Alvan Alvan Cullem Gillem II

Background

He was the first son of General Alvan C. Gillem Junior. (1888–1973) and Virginia (Harrison) Gillem (December 18, 1895 – October 25, 1964).

Education

He received a congressional appointment to the United States. 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.

Career

He had two siblings, Richard Doctorate. Gillem (who became a lieutenant-colonel in the United States Army) and Mary. Gillem enlisted in the Army at Fort Monroe, Virginia., in 1935. 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. there 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, District of Columbia Gillem graduated from Air Command and Staff School in 1948.

He was then seconded to the Central Intelligence Agency 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 Air Force Base. In December 1951 General Gillem went to England as Commander, Royal Air Force Station Upper Heyford, a part of SAC"s 7th Air Division.

In 1953 Gillem attended the Air War College.

In 1954 he was then was assigned as deputy commandant, Command and Staff School, Air Command and Staff College. In 1956 he became commandant of the Command and Staff School from 1956 to 1957.

In 1957 he became commander of the 380th Bombardment Wing at Plattsburgh Air Force Base, New New York In 1961 he was promoted to Brigadier-General and was given command of SAC"s 820th Air Division at Plattsburgh Air Force Base. In September 1961 was assigned to Westover Air Force Base, Massachusetts, as commander of the 57th Air Division.

In July 1963 he was transferred to Homestead Air Force Base, Florida, where he became commander of the 823d Air Division.

In August, 1963 he was promoted to major general. In May 1964 General Gillem was transferred to SAC headquarters at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, as Deputy Director of Operations. In June 1968, upon promotion to lieutenant general, he took over the 3d Air Division at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, where for the following 26 months he commanded SAC"s B-52 and KC-135 forces operating in the Western Pacific and Southeast Asia.

In April 1970 the 3d Air Division was redesignated the Eighth Air Force.

Gillem became the 12th commander of United States Air Force Air University on August 1, 1970, retiring on November 1, 1973 after serving there for three years. General Gillem died in 2009.

He is buried in Arlington Cemetery.

Achievements

• In July 1965 he was named Director of Operations (later redesignated as Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations) in July 1965.

Membership

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.