Clifford Schoeffler – Brigadier General, United States Air Force

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BRIGADIER GENERAL CLIFFORD SCHOEFFLER

Retired September 1, 1975. Died August 22, 2005

Brigadier General Clifford Schoeffler is director of operations and training in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations, Headquarters Strategic Air Command, Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska.

General Schoeffler was born in 1924, in Lafayette, Louisiana, where he graduated from Lafayette High School in 1940. He attended the University of Southwestern Louisiana. In May 1942 he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps Reserve and in September entered active duty and began pilot training as an aviation cadet at Kelly Field, Texas. He received his pilot wings and commission as a second lieutenant in July 1943.

He then was assigned to the 466th Bombardment Group at Alamogordo, New Mexico, and in February 1944 went with this group as a B-24 pilot, to the Eighth Air Force in England. He returned to the United States in October 1944 after completing 30 combat missions. He was assigned to Bryan Army Air Base, Texas, where he graduated from the Instrument Instructor Pilot School in February 1945 and was retained as an instructor. He transferred to Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, in December 1945 and continued as an instrument instructor.

From February 1948 to July 1960, General Schoeffler was stationed at Carswell Air Force Base, Texas. During this period he graduated from the Air Tactical School at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida. While at Carswell he flew B-29 and B-52 aircraft, and accumulated more than 5,000 hours flying the B-36. He served consecutively as a crewmember, flight standardization chief, squadron commander, and deputy commander for operations of the 7th Bombardment Wing.

General Schoeffler graduated from the Air War College at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, in June 1961. He next was assigned to the 379th Bombardment Wing, equipped with B-52H aircraft, at Wurtsmith Air Force Base, Michigan, where he served as squadron commander, deputy commander for operations, and as a 40th Air Division operations staff officer. He returned to Barksdale Air Force Base, in May 1965, and was assigned as operations chief in the office of the inspector general, Second Air Force, and a year later became deputy commander for operations of the 2d Bombardment Wing.

He went to the Republic of Vietnam in June 1967 as deputy chief of the Strategic Air Command advanced echelon at Tan Son Nhut Air Base. He flew combat missions in B-52, KC-135, and UH-1 aircraft. In June 1968 he was transferred to Strategic Air Command headquarters as chief of the Contingency Division in the office of the deputy chief of staff, operations. In April 1972 he was assigned to the Organization of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Washington, D.C., as chief of the Strategic Operations Division within the Directorate of Operations. He returned to SAC headquarters in April 1974 to assume duties as director of operations and training.

His military decorations and awards include the Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star Medal, Air Medal with six oak leaf clusters, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters, Presidential Unit Citation Emblem, and the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award Ribbon. He is a command pilot with more than 10,000 flying hours.

Lafayette, Louisiana, is his hometown.

He was promoted to the grade of Brigadier General on April 2, 1973, with date of rank March 22, 1973.

The General will be laid to rest with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery on 28 October 2005.

SCHOEFFLER, CLIFFORD

  • BRIG GEN   US AIR FORCE
  • WORLD WAR II, KOREA, VIETNAM
  • DATE OF BIRTH: 03/08/1924
  • DATE OF DEATH: 08/22/2005
  • BURIED AT: SECTION 66  SITE 7226
    ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY

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