Alvan Cullem Gillem II

Alvan C. Gillem II
Lieutenant General Alvan C. Gillem II (1970-1973)
Born	(1917-04-20)April 20, 1917 Nogales, Arizona, United States
Died	September 3, 2009(2009-09-03) (aged 92)
Place of burial	Arlington National Cemetery
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Air Force United States Army Air Forces United States Army Air Corps
Years of service	1940–1973
Rank	Lieutenant-General
Unit	Strategic Air Command
Commands held	108th Fighter-Bomber Wing Air University
Battles/wars	World War II Cold War Vietnam War
Awards	USAF Command Pilot's Wings Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Merit Distinguished Flying Cross Air Medal

Alvan Cullem Gillem II (April 20, 1917 – September 3, 2009) was a US Air Force officer who reached the rank of lieutenant-general. He was the first son of General Alvan C. Gillem Jr. (1888–1973) and Virginia (Harrison) Gillem (December 18, 1895 – October 25, 1964). He had two siblings, Richard D. Gillem (who became a lieutenant-colonel in the US Army) and Mary.

Gillem enlisted in the Army at Fort Monroe, Va., in 1935. He received a congressional appointment to the U.S. Military Academy for the fall of 1936, from which he graduated with the rank of Second Lieutenant in the spring of 1940.

Gillem immediately entered pilot training in the fall of 1940 and graduated in March, 1941 as a first lieutenant. He then served in Texas as a pilot-instructor from March 1941 to March 1943; he was promoted to major in 1943. In April 1943 he went overseas as a staff officer at headquarters of the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces in North Africa. Later he was transferred to the 31st Fighter Group in Italy where he learned to fly Spitfires and P-51 Mustang, and was credited with shooting down three enemy planes in air-to-air combat. He was promoted to lieutenant-colonel in May, 1944. In June 1944 he returned to the United States to serve in the Plans Division of the Headquarters, Army Air Forces in Washington, D.C.

In March 1946 Lieutenant-Colonel Gillem was a member of the original cadre that set up the Strategic Air Command's headquarters at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland. Gillem graduated from Air Command and Staff School in 1948. He was then seconded to the CIA from 1948 to 1950.

In July 1950 he was promoted to colonel. He was then assigned to Turner Air Force Base, Georgia, as deputy commander of the 31st Fighter Wing. In March 1951 he was assigned as Commander, 108th Fighter-Bomber Wing at Turner AFB. In December 1951 General Gillem went to England as Commander, Royal Air Force Station Upper Heyford, a part of SAC's 7th Air Division.