Ike and Thomas

William Waffle Thomas (December 29, 1919 – November 22, 2014) was an American Air Force officer who served as an Air Force One pilot for President Dwight D. Eisenhower from 1953 until 1961.[1] The call sign of "Air Force One" was used after an Eastern Airline flight having the same call sign with Eisenhower's flight shared the same aerospace. Thomas personally consider it a benign incident. In 1968, he received the Legion of Merit, the nation's second highest award.[2]

In 1942, Thomas was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army Air Force. During World War II, he served two years serving as a pilot in the China Burma India Theater. In 1948, he flew C-52s during the Berlin Airlift. In 1971, he retired as a colonel.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 "Col. William W. Thomas (Ret.) USAF". Retrieved 2014-12-16.
  2. ↑ "Col. William Thomas, former presidential pilot, dies at 94". 2014-11-23. Retrieved 2014-12-16.
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