[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 125 (Wednesday, August 1, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S10592]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
LIEUTENANT GENERAL ROBERT ALLEN BREITWEISER
Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I missed the 10:30 a.m. vote today
because I was at Arlington Cemetery for the interment services for LTG
Robert Allen Breitweiser. Lieutenant General Breitweiser was one of the
commanding officers of the Fourteenth Air Force when I served in the
China-Burma-India theater, and he turned into a good friend when he was
assigned to the Alaskan North American Air Defense Command from 1967 to
1969. It was also an occasion for me because Lieutenant General
Breitweiser's assistant was Tony Langhorn Motley, who, along with me,
survived the airplane crash in which my wife and four others were
killed in 1978.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Lieutenant General
Breitweiser's full biography be printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
Lieutenant General Robert Allen Breitweiser
Lt. Gen. Robert Allen Breitweiser is commander in chief,
Alaskan Command, and commander, Alaskan North American Air
Defense Command Region.
General Breitweiser was born in St. Joseph, Mo., in 1916.
He graduated from South Denver High School in Denver, Colo.,
in 1932 and attended the Colorado School of Mines at Golden,
Colo., for two years where he majored in Petroleum
Engineering. He obtained an appointment to the U.S. Military
Academy in 1934 and received a bachelor of science degree in
military science and engineering, ranking third in a class of
301.
The general completed primary and advanced flying schools
at Randolph and Kelly fields, Texas, in August 1939. He
remained at the Advanced Flying School as an instructor until
he went to Maxwell Field, Ala., as training group operations
officer. He was designated commandant of the Contract Primary
Flying School at Bennettsville, S.C. in August 1941. The
following February he was assigned to Headquarters, Southeast
Training Center, Maxwell Field, Ala.
Transferred to the China-Burma-India Theater in August
1943, General Breitweiser served with the Fourteenth Air
Force and the 68th Composite Wing. While with the Fourteenth
Air Force he served as General Chennault's personal
representative to General Wedemeyer, the China Theater
commander. During his duty tour in China, General Breitweiser
flew 120 combat hours on 22 combat missions, accounting for
numerous enemy trucks and river craft destroyed, plus one
6,000-ton freighter.
Returning to the United States in July 1945, he was
appointed deputy chief and later, chief of the Requirements
and Resources Branch, Military Personnel Division of Army Air
Force Headquarters, Washington, D.C. In August 1947, General
Breitweiser was transferred to Ramey Air Force Base, Puerto
Rico, and served as assistant executive officer, 24th
Composite Wing. He was appointed commander of the base in
July 1948, and served in that capacity until May 1949.
After graduating from the Air War College at Maxwell Air
Force Base, Ala., in 1950, General Breitweiser became
executive officer to the assistant secretary of the Air Force
for management in Washington, D.C. He served in that position
until November 1951, when he was appointed vice commander of
the 34th Air Division (Defense), Kirtland Air Force Base,
N.M.
Transferred to Ent Air Force Base, Colorado Springs, Colo.,
in May 1952, he was named assistant deputy chief of staff for
operations for the Air Defense Command.
In July 1954, the general returned to Washington, D.C., as
a student in the National War College. Upon his graduation in
June 1955, he was assigned as special assistant to the deputy
director for estimates, Directorate of Intelligence,
Headquarters, U.S. Air Force, and became chief of the policy
and management group the following February. In June 1956, he
was named deputy director of estimates, office of the
assistant chief of staff, intelligence, U.S. Air Force.
In February 1957, General Breitweiser was designated the
director for intelligence, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Washington,
D.C.
In July 1961, General Breitweiser became assistant chief of
staff, intelligence, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, and in
September 1963 he assumed command of the U.S. Air Force
Southern Command in Panama, Canal Zone. In August 1966, he
became vice commander, Military Airlift Command.
Among the general's awards and decorations are the
Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star
Medal, Air Medal, Army Commendation Medal with oak leaf
cluster, American Defense Service Medal, American Campaign
Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, World War II Victory
Medal, National Defense Service Medal with bronze star, Air
Force Longevity Service Award with silver and two bronze oak
leaf clusters, Order of Yunhui (Special Breast) of China,
Friendship Medal with Citation (Argentina), Royal Order of
the Sword (Grade of Knight Commander)--Sweden, National Order
of the Condor of the Andes (Grade of Commander--Certificate
of Honor)--Bolivia, Grand Star of Military Merit (Chile),
Order of Aeronautical Merit (Grade of Great Officer)--Brazil.
He is rated a command pilot.
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