the following summer, he was assigned to Headquarters, U.S. Air Forces in Europe, initially as Assistant Chief of the Plans Division, then the following year as Division Chief.

After promotion to the rank of Brigadier General, he was transferred to Headquarters, U.S. Air Force, in July 1953, as Deputy Director and then, Director, of Personnel Planning. In September 1956, he was appointed Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel with the rank of Major General. In June 1957, he was assigned to McGuire Air Force Base, NJ, as Commander, Atlantic Division, Military Air Transport Service; and upon its reorganization, as Commander, Eastern Transport Air Force.

In August 1959, he was assigned as Superintendent at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, where he served for three years. He was then returned to Headquarters of the U.S. Air Force in Washington as Deputy Chief of Staff Personnel. Upon completion of this assignment, on 28 July 1966, Stone was promoted to the four-star rank of General and assigned to Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in Paris, as Air Deputy to the Supreme Allied Commander Europe.

General Stone died while on active duty on 2 December 1968.

Medals and Awards

Air Force Distinguished Service Medal (2 Awards)

Legion of Merit (3 Awards)

Bronze Star Medal

Air Medal

Army Commendation Ribbon

General Stone was rated as a Command Pilot and Technical Observer.

Death and Burial

General William Sebastian Stone died while on active duty on 2 December 1968. He is buried at the U.S. Air Force Academy Cemetery in Colorado Springs, CO, in Plot: 003 C 080.