| Charles G. Boyd | |
|---|---|
General Charles G. Boyd |
|
| Born | April 13, 1938 |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Air Force |
| Years of service | 1959 – 1995 |
| Rank | General |
| Commands held | Air University |
| Battles/wars | Vietnam War |
| Awards | Air Force Cross Air Force Distinguished Service Medal Silver Star (2) Legion of Merit (3) Distinguished Flying Cross Bronze Star with "V" device (3) Purple Heart (3) |
| Other work | Council on Foreign Relations Business Executives for National Security |
Charles Graham Boyd (born April 13, 1938) is a retired four-star general of the United States Air Force. Boyd is a highly decorated combat pilot who served in Vietnam; and is the only Vietnam War prisoner of war (1966–1973) to reach the four-star rank (1992). His final Air Force assignment was as deputy commander in chief, U.S. European Command, Stuttgart-Vaihingen, Germany. He retired from the Air Force in 1995 and has remained active in the national security realm, including as a program director of the Council on Foreign Relations and as president of Business Executives for National Security. He is a member of the guiding coalition of the Project on National Security Reform.
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Charles Graham Boyd was born on April 15, 1938 near Rockwell City, Iowa.[1] He entered the United States Air Force in April 1959.[2]
Boyd received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Kansas in 1975, and earned his Master of Arts degree from the same in 1976. His military education included attending the Air War College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama in 1977. In 1986, he participated in the Program for Senior Executives in National and International Security at Harvard University.
Boyd was commissioned as a second lieutenant through the aviation cadet program in July 1960 and served served in a variety of assignments in Europe, the Pacific, and the Continental United States. A command pilot, with over 2,400 flight hours, he flew F-100s and F-105s in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. He was shot down on April 22, 1966[1] while on his 105th mission.[3] From 1966 to 1973[4] (2,488 days),[3] he was a prisoner of war,[4] interned in various prisons in North Vietnam.[5] He was released on February 12, 1973 as a part of Operation Homecoming.[1]
Boyd was vice commander of Strategic Air Command's 8th Air Force, director of plans at Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C., and commander of Air University, with headquarters at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, before becoming deputy commander in chief, U.S. European Command, Stuttgart-Vaihingen, Germany, which was his final assignment.
His Air Force assignments include:[2]
His promotions and dates of rank are:[2]
General Boyd's major military awards and decorations include:[2]
Following his retirement from the Air Force in 1995, Boyd served as strategy consultant to Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Newt Gingrich. From July 1998 he was executive director of the U.S. Commission on National Security for the 21st Century, whose final report in January 2001 predicted a growing threat to the United States from terrorism. He has also served as senior vice president and Washington program director of the Council on Foreign Relations.[3]
From May 1, 2002 until December 31, 2009, he was the president and CEO of Business Executives for National Security (BENS), a national security public interest group. From December 14–17, 2009, Boyd led a delegation from BENS to Pyongyang, North Korea, to discuss economic issues with officials from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea government.[6] Boyd remains involved with BENS as a member of the Board of Directors.[7]
He is a member of the board of directors at defense electronics firm, DRS Technologies; graphics software firm, Forterra Systems; and venture capitalists In-Q-Tel, who support the work of the Central Intelligence Agency.
His wife is Jessica Tuchman Mathews,[3] president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.[8] General Boyd is a widower — his first wife, Millicent Sample Boyd (April 23, 1938–April 11, 1994) is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.[5]