Edward B. Giller

Edward Bonfoy Giller
Born July 8, 1918[1]
Jacksonville, Illinois, United States
Died October 1, 2017 (aged 99)
Bernalillo, New Mexico, United States
Allegiance  United States
Service/branch United States Air Force
Rank Major General
Commands held Research Directorate
Air Force Special Weapons Center

Edward Bonfoy Giller (July 8, 1918 – October 1, 2017) was a United States Air Force (USAF) Major General who served as the assistant general manager for military application, United States Atomic Energy Commission,[2] Germantown, Maryland. Giller was assistant director and then director of the Research Directorate for the Air Force Special Weapons Center at Kirtland Air Force Base in the 1950s and 60s.[3]

Career

Giller served as a P-38J Lightning[4] and P-51D Mustang fighter pilot with the 343d Fighter Squadron, 55th Fighter Group, for the United States Army Air Force during World War II. His P-38 and all four of his Mustangs were named "The Millie G", for his wife, airline stewardess Mildred, and coded 'CY-G'.[5][6][7] He served as commanding officer of the 343d, and later, as deputy commmander of the 55th.[8] He had three confirmed kills, including a Messerschmitt Me 262 over Munich on 9 April 1945. Giller also had six credited ground kills and two damaged.[9] He was wounded when his cockpit was hit by flak over Munich on 16 April 1945 - he flew two hours to the UK with one arm.[10]

His military decorations and awards include the Silver Star, Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster, Distinguished Flying Cross with oak leaf cluster, Air Medal with 17 oak leaf clusters, Purple Heart, Distinguished Unit Citation Emblem, and the Croix de Guerre (France).

Personal life

Giller was born in Jacksonville, Illinois in 1918.[11] He grew up in White Hall, Illinois. He attended Kemper Military School for his last two years of high school. He then attended the University of Illinois, where he was a member of Gamma Zeta chapter of Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. He was married to his wife, the former Mildred Schmidt, of Grants Pass, Oregon, for 69 years until her death 16 November 2012.[12] They had five children.[13] Giller died in October 2017 at the age of 99.[14]

Documentary

Giller appeared in the television documentary To Mars by A-Bomb: The Secret History of Project Orion (BBC, 2003).

References

  1. ↑ Effects of a Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty on United States National Security Interests. U.S. Government Printing Office. August 1978. |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  2. ↑ "Major General Edward B. Giller". U.S. Air Force Military Biographies. via HighBeam (subscription required). January 1, 2004.
  3. ↑ Dyson, George (2002). Project Orion : the true story of the atomic spaceship (1. ed.). New York: Henry Holt and Co. pp. 193–5. ISBN 9780805059854.
  4. ↑ http://www.americanairmuseum.com/person/51497
  5. ↑ http://www.station131.co.uk/55th/Pilots/343rd%20Pilots/Giller%20Edward%20B%20Maj.htm
  6. ↑ https://atoillinois.com/following-the-fascinating-career-of-maj-gen-edward-giller-40-who-got-his-start-at-ato/
  7. ↑ http://www.littlefriends.co.uk/55thfg.php?action=list_records&recs=25&sort_order=DESC&order_by=Markings
  8. ↑ http://www.af.mil/AboutUs/Biographies/Display/tabid/225/Article/106966/major-general-edward-b-giller.aspx
  9. ↑ http://www.station131.co.uk/55th/Pilots/343rd%20Pilots/Giller%20Edward%20B%20Maj.htm
  10. ↑ http://www.americanairmuseum.com/person/51497
  11. ↑ "Major General Edward B. Giller". United States Air Force. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  12. ↑ https://atoillinois.com/following-the-fascinating-career-of-maj-gen-edward-giller-40-who-got-his-start-at-ato/
  13. ↑ http://obittree.com/obituary/us/new-mexico/albuquerque/french-funerals--cremations/mildred-giller/2258650/
  14. ↑ Obituary for Edward Bonfoy Giller Jr.
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