BRIGADIER GENERAL WENDELL L. BEVAN, JR.

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75B00326R000100070002-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: December 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 12, 2002
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: July 15, 1970
• Content Type: BIO

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BRIGADIER GENERAL WENDELL L. BEVAN, JR.
Brigadier General Wendell L. Bevan, Jr., is Chief, Requirements and
Development Division, J-5, Organization of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Washington,
D.C.
on Nov. 7, 1920. He graduated
Okla
.,
General Bevan was born in Lawton,
from Wyoming Seminary High School in Kingston, Pa., attended the University of
Oklahoma for one year, and studied at Millard's'West Point Preparatory School in
Washington, D.C., prior to entering the United States Military Academy,.West
Point, N.Y. He entered flying school at Oklahoma City, received basic training
at Randolph Field and received his pilot wings upon completion of advanced
training at Ellington Field, Tex,, in December 1942. He graduated from the
Military Academy with the class of January 1943 and received his commission as
a second lieutenant.
General Bevan next completed B-26 transition school at Del Rio, Tex., and
was assigned as a B-26 aircraft pilot at MacDill Field, Fla., until August 1943.
He then attended transition school at Lockbourne Army Air Base, Ohio, to qualify
as a B-17 pilot and served as instructor pilot. In August 1944 he joined the
301st Bombardment Group of the Fifteenth Air Force in Italy and became Commander
of the 32nd Bombardment Squadron and later the 419th Bombardment Squadron,
During his tour of duty in Italy, he accumulated 230 combat flying hours in 30
missions and flew successively as a squadron, group, wing and Air Force leader.
At the end of the war in: Europe in June 1945 he was assigned as a B-29 pilot
at MacDill Field, Fla., and in November 1945 as base operations officer at
Mitchel Field, N.Y. He entered the Command and General Staff School at Fort
Leavenworth, Kans., in February 1946.
In June 1946 General Bevan was assigned to the War Department General Staff
in the G-3 Division in Washington, D.C. When the Air Force became a separate
military organization he was assigned to Headquarters U.S. Air Force as Chief
of the Air Rescue Branch, Operational Requirements Division, Deputy Chief of
Staff, Operations. In February 1950 he was assigned as Assistant Air Attache
for Central America, with residence in Guatemala City, Guatemala.
General Bevan was assigned to the Air Proving Ground Command at Eglin Air
Force Base,Fla., in June 1951 as Commander of the 3201st Base Flight Squadron.
He subsequently served as Executive Officer, Deputy Commander and Commander of
the 3201st Air Base Group. In August 1955 he entered the Air Command and Staff
College at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.; and upon completion of the course, he
remained at the school as a member of the faculty, serving as an instructor and
later as Chief of the Academic Plans Division.
On file USAF release 0 V E R
instructions apply.
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General Bevan returned to Headquarters U.S. Air Force in July 1959 where
he served in the office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, Personnel as Assistant
Chief of Promotion Policy, then became Chief of the Weapons Systems Branch,
Technical Training Division, and in 1962 was appointed Chief of the Technical
Training Division.
In July 1963 General Bevan went to Royal Air Force Alconbury, England,
as Vice Commander of the 10th Tactical'Reconnaissance Wing which became the
first U.S. Air Force wing to convert to and attain operational status in the
RF-4C aircraft. In June 1966 he returned to the United States and was assigned
as Vice Commander, 75th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, at Bergstrom Air Force
Base, Tex.
He assumed command of the 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing at Mountain
Home Air Force Base, Idaho, in November 1966. The 67th Wing was the first in
the Tactical Air Command to train RF-4C replacement air crews for Southeast
Asia; the first NATO dual based tactical reconnaissance and fighter squadrons
were assigned to the wing; and the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award was presented
for the period covering General Bevan's command.
In August 1968 General Bevan departed for Southeast Asia and in September
1968 became Commander of the 432nd Tactical Reconnaissance/Fighter Wing at
Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand. The 432nd is the only combat tactical
wing in the U.S. Air Force with both RF-4C and F-4D squadrons. During his tour
of duty as Wing Commander, General Bevan flew 111 combat sorties, including 20
over North Vietnam, on both fighter and reconnaissance missions, and the 432nd
Wing was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation, During June 1969 he was
assigned as Commander, Task Force Alpha at Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air Force
Base. He assumed duties in July 1969 as Director of Combat Operations for
Seventh Air Force at Tan Son Nhut Air Base, Republic of Vietnam, and was
primarily responsible for directing "out country" air operations.
General Bevan returned to the United States and in June 1970 was assigned
to the Organization of the Joint Chiefs of Staff as Chief, Requirements and
Development Division, J-5.
