General Robert M. Bond

Lieutenant General Robert M. Bond was vice commander, Air Force Systems Command, Andrews Air Force Base, Md. General Bond was born in Trenton, Tenn., in 1929. He graduated from Ashland (Miss.) High School in 1948 and attended Marion Military Institute in Marion, Ala., and the University of Mississippi. He graduated from the Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., in 1966.

He enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1951 and after a year in the aviation cadet program earned his pilot wings and commission in October 1952. He completed advanced gunnery training at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., and was assigned to the 51st Fighter-Interceptor Wing at K-13 Airfield, South Korea, where he flew 44 combat missions in F-86s. From 1954 to 1959, General Bond was stationed at Alexandria (now England) Air Force Base, La. As a member of the 389th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 366th Tactical Fighter Wing, he participated in several of the early non-stop deployments to Europe, flying F-84s, F-86s and F-100s. From July to October 1958, he attended the U.S. Air Force Fighter Weapons School at Nellis Air Force Base. Upon deactivation of the 366th Tactical Fighter Wing in spring 1959, the general returned to Nellis and served as an instructor pilot in the Fighter Weapons School and was a member of the 1960 Nellis Weapons Team. He transferred in the fall of that year to the Training Research and Development Section of the Fighter Weapons School as an F-105 project test pilot. In 1963 he was assigned to the 6002nd Standardization and Evaluation Group at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, and was chief of the Strike Branch. While stationed at Kadena he flew F-105 combat missions in Southeast Asia.

The general attended Air Command and Staff College from 1965 to 1966 and then joined the Directorate of Safety, Headquarters 1002nd Inspector General Group, Norton Air Force Base, Calif., as the F-105 and F-111 project officer. In August 1968 he was assigned to Cam Ranh Bay Air Base, Republic of Vietnam. He flew 213 combat missions in F-4s and progressed from flight commander to operations officer. He was assigned to Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., in July 1969 as an F-100 instructor pilot. In January 1970 he assumed command of the 310th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron, the first Air Force A-7 unit. While stationed at Luke he progressed from squadron commander to director of operations for the 58th Tactical Fighter Training Wing. The general returned to England Air Force Base in June 1972 as vice commander of the newly reorganized 23rd Tactical Fighter Wing. During this assignment he served on temporary duty in Southeast Asia flying combat missions in A-7s.

In June 1973 he became deputy director for general purpose forces, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. He was responsible to the director of operational requirements, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, Research and Development, for establishing and validating operational requirements and system modifications for tactical fighter and airlift aircraft and their associated weaponry and subsystems. General Bond was assigned to Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., in August 1978, as commander of the Armament Division (formerly the Armament Development and Test Center), Air Force Systems Command. He assumed his duties as vice commander, Air Force Systems Command in June 1981.

He is a command pilot with more than 5,000 flying hours, primarily in tactical fighter aircraft. His military decorations and awards include the Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star, Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, Air Medal with 11 oak leaf clusters, Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award ribbon with four oak leaf clusters and several foreign decorations. He was promoted to lieutenant general June 1, 1981, with same date of rank.

General Bond was killed in an aircraft crash at the Nevada Test Site April 26, 1984.

Biography courtesy of the USAF - http://www.af.mil/information/bios/index.asp