Bernard Adolph Schriever
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General Bernard Adolph Schriever (September 14, 1910–June 20, 2005) was born in Bremen, Germany, and after immigrating to the United States, played a major role in the U.S. Air Force programs for space and ballistic missile research.
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[edit] Early Years
Bernard Adolph Schriever was born in Bremen, Germany. His father was an engineering officer on a German ship which was interned in New York Harbor in 1916, as World War I was becoming heated. His mother, Elizabeth, was able to get passage for herself and her two sons aboard a Dutch freighter bound for New York so that she could rejoin her husband. The family arrived in January 1917, just before the United States entered the war.
Schriever and his family moved to New Braunfels, Texas, a community with a large German-speaking population, and then later to San Antonio, Texas. His father died in an accident in 1918, leaving Schriever and his brother in foster care until his grandmother was able to come from Germany to take care of them so that their mother could work.
Schriever became a naturalized citizen in 1923. He earned a B.S. from Texas A&M University in 1931 while participating in the school's Corps of Cadets, an ROTC program. He received a commission in the Army artillery, but in July 1932 began flight training at Randolph Field. He was commissioned into the Army Air Corps in June 1993.
[edit] Career
After serving in Panama at Albrook Field, Schriever was forced out of the Air Corps in 1937 due to budget cuts and become a pilot with Northwest Airlines. The following year he rejoined the military, becoming a test pilot. He graduated from the Air Corps Engineering School in July 1941, and received an M.A. in aeronautical engineering from Stanford University in aeronautical engineering in 1942, also receiving a promotion to Major.
Although Schriever had requested to be transferred to a combat zone after the bombing of Pearl Harbor launched the US into the Second World War, his request was not approved until after his studies were completed. In July 1942 he was assigned to the 19th Bomb Group in the Pacific theatre as a bomber pilot.
When his unit was reassigned to the States in 1943, Schriever moved to the 5th Air Force Service Command where he eventually became commanding officer of advanced headquarters for the Far East Air Service Command. This meant he was now in charge of maintenance for bases in New Guinea, Leyte, Manila, and Okinawa, Japan. By the end of the war he had worked his way to Colonel.
After the War ended, Schriever reported to the Army Air Forces Headquarters, serving in various capacities for much of the next decade. In this time he also graduated from the National War College, and earned a promotion to Brigadier General.
In 1954 he headed a group of officers who formed what is now the US Air Force's ballistic and systems division. This division was responsible for creating the intercontinental ballistic missile, among others. The research also led to breakthroughs that allowed satellites to be launched into space.
Schriever was promoted to full General on July 1, 1961 and became commander of a new organization, the Air Force Systems Command, which was responsible for acquiring all missiles. By 1963, he oversaw 40% of the Air Force budget.
[edit] Later Years
He retired in 1966, although he continued to act as an advisor for various corporate and government clients. In honor of his service, on June 5, 1998, Schriever Air Force Base was named for him.
On October 5, 1997 Schriever married his second wife, popular singer Joni James. He had three children from his first marriage to Dora Brett, Brett, Dodie, and Barbara.
General Schriever passed away on June 20, 2005 at the age of 94 from complications of pneumonia.
