Abbott Congleton Greenleaf – Lieutenant General, United States Air Force

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Tuesday, June 25, 2002

Abbott Congleton Greenleaf, 75, an Air Force Lieutenant General who retired in 1980 as Deputy Chief of Staff for Programs and Evaluation, died of respiratory failure June 22, 2002, at Virginia Hospital Center-Arlington.

He lived in Falls Church, Virginia.

General Greenleaf began his military career as an enlisted man in the Navy during World War II. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1949, then served as an Air Force officer until retiring in 1980.

As a Command Pilot, he flew more than 50 types of military aircraft and logged over 5,000 flying hours, more than 600 of which were in combat. He participated in combat operations during the Korean War as a Flight Commander, Squadron Operations Officer and Bombardment Group Operations Officer, and during the Vietnam War as Vice Commander and Commander of a tactical airlift wing.

General Greenleaf was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and grew up in Cayuga, New York. He received his pilot wings at Reese Air Force Base, Texas, a year after graduating from West Point, then attended flight-instructor school at Craig Air Force Base, Alabama.

After returning from the Korean War, he received master's degrees in politics and public affairs from Princeton University, then taught government, history, geography and economics at West Point. He studied national security affairs at Dartmouth College.

In the 1960s, General Greenleaf served in a variety of capacities in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. He attended the National War College.

From 1969 until 1971, he was posted in Vietnam with a Tactical Airlift Wing at Cam Ranh Bay. After returning to the United States, he was Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations with the Headquarters unit of Air Force Systems Command at Andrews Air Force Base. In 1977, he became Deputy Chief of Staff for Programs and Resources. In 1979, the position was renamed Deputy Chief of Staff for Programs and Evaluation.

General Greenleaf's decorations included a Legion of Merit with three oak leaf clusters, a Distinguished Flying Cross, a Bronze Star, an Air Medal with five oak leaf clusters and an Air Force Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster.

General Greenleaf settled in the Washington area in 1958. He also had a home in Cayuga.

He was a member of the Episcopal Falls Church and the Masons.

His wife, Jean D. Greenleaf, died in 1993.

Survivors include four children, Abbott John Greenleaf of Cayuga, Gail Stuhlmiller of Midlothian, Virginia, Jennifer Greenleaf of Falls Church and Daniel Greenleaf of Basking Ridge, New Jersey; a brother, Emmett Greenleaf of Fairfax; and three grandchildren.

Courtesy of the United States Air Force

LIEUTENANT GENERAL ABBOTT C. GREENLEAF
Retired May 1, 1980

Lieutenant General Abbott C. Greenleaf was Deputy Chief of Staff, Programs and Evaluation, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.

General Greenleaf was born in 1926, in Pittsburgh. He attended elementary and secondary schools in Cayuga, New York, and Washington, D.C., and graduated from The Manlius School, Manlius, New York.

After 17 months of enlisted service in the U.S. Navy during World War II, he received an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, N.Y., and graduated in 1949 with a commission in the U.S. Air Force.

He received pilot training at James B. Connally and Reese Air Force bases, Texas. After earning his pilot wings in August 1950 at Reese Air Force Base, he remained there as a flight instructor. While assigned at Reese he also attended pilot instructor school at Craig Air Force Base, Alabama.

General Greenleaf completed combat crew training in A-26 aircraft at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, in August 1951. He then transferred to the 452nd Bombardment Wing (Light/Night Intruder) stationed at Pusan East Air Base (K-9), Republic of Korea, where he served successively as a Flight Commander and Squadron Operations Officer with the 728th Bombardment Squadron and
as a Group Operations Officer with the 452nd Bombardment Group. At Pusan East he met his future wife who was serving in Korea with the Air Force's Special Services.

In July 1952 General Greenleaf was assigned as an instructor at the Air Command and Staff School (squadron officer course), Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. In August 1953 he entered graduate school at Princeton University, New Jersey, and graduated in 1955 with a master's degree in politics. He also earned a master's degree in public affairs from Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.

