John Mckone was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Air Force on July 31, 1954.

During the summer of 1960, John was the navigator on an RB47 reconnaissance aircraft based out of Forbes Field in Topeka, Kansas. He and his fellow air crew were deployed to England, and on one fateful mission his aircraft was shot down by Soviet fighters on July 1, 1960. Earlier that year, Frances Gary Powers had been shot down while flying a U2 cold war reconnaissance mission over the Soviet Union, so tensions were high between the United States and the Soviets.

As a Prisoner of War, he and the only other survivor from his aircraft, then Captain Freeman B. Olmstead, spent almost seven months in the infamous Lubyanka prison. Both were released from captivity on January 24, 1961.

In 1962, their ordeal was captured in an account by William Lindsay White, entitled, The Little Toy Dog: The story of the two RB-47 flyers, Captain John R. McKone and Captain Freeman B. Olmstead. He found himself on the cover of Time Magazine, and met with President John F. Kennedy. Upon their return, he and Olmstead were greeted as American heroes.

John was awarded the Silver Star for actions during the Cold War between July 1, 1960-January 24, 1961. Because of the sensitivity of his mission, he did not receive the award until later on in his career.

In addition to the Silver Star, John was the recipient of the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross and the POW medal.

Captain O’Grady is a former United States Air Force fighter pilot. On June 2, 1995, he was shot down over Bosnia by an SA-6 mobile SAM launcher and forced to eject from his F-16C into hostile territory. After nearly a week of evading the Serbs he was eventually rescued by Marines. Previously he took part in the Banja Luka incident where he fired upon six enemy aircraft.

The 2001 film Behind Enemy Lines is loosely based upon his experiences

Bernard William Rogers was a United States Army general who served as the Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, and later as NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander, Europe and Commander in Chief, United States European Command.

His decorations include the Distinguished Service Cross, the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Silver Star, four awards of the Legion of Merit and three awards of the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Rogers was Chief of Staff of the United States Army from October 1, 1976, until June 21, 1979. Some highlights of his tenure include supervising the Army’s move to a 24-division, all-component force; establishing priorities for near-term readiness, midterm modernization, and long-term sustainability; establishing a program to enhance the quality of life of Army personnel; and suggesting a limited draft to fill the Individual Ready Reserve.

He continued the reforms he began as a division commander as Army chief of staff from 1976 to 1979, improving training programs and developing plans for a modern “quick-strike” force. He also took steps to make the Army more friendly toward women and minorities, calling on commanders to “eliminate any discriminatory handling of soldiers.”

Rogers was responsible for starting the Army’s renaissance after falling into a state of low morale and readiness following the Vietnam War.

Rowell was a highly decorated United States Marine Corps aviator who achieved the rank of lieutenant general by the end of his 40 years of service. He served as Director of Marine Corps Aviation from May 30, 1935 until March 10, 1939 and was one of the three senior officers of Marine Corps aviation during World War II

Captain Alexander Rives Skinker was a Medal of Honor recipient during World War I. He graduated from Washington University in St. Louis in 1905. He served in the Missouri National Guard from 1903 to 1908, and entered the Army as a commissioned officer in 1916. He was awarded the medal for leading an attack on German pillboxes in the Hindenburg Line during the Battle of the Argonne. Skinker was killed in the attack.

Lieutenant General DeWitt C. Smith Jr., was the longest-serving commandant of the U.S. Army War College at Carlisle Barracks. Smith served as war college commandant from 1974-77 and again from 1978-1980. He was also a student there in the 1960s. Major General David H. Huntoon Jr., current commandant of the war college, calls Smith an “outstanding military leader, educator, family man and patriot,” who served his country as a “courageous combat leader.”

Robert Donald Taplett was a highly decorated United States Marine who was most notable for commanding 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir during the Korean War for which he was awarded the Navy Cross – the second highest medal for valor in the United States Armed Forces.

Taplett served with distinction in the Marine Corps for 20 years. He served aboard ship in the Pacific Theater during World War II. During the Korean War, he served as commander of 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines. After retiring from the Marine Corps, he authored a book that chronicled his experiences during the Korean War.

Leon Vance received the Congressional Medal of Honor due to his bravery in World War II.

On June 5, 1944, Vance was assigned to lead the 489th BG on a diversionary attack against German coastal defenses near Wimereaux, France, in the Pas-de-Calais, to support the anticipated D-Day landings. The group had lost six bombers on a mission to bomb Brétigny Airfield near Paris on June 2 (Vance did not participate), partly as a consequence of attempting to bomb visually in poor weather conditions. As a result, the lead aircraft of the 489th’s formation on June 5 was a Pathfinder Force (PFF) “Mickey” B-24 detached from the 44th Bomb Group’s 66th Bomb Squadron to enable the group to bomb through overcast using “blind bombing” tactics. Vance positioned himself on the bomber’s flight deck, standing behind the aircraft commander and co-pilot.

