Billy Joe Boles (July 27, 1938[1] – December 9, 2021)[2] was a retired United States Air Force four-star general. At the time of his retirement, he was Commander of the Air Education and Training Command, a 70,000-person organization, responsible for recruiting, training and educating Air Force personnel. He served for more than three years as the Senior Personnel Officer for the US Air Force, at that time a 700,000-person organization, worldwide. In his early career, Bill served in key leadership positions throughout the Air Force, to include four tours of duty at Air Force headquarters in Washington DC. During his command and staff assignments he had extensive experience in media relations and in presenting Air Force programs to congressional committees.
Billy J. Boles | |
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Born | King, North Carolina, U.S. | July 27, 1938
Died | December 9, 2021 Fort Sam Houston, Texas, U.S. | (aged 83)
Allegiance | United States of America |
Service/ | United States Air Force |
Years of service | 1962–1997 |
Rank | General |
Commands held | |
Awards | |
Alma mater | North Carolina State University (BS) |
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1st Row | Air Force Distinguished Service Medal | Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster | Bronze Star Medal | |||||||||
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2nd Row | Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters | Air Force Commendation Medal | Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | Air Force Organizational Excellence Award with four oak leaf clusters | ||||||||
3rd Row | National Defense Service Medal with service star | Vietnam Service Medal with four service stars | Air Force Overseas Ribbon - Short | Air Force Longevity Service Award Ribbon with 7 oak leaf clusters | ||||||||
4th Row | Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon | Air Force Training Ribbon | Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation | Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal |
This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Air Force