William Greenfield Obituary

Major General William D. Greenfield, USAF retired, passed away on Thursday, May 19 at a local care center with his loving wife at his bedside. General Greenfield was from Dayton, Ohio. He was preceded in death by his parents, Dr. and Mrs. Earl S. Greenfield and sister, Lillian G. Runyon. He graduated from: Oakwood High School in Dayton, from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio in 1936 and from the Air War College. He entered primary flying school at Lincoln Nebraska in August 1939 and advanced flying schools at Randolph and Kelly Fields, Texas. He received his wings and was commissioned a 2nd Lt. in May 1940. His first Air Corps assignment was at Langley Field, Virginia with the 8th Pursuit Group. In early 1941, he and 11 other young Lieutenants were sent on a secret mission to obtain first hand knowledge of fighter tactics in the British Royal Air Forces. He flew spitfires with some of the best RAF squadron in the British Isles for three months. During that time, the American pilots were invited to have tea with the King and Queen of Windsor Castle. They also met the two princesses, one of whom is the present queen. Soon after Pearl Harbor, General Greenfield was sent to the southwest Pacific with the 80th Pursuit Group, where he flew combat missions against the Japanese from small air strips in New Guinea. On November of 1942, he was assigned his first command of the 313th Fighter Squadron at the Army Air Force Tactical School in Orlando, Florida. Later, he assumed command of the 50th Fighter Group to join the 9th Air Force. He led his fighter group in the first fighter cover for the first wave of landing forces on the Normandy Beach head. His group soon flew from small air strips in France beyond the beaches. In November, 1944 General Greenfield was assigned to the Army Air Forces Board in Orlando, Florida. Returning to civilian status in October 1945, he flew for Trans-World Airline and held the rank of Colonel in the inactive reserves. In July 1946, he accepted a regular commission in the Army Air Force and was assigned to the Operations Division at Army Air Force Headquarters, Washington, D.C. In September 1949, General Greenfield was appointed Chief of the U.S.A.F. mission to Venezuela, where he had both military and diplomatic positions. Returning to the U.S. in August 1952, he attended the Air War College at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. His next commands were varied: the 4706th Air Defense Wing at O'Hare Field; the 4711th Air Defense Wing at Presque Isle Air Force Base, Maine; Deputy for Operations, Eastern Air Defense Force Headquarters at Stewart Air Force Base in New York. In early 1958 he was transferred to Rabat, Morocco and assumed command of the 316th Air Division. Upon returning from overseas in 1960, he was assigned to Air Defense Command as Commander of the Syracuse Air Defense Sector at Hancock Field. In August 1961, he became Vice Commander of the 26th Air Division. One year later, he assumed command of the Boston Air Defense Sector at Stewart Air Force Base, New York. His next command was of the Chicago Air Defense Sector, headquartered at Truax Field, Wisconsin. In July 1964, he was named Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations, Headquarters A.D.C. and in 1965, he became Deputy Chief of Staff of Operations there. His final major command was as Commander of the Tenth Air Force in Kansas City, Missouri. He returned to Colorado Springs in early 1970 as Head of Operations at Air Defense Command and NORAD. He retired May 1, 1970 and continued living in Colorado Springs. His military decorations include: the Distinguished Service Medal, Air Medal with 7 Oak Leaf Clusters, Croix de Guerre with Palm (Belgium), the Croix de Guerre (France) and the Air Force Cross (Venezuela). General Greenfield married the former Nancy Clark Pribe of Cincinnati, Ohio on October 21, 1942. They have three children: Dr. William Greenfield, Jr. of Portland Oregon, Linda Greenfield Sturges of Glenwood Springs, and Ann Greenfield of West Concord, Massachusetts. They have seven grandchildren: Geoff, Amelia Ara, Monica, Luke, Kate and Maggie. They also have six great-grandchildren: Aidan, Emma, Robin, Lauren, Arwen and Gabriel. General Greenfield flew 112 combat missions and was a command pilot with more than 6,000 hours. A private inurement will take place before the memorial service at Broadmoor Community Church, 315 Lake Ave. on Wednesday, May 25 at 11:00 a.m. Memorial contributions may be made to Pikes Peak Hospice or to Goodwill Industries.