Charles Rankin Bond, Jr. | |
|---|---|
&sq=&lang=&file=File:Charles_R._Bond.jpg) Charles Bond (photo from Museum of Flight) | |
| Born | April 22, 1915 Dallas, Texas |
| Died | August 18, 2009 (aged 94) Dallas, Texas |
| Allegiance | United States China |
| Service | United States Army Air Corps Republic of China Air Force United States Army Air Forces United States Air Force |
| Years of service | 1932–1968 |
| Rank | Major general |
| Commands | Twelfth Air Force 28th Air Division 25th Air Division |
| Battles / wars | World War II Vietnam War |
| Awards | Air Force Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Merit (2) Purple Heart Army Commendation Medal Order of the Cloud and Banner with Cravat (China) Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) |
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Charles Rankin Bond, Jr. (April 22, 1915 – August 18, 2009) was an American pilot and United States Air Force officer. He served with the Flying Tigers in Burma and China during World War II. He was shot down twice and was credited with shooting down 9.5 Japanese airplanes. He later served in the Soviet Union as an aide and personal pilot to W. Averell Harriman. He rose to the rank of Major General and, during the Vietnam War, he was the deputy commanding officer of the 2d Air Division in Vietnam and the 13th Air Force in the Philippines. He retired from the United States Air Force in 1968 as commander of the Twelfth Air Force. In 1984, Bond's diary of his service with the Flying Tigers was published and became a bestseller.