‘ One of Us is NOT Going to Go Home Tonight ’
The Story Of An Ace Pilot , 55 Years Late
From Lt . Gener al Charles “ Chick ” Cleveland
Charles “ Chick ” Cleveland is a retired Air Force lieutenant general and fighter Ace . During his combat tour in South Korea , Cleveland shot down five MiG-15s and was also credited with one probable kill .
Later , Cleveland was named executive assistant to General William Westmoreland , commander of U . S . forces in Vietnam , vice commander of the 20th Tactical Fighter Wing in England , director of personnel programs at the Pentagon , and finished his career as commander of Air University .
Among Lt . Gen . Cleveland ’ s many decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster , the Silver Star , Legion of Merit , and Distinguished Flying Cross with oak leaf cluster .
I
was born in Hawaii , in 1927 , the same year that Charles Lindbergh made his famous flight across the Atlantic . My father was a lieutenant in the Army , and we moved from Hawaii to Fort Benning , Georgia . Even after my father ’ s early death , my mother loved the Army . While doing housework , she would sing “ The Caissons Go Rolling Along .”
After graduating from high school , I wanted to go to West Point in the worst way . Fortunately , I was able to do just that and emulate my big brother , who graduated in 1944 and entered
World War II right after . He was later wounded in the Battle of the Bulge , and I always looked up to him . The difficult decision for me came when it was time to choose which branch to enter after graduation from the academy . I was torn . Growing up , I wanted to be an infantry officer , like my father , but I had always been fascinated by airplanes . I used to read all the aviation magazines , and would marvel at the airplanes in movies . By the
THE VAUNTED F-86 SABRE , CONSIDERED THE BEST FIGHTER OF THE KOREAN WAR . OF THE 41 AMERICAN “ ACE ” PILOTS IN KOREA , ALL BUT ONE FLEW THE SABRE . time I was preparing to graduate from West Point in 1949 , the Air Force had become a separate branch of service , but they didn ’ t have an Air Force Academy yet , and they wanted their share of West Point graduates to come into the Air Force . I ranked my choices as Air Force number one , infantry number two , and artillery number three . Luckily for me , I ranked high enough in my class to get a commission in the Air Force , and I haven ’ t regretted it for a minute . I spent 35 years in the Air Force and loved every minute of it . Well , almost every minute . I didn ’ t enjoy getting shot at , but I loved the Air Force and still do .
As I wrapped up pilot training , the Korean War was picking up , and I felt like that was where I needed to be . The country had spent hundreds of thousands on me at the military academy and in pilot training , I felt it was my duty to go , and anyway , I wanted to go . I entered the war as a volunteer F-84 fighter pilot , arriving in Japan in February , 1952 . Soon after I got there , I learned I would be flying the F-86 , assigned to the 334 th Fighter Squadron of the 4 th Fighter Wing at Kimpo , along with several other pilots . We
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