Gordon A Blake

US Air Force Lieutenant General. A decorated veteran of World War II, he rose in rank to become the Director of the National Security Agency. Born Gordon Aylesworth Blake, after graduating from high school in Charles City, Iowa in 1927, he received an appointment to attend the US Military Academy at West Point, New York and graduated in June 1931 with a commission as a 2nd lieutenant in the Coast Artillery Corps. He then attended the Primary and Advanced Flying Schools and received his pilot wings in October 1932 and transferred to the US Army Air Corps three months later and assigned to a pursuit squadron at Barksdale Field (now Barksdale Air Force Base), Louisiana. In July 1934 he entered Signal School at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey and after completing the Communications Officer's Course the following June, he became an instructor at the US Army Air Corps Technical School at Chanute Field, Illinois (now closed). In February 1939 he was assigned as a communications officer to the 18th Composite Wing in Hawaii where he was stationed when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. He spent the remainder of World War II in the Pacific Theater of Operations and was responsible for the establishment of the Air Communications Office for Alaska. In November 1945 he returned to the US and became the deputy commander of Airways and Air Communications Service at Langley Field (now Langley Air Force Base, a part of Joint Base Langley-Eustis), Virginia. In August 1947 he entered the Air War College at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama and the following year he was assigned to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio where he worked in research and development. Form 1948 until 1951 he was assigned to the Armament laboratory there and in 1951 he was promoted to the rank of brigadier general and placed in charge of 12 developmental laboratories. From June 1952 until January 1953 he was the Vice-Commander of Wright-Patterson and was transferred to Headquarters US Air Force, Washington DC, where he was appointed deputy director of communications in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, becoming director of communications the following month. In June 1956 he was promoted to the rank of major general and became Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Operation at Headquarters US Air Force and the following year he was selected as Commander of the US Air Force Security Service in San Antonio, Texas. In September 1959 he was sent to Honolulu, Hawaii and became the Vice Commander-in-Chief and Chief of Staff at Headquarters Pacific Air Forces. He then returned to the US in July 1961 and became Commander of Headquarters Continental Air Command (now dissolved) at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia and was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general three months later. In July 1962 he became the Director of the National Security Agency at Fort Meade, Maryland and he retired in this position in 1965 with 34 years of continuous military service. Among his military decorations and awards include the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal (with one oak leaf cluster), the Silver Star, the Legion of Merit (with one oak leaf cluster), the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal (with one oak leaf cluster), the Army Commendation Medal, the American Defense Service Medal (with base clasp), the American Campaign Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (with four service stars), the World War II Victory Medal, the National Defense Service Medal (with one oak leaf cluster, the Air Force Longevity Service Award (with seven oak leaf clusters), the Philippine Liberation Medal (with two stars), and the Philippine Independence Medal. He died at the age of 87. The Lt. Gen. Gordon A. Blake Aircraft Save Award, given for the safe recovery of an imperiled airborne aircraft or assistance provided to an endangered aircraft on the ground, was named in his honor.