MAJOR GENERAL FAY R. UPTHEGROVE
Retired
July 31, 1957
Died January 08, 1992
Fay Roscoe Upthegrove was born in Port
Allegheny, Pennsylvania, in 1905. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy on June
14, 1927 and was commissioned a second lieutenant of Infantry.
That
fall General Upthegrove entered Primary Flying School at Brooks Field Texas and
graduated from Advanced Flying School at Kelly Field, Texas in October 1928. He
then became engineering officer of the 15th Observation Squadron at Selfridge
Field, Michigan, and in January 1929 was transferred to the Air Force. Entering
the Chemical Warfare School at Edgewood Arsenal, Maryland, a month later, he
graduated that April and returned to the 15th Observation Squadron.
Moving to March Field, California, in June 1930, General Upthegrove was an
instructor at the Primary Flying School. In October 1931 he was named supply
officer of the Primary Flying school at Randolph Field, Texas, and the following
March was appointed adjutant of the 47th School Squadron there.
Going
to Luke Field, Hawaii, in November 1934, General Upthegrove was named flight
commander of the Fourth Observation Squadron the following January and assumed
command in August 1936. Transferred to Mitchel Field, New York, he was assigned
duty as operations and intelligence officer of the 99th Bomb Squadron. Entering
the Air Corps Tactical School at Maxwell Field, Alabama, in May 1939, he graduated
that August and returned to Mitchel Field as commander of the 99th Bomb
Squadron.
Ordered to Langley Field, Virginia, in December 1940, General
Upthegrove became materiel officer of the 22nd Bomb Group, and a month later its
executive and operations officer, moving with the bomb group to Jackson Field
Mississippi, several months later. After serving in the Southwest Pacific area from
February to April 1942, he assumed command of the 305th Bomb Group at Salt Lake
City, Utah. Two months later he took command of the 99th Bomb Group at
Davis-Monthan Field, Arizonia, taking it to Gowen Field, Idaho, Sioux City, Iowa,
and then to North Africa in January 1943. A year later he assumed command of
the 304th Bomb Wing, Fifteenth Air Force, in Italy.
Returning to the United
States in August 1945, General Upthegrove assumed command of the 76th Flying
Training Wing at Smyrna Field, Tennesee, and that December took command of the 30th
Flying Training Wing at Turner Field, Georgia. In May 1946 he was designated
commanding general of Chanute Field, Illinois. Transferred to U.S. Air Forces in
Europe at Wiesbaden, Germany, in November 1948, the following month he assumed
command of the 7l00th Headquarters Command Wing, USAFE.
Joining the
Strategic Air Command in June 1951, General Upthegrove became deputy commander
of the Second Air Force at Barksdale Air Force Base, Lousiana, becoming commander of
the Fourth Air Division there in October 1952. The following January he assumed
command of the Twentith Air Force, Far East Air Forces on Okinawa, and on March 1,
1955, assumed command of the 313th Air Division, FEAF.
Transferring to
the Air Training Command on September 1, 1955, General Upthegrove assumed command of
the 3380th Technical Training Wing at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss.
His
decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star, Distinguished
Flying Cross with oak leaf cluster and Air Medal with 10 oak leaf clusters. He
is rated a command pilot, combat observer and senior aircraft observer.