Brigadier General Regis F. A. Urschler | |
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Birth name | Regis F. A. Urschler |
Born | Pittsburgh, PA | April 23, 1935
Allegiance | United States |
Service/ | United States Air Force |
Years of service | 1953–1985 |
Rank | Brigadier General |
Commands held | 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing Electronic Security Command |
Wars/Actions | |
Awards |
Regis F. A. Urschler (born 23 April 1935) is a retired United States Air Force brigadier general who served as the vice commander of Electronic Security Command (ESC). ESC was formed in 1979, and Urschler became vice commander in May 1982. He retired from active duty 1 June 1985 a decorated Vietnam War and Cold War command pilot with more than 15,000 flying hours, including 1,500-plus in combat. His overseas tours of duty included Japan, Turkey, Greenland and England.
Urschler, born 23 April 1935, is the son of Austrian immigrant parents, raised in an immigrant community in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. [1] After graduation from North Catholic High School in Troyhill in 1953, [2] He enlisted in the Air Force entering pilot training at 19. [2] [1] [3]
Urschler was a command pilot who spent 28 years of his 32-year career with Strategic Air Command. [3] He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in business economics from Park College, Parkville, Missouri, in 1973. [2] He completed Squadron Officer School, Air Command and Staff College and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. [1] During the Cold War, he flew reconnaissance missions in the skies over the Soviet Union, China and North Korea. [3]
Insignia | Rank | Date |
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Brigadier General | May 31, 1980 | |
Second Lieutenant | August 1955 | |
Brigadier General Regis Urschler was awarded the Order of the Sword on May 1, 1985.
General Urschler has been awarded the following awards and decorations:
Regis Urschler never married. [3] After a 32-year military career, he retired from the Air Force on June 1, 1985. He underwent five-way bypass heart surgery in 2001, and returned to flying his P-51 for several years. In retirement alone, Urschler has logged more than 3,000 hours at air shows in his private P-51 Mustang, named "Gun Fighter". After turning 80 years old in 2015, he no longer flies. Today he enjoys gardening and nature. [3] [1]
The Boeing RC-135 is a family of large reconnaissance aircraft built by Boeing and modified by a number of companies, including General Dynamics, Lockheed, LTV, E-Systems, and L3 Technologies, and used by the United States Air Force and Royal Air Force to support theater and national level intelligence consumers with near real-time on-scene collection, analysis and dissemination capabilities.
Davis–Monthan Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base 5 miles southeast of downtown Tucson, Arizona. It was established in 1925 as Davis–Monthan Landing Field. The host unit for Davis–Monthan AFB is the 355th Wing assigned to Twelfth Air Force (12AF), part of Air Combat Command (ACC). The base is best known as the location of the Air Force Materiel Command's 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group, the aircraft boneyard for all excess military and U.S. government aircraft and aerospace vehicles.
Offutt Air Force Base is a U.S. Air Force base south of Omaha, adjacent to Bellevue in Sarpy County, Nebraska. It is the headquarters of the U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM), the 557th Weather Wing, and the 55th Wing of the Air Combat Command (ACC), the latter serving as the host unit.
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The 55th Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to Air Combat Command. The wing is primarily stationed at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, but maintains one of its groups and associated squadrons at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, as a geographically separated unit.
The 55th Operations Group is a component of the 55th Wing, assigned to the United States Air Force Air Combat Command. The group is stationed at Offut Air Force Base, Nebraska.
Royal Air Force Wormingford, or more simply RAF Wormingford, is a former Royal Air Force station located 6 miles (9.7 km) northwest of Colchester, Essex, England.
First Lieutenant Jarvis Jenness Offutt was an American aviator from Omaha, Nebraska, who died in World War I. Offutt Air Force Base is named in his honor.
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The 343d Reconnaissance Squadron is a United States Air Force unit part of the 55th Wing at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. It operates the RC-135V/W Rivet Joint aircraft conducting reconnaissance missions.
The 338th Combat Training Squadron is a United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the 55th Operations Group, stationed at Offut Air Force Base, Nebraska. The 338 CTS performs the initial, requalification, and upgrade training as the RC-135 "Rivet Joint", "Cobra Ball", and "Combat Sent" Formal Training Unit (FTU).
Charles J. Adams was a brigadier general in the United States Air Force.
George David Miller is a retired American Air Force lieutenant general whose last assignment was vice commander in chief, Strategic Air Command, headquartered at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. He assumed this position September 1, 1981, and served until August 31, 1984.
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Gavin P. Marks is a United States Air Force brigadier general currently serving as the Commandant of Cadets of the United States Air Force Academy since 2023. He previously served as Director, Secretary, and Chief of Staff of the Air Force Executive Action Group.
This article incorporates public domain material from 55th Wing – Fact Sheet. Air Force Historical Research Agency.