Major General Earl S. Hoag     Information researched from http://www.af.mil/bios Born- 1895 Retired- February 1, 1953 Died- March 1, 1968   A native of the Midwest, Earl S. Hoag was born in Sioux City Iowa, in 1895. In February of 1917, he enlisted as a sergeant in the Signal Reserve Corps and soon after began flight training in Miami, FL at the Curtis Flying School. Later in 1917, he transferred to Rockwell Field, CA to finish flight training before being sent to Kelly Field, TX where he served as a flight instructor. Then in December he was commissioned as a first lieutenant in aviation.   General Hoag served as a post adjutant and commanding officer of the 50th and 88th Observation Squadrons at Scott Field, IL in May 1918. Then in 1919, he was sent to Kelly Field to serve as the commanding officer of the 11th Bombardment Squadron and the First Provisional Air Park Group and in 1920 he became a first lieutenant in the Air Service of the Army. From November 1920 to December 1922, Hoag served at Fort Howard, MD and at the Third Corps Area headquarters in Baltimore, MD.   He was assigned to the War Plans Section in the Office of the Chief of the Air Service in Washington, D.C. in September 1923. After this he was assigned to various bases such as Camp Nicols in the Philippine Islands, Brooks Field, TX and Chapman Field, FL where he became the commanding officer. Finally in 1935, he enrolled in the Air Corps Tactical School at Maxwell Field, AL, where he succeeded in graduating in 1936, and became adjutant of the First Wing at March Field, CA. Then in July 1937, he proceeded on to being the executive officer of the First Wing.   Between February and July 1940, he was appointed assistant to the chief of Planning and Equipment on the War Department General Staff and was named chief of the Development Section, Requirements and Distribution Branch of the Supply Division.   In February 1943, General Hoag was assigned to the Africa-Middle East Wing as and executive officer and immediately following, the commander. Later that year in October, he became the commanding general of the India-China Wing of Air Transport Command, which was later awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for its efficiency when delivering supplies during the war to the Republic of China.   The following year, Hoag was assigned to be commanding general of the European Division of Air Transport Command which helped in the invasion of Normandy.   Then in 1945, he was appointed the position of Deputy Assistant Chief of Staff, G-4, War Department General Staff. Then, two years later, he transferred to the Army Air Forces and was reassigned to the Research of Development Division on the War Department General Staff.   General Hoag was then, in August 1947, appointed chief of the U.S. Air Force Group of the American Mission for Aid to Turkey, and then in 1949, became the special assistant to the chief of staff for reserve forces at U.S. Air Force headquarters. For the duration of the rest of the year, Hoag was busy as he was appointed chairman of the Joint Troop Carrier Board at Washington and became director of the joint Air Transport Board which later moved to Fort Bragg, NC.   For his services, General Hoag has been honored with the “Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Air Medal, the War Department Army Commendation Ribbon, the British Honorary Companion, Most Excellent Order of the Bath, the Norwegian Order of St. Olav, Commander with Star, the Chinese Special Collar Order of Yun-Hui, and the French Legion of Honor, Chevalier, and Croix de Guerre with Palm.”   At the end of his career, Major General Earl S. Hoag was rated as a command pilot, combat observer, and aircraft observer.