Andrew J. Evans, Jr. – Major General, United States Air Force

Courtesy of the United States Air Force:

MAJOR GENERAL ANDREW J. EVANS JR.
Retired September 1, 1973. Died December 25, 2001

Major General Andrew J. Evans Jr., was commander of the U.S. Military Assistance Command, Thailand, and chief, Joint U.S. Military Advisory Group, with headquarters at Bangkok.

General Evans was born in 1918, in Charleston, South Carolina. He graduated from Columbus High School in Columbus, Georgia, and attended The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina. In 1937 he entered the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., from which he graduated in 1941 with a bachelor of science degree and commission as Second Lieutenant. He next attended pilot training at Randolph Field, Texas.

During World War II he served with fighter squadrons in the United States, Iceland and the European Theater of Operations, and attended the Command and General Staff School, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. He completed two combat tours of duty and is credited with 129 fighter combat missions with eight enemy aircraft destroyed in aerial combat. He is credited with destroying four enemy aircraft on one mission. At the cessation of hostilities in Europe, he was commander of the 357th Fighter Group in Neubiberg, Germany.

He returned to the United States in 1946 and served until 1952 in various assignments including: the staff of Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, March 1946 – August 1947; attended the Air Command and Staff School, August 1947 – June 1948; on the Joint Staff, Organization of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Washington, D.C., June 1948 – June 1950; executive officer to the chief of staff, U.S. Air Force, July 1950 – July 1951; and attended the Air War College, Maxwell Air Force Base, August 1951 – June 1952.

General Evans again went overseas in June 1952 for a third combat tour of duty. He served as deputy commander of the 49th Fighter-Bomber Wing in Korea and completed 67 combat missions. He returned to the United States in September 1953 and was a member of the faculty at the Air War College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. In January 1956 he became commander of the 414th Fighter Group at Oxnard, Calif. From January 1957 to September 1959 he served as vice commander, New York Air Defense Sector, McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey.

His next assignment was in July 1960 as commander of the 65th Air Division at Torrejon Air Base, Spain. In this position, he was responsible for conducting the joint air defense and training mission with the Spanish air defense commander.

General Evans returned to the United States in October 1963 and was assigned to the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, Research and Development, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, as director of development planning. In June 1964 he became director of development with additional duty as special assistant to the deputy chief of staff for research and development for counterinsurgency. In August 1968 he was assigned as commander of the U.S. Air Force Tactical Air Warfare Center at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida.

In October 1970 he assumed duties as deputy commander, Seventh Air  Force/Thirteenth Air Force, with headquarters at Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand. General Evans was appointed commander of the U.S. Military Assistance Command, Thailand, and chief of the Joint U.S. Military Advisory Group, Thailand, in July 1971.

His military decorations and awards include the Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross with two oak leaf clusters, Air Medal with 12 oak leaf clusters, Army Commendation Medal, Purple Heart, Distinguished Unit Citation Emblem, French Croix de Guerre and Korean Ulchi with silver star.

General Evans' hometown is San Antonio, Texas.

He was promoted to the grade of Major General effective September 1, 1966, with date of rank July 1, 1961.


EVANS, MAJ. GEN. ANDREW J., JR., USAF (Ret.)

On Tuesday, December 25, 2001. Major General Evans who fought in three wars was an “Ace” in WWII, a POW in Korea and the Director of Research and Development at the Pentagon from 1964 to 1968. He is survived by his sons, A. Jay Evans and Col. Dick Evans; his daughters, Susan Cheatwood and Cathy Geib and 10 grandchildren. Burial will be at Arlington National Cemetery at 3:00 p.m. on Monday, January 14, 2002.

Webmaster: Michael Robert Patterson


EVANS, ANDREW J JR

  • MG   US AIR FORCE
  • VETERAN SERVICE DATES: 09/01/1943 – 09/01/1973
  • DATE OF BIRTH: 11/11/1918
  • DATE OF DEATH: 12/25/2001
  • DATE OF INTERMENT: 01/14/2002
  • BURIED AT: SECTION 4  SITE 49-2
  • ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY

EVANS, CLAIRE B

  • DATE OF BIRTH: 07/21/1919
  • DATE OF DEATH: 11/14/1973
  • DATE OF INTERMENT: 11/16/1973
  • BURIED AT: SECTION 4  SITE 49-2
  • ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY
  • WIFE OF EVANS, ANDREW J JR  MG US AIR FORCE

ajevansjr-gravesite-photo-august-2006

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