Jack J. Catton

Who was Jack J. Catton?

General Jack Joseph Catton was a United States Air Force four-star general and was commander of the Air Force Logistics Command with headquarters at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and of the Military Airlift Command.

General Catton was born in Berkeley, California, in 1920. He attended Fairfax High School in Los Angeles, Santa Monica Junior College and Loyola University in Los Angeles, California.

He entered the Army Air Corps in 1940 as a flying cadet and received pilot training at Santa Maria, California, and Randolph and Kelly Fields in Texas. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Army Air Corps in February 1941.

Early in World War II, General Catton served as an instructor pilot at Barksdale Field, Louisiana, and Hendricks Field, Florida, and as a squadron commander at Lockbourne Field, Ohio. He flew the first B-29 bomber across the Pacific to the Mariana Islands in 1944. While serving with the XXI Bomber Command he was awarded the Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters and the Distinguished Flying Cross with oak leaf cluster for extraordinary achievement during combat missions against Japan.

In 1946 and 1947 General Catton took part in the first two atomic weapons tests in the Pacific. During this period, he also commanded the 65th Bombardment Squadron. In June 1948 he was assigned as chief of the Policy Branch, Directorate of Plans, at Strategic Air Command headquarters, Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland. He moved with the command to Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, as chief of the Requirements Branch, Directorate of Plans. After a successful bout with polio, he went to March Air Force Base, California, in 1950 and served as director of operations for the 22d Bombardment Wing and later for the 12th Air Division until November 1951.