He is a rated command pilot with more than 5,200 flying hours to his
credit, including approximately 1,800 hours in jet aircraft. His military
decor o s include the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal,,t~Tegion of Merit
with oak leaf clusters, Distinguished Flying Cross with ev.e oak leaf
clusters Air Medal with eight oak leaf clusters, Air Force Commendation Medal,
and Army Commendation Medal.
General Bevan and his wife, the former Nancy Rittenhouse Porter of Kansas
City, Mo., have one son, Michael David. His hometown is Fort Walton Beach, Fla.
He was promoted to the temporary grade of brigadier general effective Aug,
1, 1969, with date of rank May 31, 1969.
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`1 NDELL LOWELL BEVAN JR, Brig General, RegAF,
~:,'''' ''L? .C:' C B%:? i : 7 November 1920, Lawton, Oklahoma,
Over 27 years as of January' 1970
ti?C::03 S A T i -,:DED A11) DEGREES : USMA, West Point, NY, BS, 1943; Prim Basic and
Adv Fly Sch, 1943; Under-grad Plt Tng (T33), 1953;
Acft Fran RB66 Pit, 1963; Tac Recon Crae, 1965; Comd
and Gen Staff College, 1946; Air Comd and Staff
College, 1956
u..r0.' CA.L RATING(S) : Command Pilot
i i ^ i -~O 2 ?,1' " ;~,~ i D'uTY ASSIGN TS : FROM TO
r.,
Stu O f, Prim, Basic and Adv Fly Sch, 877 Sq, Del Rio, Tex Jan 43 Aug 43.
a~d later Lockbourne AAB, Ohio
In str Pit (B1(), 17 Bomb Wg, Great Falls, Mont, 583 Bomb sq, Aug 43 Oct 44
Car: io, Nc'or and later Unit A, AAB, Sioux" City, Iowa
Pit (Bl7), 353 Bordo Sq, Mediterranean Theater Oct 44 Dec 44
Sc Op O'_' and later Sq Comdr, 32 Bomb Sq, 301 Bomb Gp, Jan 45 Oct 45
?`;~.iterrarean Theater
Pit (B29) and Asst Op Off, 326 AAFBU, CCTS, MacDill Fld, Fla Oct 45 Feb 46
and. lwtcr Sq H, 110 AAFBU, Mitchel Fld, NY
Stu Off, Coxd and Gen S taf f -. _ ':.cge, Ft Leavenworth, Kans Feb 46 May 46
Staff Gw;', Orgn and T. Div, ?,_.iS, Wash, DC May 46 Sep 47
Ch, 1Ieii and Ln Sec, DCS/O and later Off in Charge, La Heli. Sep 47 Mar 50
Air : cscue Rents, l:q USAF, Wash, DC -
Asst `4r Attache, 1134 Sp Acty Sq, Ft Myer, Va Mar 50 Jul 51
Sc C : d. , Acts Gp Comdr, Exec Off, Dep Gp Comdr and later Jul 51 Aug 55
Cp Comdr, 3201 AB Gp, Eglin AFB, Fla
Stu Off, Co:.:d and Staff Sch, Maxwell AFB, Ala Aug 55 Jun 56
Instr and. later Ch, Acad Plans Div, Comd and Staff Sci, Jul 56 Jul 59
:'. ax\; ell APE, Ala
Asst Ca, Pers Proc'Sep and Off Prom Br, Staff Off, Wpne Sys Jul 59 Jul 63
Br and later Ch, Tech Tn Div, D/Pers Proc and Tng, DCS/P
HQ USAF, Wash, DC
Vice Co:dr, 10 Tac Recon Wg, RAF Alconbury, England Jul 63 Jun 66
Vice Co:_d.r, 75 Tac Recon 1-1g, Bergstrom AFB, Tex Jul 66 Nov 66
Ccndr, 67 Tac Recon Wg, M.t Home AFB, Ida Nov 66 Sep- 68
Coa::dr, 1432 Tac Recon Wg, Udorn RTAPB, Thailand Sep 68, Jun 69
Dir, Cc: Opns, 7th Al?, an Son Nhut AB, Vietnam - Jul 69 Apr 70
Asst to the DCS/P, Hq USAF, Wash, DC May 70 Jun-70
Ch, Secs s Dev Div, J-5, OJCS, WashDC Jun 70 Jun 71
Dir Spec Projects,' Central. Contx.ol Grp, HgUSAF, Wash. ,'D. C. June 71
TEMPORARY
;ccoad Lieutenant 19 Jan 43 8 Feb 43
.''_s- Lieutenant 19 May 43 1 Apr 46
C?_ .gin 27 Mar 44 25 oct 48
I.: v017 14 Feb 45 23 Jan 52
Lieutci:ant CoJ.Appioved For Release 2003/02/22Q (t1$F 9P75B00326R00010d0700b2