William W. Momyer
| William Wallace Momyer | |
|---|---|
General William W. Momyer
|
|
| Nickname(s) | Spike |
| Born |
September 23, 1916 Muskogee, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Died | August 10, 2012 (aged 95) Merritt Island, Florida, U.S. |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch |
 United States Army Air Corps United States Army Air Forces United States Air Force
|
| Years of service | 1938–1973 |
| Rank |
 General
|
| Commands held |
 Tactical Air Command Air Training Command Seventh Air Force 832d Air Division 312th Fighter-Bomber Wing 314th Air Division 8th Fighter-Bomber Wing 33rd Fighter Group
|
| Battles/wars |
World War II Vietnam War |
| Awards |
Distinguished Service Cross Air Force Distinguished Service Medal Silver Star (3) Legion of Merit (3) Distinguished Flying Cross |
William Wallace Momyer (September 23, 1916 – August 10, 2012) was a general officer and fighter pilot in the United States Air Force. Among his notable posts were those commanding the Air Training Command, the Seventh Air Force during the Vietnam War, and the Tactical Air Command (TAC). During his tour in Southeast Asia, he was concurrently the deputy commander of the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV) for air operations and thus responsible for Operation Rolling Thunder, the air campaign against North Vietnam, which Momyer executed in the face of micromanagement from President Lyndon B. Johnson and Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara.
Momyer was acknowledged in the Air Force community as "a true expert in tactical air warfare." His predecessor as commander of TAC described him as difficult to work for or with because he was "much smarter than most people." After his retirement in 1973, he spent five years researching and writing Airpower in Three Wars, his treatise on airpower doctrine, strategy, and tactics.
Momyer is a controversial figure historically for an incident of racial intolerance during World War II when as a fighter group commander he recommended that the 99th Fighter Squadron, a segregated African American unit then attached to his command, be removed from combat operations. The controversy reached the highest levels of the United States Army Air Forces, was widely reported in the American press, and resulted in an official study that exculpated the "Tuskegee Airmen."
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