John W. Handy

John W. Handy
General John W. Handy
Born (1944-04-29) April 29, 1944 (age 80)
Raleigh, North Carolina
AllegianceUnited States
Service / branchUnited States Air Force
Years of service1967–2005
RankGeneral
CommandsUnited States Transportation Command
Air Mobility Command
Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force
21st Air Force
Tanker Airlift Control Center
Battles / warsVietnam War
Gulf War
AwardsDefense Distinguished Service Medal (2)
Air Force Distinguished Service Medal
Legion of Merit (2)

John William Handy[1] (born April 29, 1944)[2] is a retired United States Air Force officer. Serving from 1967 to 2005, he reached the rank of general and held a number of high-ranking commands.

Handy was commissioned in 1967, and received his pilot wings in 1968. His early commands included the 21st Air Force at McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey; the Air Mobility Command's Tanker Airlift Control Center; two airlift wings; and a maintenance squadron. He then served as director of operations and logistics for the United States Transportation Command; director of programs and evaluations; and deputy chief of staff for installations and logistics with the Air Staff in Washington, D.C. His final two postings were as Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force, from 2000 to 2001, and Commander of the United States Transportation Command and Air Mobility Command, from October 2001 until September 2005.

Handy is a command pilot with more than 5,000 flying hours, principally in airlift aircraft. As a C-130 Hercules pilot, he logged more than 300 combat hours in Southeast Asia.

  1. ^ "Biographical and Financial Information Requested of Nominees". Hearings Before the Committee on Armed Services, United States Senate (PDF). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. 2002. pp. 1506–1508. ISBN 9780160692970. Retrieved 2021-03-30.
  2. ^ U.S. Dept of Defense News Release Archived 2010-11-29 at the Wayback Machine