From August 1955 until May 1959, General Greenleaf was assigned to the  Department of Social Sciences, U.S. Military Academy, first as an instructor in government, history, geography and economics and then as the assistant professor of international relations. In 1958 he received a Social Science Research Council fellowship to study national security affairs at Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire.

In 1959 General Greenleaf participated as a staff member of the President's Committee to Study the U.S. Military Assistance Program (“Draper” Committee). He was assigned in October 1959 to the Long-Range Objectives Group, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Policy, Headquarters U.S. Air Force. In 1960, while assigned to the Air Staff, he served with a defense reorganization study group under Secretary of Defense Thomas S. Gates.

From January 1961 until August 1964, General Greenleaf was assigned to the Office of the Secretary of Defense where he served successively as a military staff assistant in the Office of the General Counsel, the Directorate of Organizational and Management Planning; the immediate Office of the Secretary of Defense; and the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Administration.

He attended the National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C., from August 1964 until June 1965. During this period General Greenleaf also served as a staff assistant to retired U.S. Air Force General Thomas D. White, who was appointed by the secretary and the chief of staff of the Air Force to assess the U.S. Air Force Academy. During this period he also continued to work on projects for the secretary and deputy secretary of defense. From June 1965 through 1968, General Greenleaf was assigned as military assistant to the deputy secretary of defense. Following the Pueblo incident and the “Blue House” affair in January 1968, he was the military assistant to the U.S. presidential emissary to the president of the Republic of Korea.

From December 1968 to May 1969, General Greenleaf was a military staff assistant in the Organizational and Management Planning Division, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Administration.

In May 1969 he entered combat crew training in C-7s at Sewart Air Force Base, Tennessee, From September 1969 until April 1971, General Greenleaf served successively as vice commander and commander of the 483rd Tactical Airlift Wing, Cam Ranh Bay Air Base, Republic of Vietnam.

From May 1971 until August 1973, General Greenleaf was first assistant deputy chief of staff for operations and then deputy chief of staff for operations, Headquarters Air Force Systems Command, Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland.

In August 1973 he was assigned to the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, Programs and Resources, Headquarters U.S. Air Force as deputy director of programs. In May 1974 he become director, and in May 1977 he become deputy chief of staff,
programs and resources. In June 1978 the position of deputy chief of staff, programs and resources was redesignated deputy chief of staff, programs and analysis, and in January 1979 it become deputy chief of staff, programs and evaluation.

General Greenleaf is a command pilot. He has flown more than 50 different types of Air Force aircraft and has logged more than 5,000 flying hours, including more than 600 combat hours. His military decorations and awards include the Legion of Merit with three oak leaf clusters, Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star Medal, Air Medal with five oak leaf clusters, Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster, Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces Honor Medal 1st Class, Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation, Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with palm and Secretary of Defense Service Badge.

He was promoted to Lieutenant General June 1, 1977, with same date of rank.

GREENLEAF, ABBOTT C

  • LT GEN   US AIR FORCE
  • VETERAN SERVICE DATES: 06/23/1945 – 04/30/1980
  • DATE OF BIRTH: 06/23/1926
  • DATE OF DEATH: 06/22/2002
  • DATE OF INTERMENT: 07/26/2002
  • BURIED AT: SECTION 4  SITE 324
  • ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY

GREENLEAF, DANA PAUL

  • DATE OF BIRTH: 07/03/1961
  • DATE OF DEATH: 07/06/1961
  • DATE OF INTERMENT: 07/10/1961
  • BURIED AT: SECTION 4  SITE 324
  • ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY
  • SON (MINOR CHILD) OF GREENLEAF, ABBOTT C  LT GEN US AIR FORCE

GREENLEAF, JEAN D

  • DATE OF BIRTH: 07/04/1926
  • DATE OF DEATH: 10/30/1993
  • DATE OF INTERMENT: 11/19/1993
  • BURIED AT: SECTION 4  SITE 324
  • ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY
  • WIFE OF GREENLEAF, ABBOTT C LT GEN US AIR FORCE

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