After an 0900 takeoff, the group assembled its formation and climbed to its assigned 22,500 ft (6,900 m) altitude for the short flight to the French coast. The group approached the target area from the south but the bombs of the lead aircraft failed to release, and as a result none of the group bombed. Vance decided to make a second pass over the target rather than jettison the bombs into the English Channel, but as the formation approached the target a second time, it came under intense anti-aircraft fire (“flak”). The lead B-24 immediately sustained heavy battle damage. It continued the bomb run, however, and toggled its ordnance, but was further damaged by multiple flak bursts. In all, four crewmen were wounded, three of the four engines were disabled, and fuel lines ruptured in the fuselage. In addition, one of the aircraft’s bombs again failed to release. Immediately after bomb release, shrapnel from a final burst killed the aircraft commander and wounded Vance, nearly severing his right foot, which became wedged in cockpit framework behind the copilot’s seat. In the chaos that followed, comments on the interphone led Vance to believe that the crew’s radio operator, wounded in the legs, was too seriously injured to be evacuated.

The B-24 lost altitude rapidly after the pilot was killed, but the wounded copilot regained controlled flight, preventing a stall by putting it into a steep glide to maintain airspeed. Despite shock from his own wound, Vance was able to assist the copilot in “feathering” the propellers, shutting down the over-strained fourth engine, and optimizing the glide of the crippled aircraft. The crew’s “Mickey” operator, 2nd Lt. Bernard W. Bail, tried to dislodge Vance’s pinned foot and applied a makeshift tourniquet.

When the B-24 reached the English coast, it was too damaged to land safely. Vance ordered the crew to “bail out,” and after most had complied, took the controls and turned the aircraft back over the channel, where the remainder parachuted into the sea. He decided to attempt a water landing in the belief that the injured radio operator was still on the aircraft, even though B-24s were notoriously ill-suited for “ditching.” From a semi-prone position over the power plant controls island between the crew seats, Vance flew the bomber mainly by use of ailerons and elevators, keeping a visual reference through the side window of the cockpit. Although the Liberator survived the ditching largely intact, its dorsal gun turret collapsed and pinned Vance inside the flooded cockpit as the bomber sank. An explosion blew him clear of the wreckage, however, and he was eventually able to inflate his Mae West. After searching for the radio operator, Vance swam towards shore. He was finally picked up by an RAF Air-Sea Rescue launch after fifty minutes.

Edwin Martin “Pa” Watson was a United States Army Major General, friend and a senior aide to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, serving both as a military advisor and Appointments secretary (a role that is now encompassed under the duties of the modern-day White House Chief of Staff).

Watson became Senior Military Aide to the newly inaugurated President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933. He helped FDR navigate the bureaucracy of the War Department and the Army, especially during the crucial years prior to America’s entry into the Second World War. He was also appointed the President’s Appointments secretary in 1938 after the previous secretary Marvin H. McIntyre’s illness prevented him from continuing with his duties, managing access to the President and dictating the tenor of his daily schedule.

By virtue of his proximity to the President, Watson was present at some of the defining moments of the Second World War. These included a meeting about the Einstein–Szilard letter, which would eventually lead to the creation of the Manhattan Project, and FDR’s agreement to the Atlantic Charter alongside British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, providing a framework for those values that would guide the post-war world. He was in constant contact with Generals Dwight D. Eisenhower and Douglas MacArthur and Admiral Nimitz. He attended the Teheran Conference where the first of the negotiations between FDR, Churchill, and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin took place. Although in poor health, he attended the Yalta Conference in February 1945 as well, where the Big Three negotiated for the future of Europe.

The War Department, in recognition of his service, posthumously awarded him the Distinguished Service Medal, which was presented by President Harry Truman and Eleanor Roosevelt to his widow Frances Nash Watson.

David Elmer Jeremiah was a United States Navy admiral who served as Vice Chairman and also acting Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

After his retirement from the Navy in February 1994, he worked in the field of investment banking. He served as partner and president of Technology Strategies & Alliances Corporation, a strategic advisory and investment banking firm engaged primarily in the aerospace, defense, telecommunications, and electronics industries.

During his military career Jeremiah earned a reputation as an authority on strategic planning, financial management and the policy implications of advanced technology.