Charles R. Holland

Charles R. Holland
General Charles R. Holland
Born	January 21, 1946 (1946-01-21) (age 65)
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Air Force
Years of service	1968-2003
Rank	General
Commands held	SOCPAC AFSOC USSOCOM
Battles/wars	Vietnam War Gulf War
Awards	Air Force Distinguished Service Medal Defense Superior Service Medal Legion of Merit (2) Distinguished Flying Cross Air Medal (5)

Charles R. Holland (born January 21, 1946) is a retired United States Air Force general who served as the Commander of United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) Headquarters at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. As Commander, he was responsible for all special operations forces of the Army, Navy and Air Force, both active duty and reserve.

Career

Holland entered the Air Force in 1968 after graduating from the United States Air Force Academy. His early commands over his career included a squadron and two Air Force wings. He served as Deputy Commanding General of the Joint Special Operations Command, was Commander of the Special Operations Command, Pacific, commanded the Air Force Special Operations Command at Hurlburt Field, Florida, and was the Vice Commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. His final assignment was commanding USSOCOM at MacDill. He retired November 1, 2003.^[1]

Flight information

General Holland is a command pilot with more than 5,000 flying hours and more than 100 combat missions, including 79 in an AC-130 Gunship in Southeast Asia. Aircraft flown include: C-130, C-37, AC-130, HC-130, MC-130, MH-53, MH-60, H-3, H-1 and T-39.^[1]

Personal

General Holland is married to the former Nancy Sammons and has two sons, USAF Major Charles M. Holland and Justin Holland.

Education

• 1968 Bachelor of Science degree in aeronautical engineering, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado
• 1974 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Alabama
• 1975 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence
• 1976 Master of Science degree in business management, Troy State University, Ramstein AB, West Germany
• 1978 Master of Science degree in astronautical engineering, Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
• 1982 National Security Management Course, by correspondence
• 1986 Industrial College of the Armed Forces, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
• 1990 Program for Senior Officials in National Security, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
• 1998 National and International Security Management Program, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Assignments

• August 1968 - August 1969, student, undergraduate pilot training, Reese AFB, Texas
• September 1969 - November 1969, student, initial C-130E pilot qualification training, Sewart AFB, Tennessee
• November 1969 - September 1972, C-130E pilot, 347th and 772nd tactical airlift squadrons, Dyess AFB, Texas
• October 1972 - January 1973, student, AC-130E combat crew training, Hurlburt Field, Florida
• January 1973 - January 1974, AC-130E/H aircraft commander, instructor pilot, and standardization and evaluation pilot, 16th Special Operations Squadron, Ubon Royal Thai AFB, Thailand
• February 1974 - January 1976, Air Operations Staff Officer, Directorate of Airlift, Headquarters U.S. Air Forces in Europe, Ramstein AB, West Germany
• January 1976 - April 1977, Joint Training Exercise Plans Officer, Military Airlift Center Europe, Ramstein AB, West Germany
• May 1977 - December 1978, astronautical engineering graduate student, Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
• January 1979 - May 1983, Chief, Space Shuttle Flight Operations Branch, later, Deputy Director for Policy Planning, later, Executive to the Commander, Space Division, Los Angeles Air Force Station, California
• June 1983 - August 1983, student, C-130E requalification course, Little Rock AFB, Arkansas
• September 1983 - June 1985, Commander, 21st Tactical Airlift Squadron, Clark AB, Philippines
• July 1985 - June 1986, student, Industrial College of the Armed Forces, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
• June 1986 - June 1987, Deputy Chief, Airlift and Training Division, Directorate of Operational Requirements, Deputy Chief of Staff for Research, Development and Acquisition, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
• June 1987 - June 1988, Chief, Airlift and Training Division, Directorate of Strategic, Special Operations Forces and Airlift, Military Deputy for Acquisition, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force, Washington, D.C.
• June 1988 - June 1991, Vice Commander, later, Commander, 1550th Combat Crew Training Wing, Kirtland AFB, New Mexico
• June 1991 - June 1993, Commander, 1st Special Operations Wing, Hurlburt Field, Florida
• June 1993 - June 1995, Deputy Commanding General, Joint Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, North Carolina
• June 1995 - June 1997, Commander, Special Operations Command, Pacific at Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii
• July 1997 - August 1999, Commander, Air Force Special Operations Command, Hurlburt Field, Florida
• August 1999 - October 2000, Vice Commander, U.S. Air Forces in Europe, Ramstein AB, Germany
• October 2000 - October 2003, Commander, Headquarters U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill AFB, Florida

Awards and decorations

•   Air Force Distinguished Service Medal
•   Defense Superior Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
•   Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster
•   Distinguished Flying Cross
•   Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
•   Air Medal with four oak leaf clusters
•   Joint Meritorious Unit Award with oak leaf cluster
•   Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with V device and oak leaf cluster
•   Air Force Organizational Excellence Award with two oak leaf clusters
•   Combat Readiness Medal
•   National Defense Service Medal with service star
•   Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal with service star
•   Vietnam Service Medal
•   Southwest Asia Service Medal with service star
•   Air Force Overseas Ribbon-Short
•   Air Force Overseas Ribbon-Long with two oak leaf clusters
•   Air Force Longevity Service Award Ribbon with seven oak leaf clusters
•   Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon
•   Air Force Training Ribbon
•   Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm
•   Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal
•   Kuwait Liberation Medal (Government of Kuwait)

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "General Charles R. Holland". official biography. United States Air Force. 2003. http://www.af.mil/information/bios/bio.asp?bioID=5834. Retrieved October 10, 2010. 

United States Air Force portal

 This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Government document "http://www.af.mil/information/bios/bio.asp?bioID=5834".

Persondata
Name	Holland, Charles R.
Alternative names
Short description	Retired United States Air Force four-star general
Date of birth
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death