John G. Lorber

John G. Lorber
John G. Lorber
	General John G. Lorber
Born	December 25, 1941; Waverly, Iowa
Died	March 7, 2021 (Age 79); Colorado Springs, Colorado
Buried	US Air Force Academy Cemetery
Allegiance	United States of America
Service / branch	United States Air Force
Years of service	1964–1997
Rank	General
Commands	Pacific Air Forces; 432nd Tactical Fighter Wing; 79th Tactical Fighter Squadron
Battles / wars	Vietnam War
Awards	Legion of Merit; Distinguished Flying Cross (2); Air Medal (16)

General John George Lorber (December 25, 1941 - March 7, 2021)^[1] was a retired four-star general in the United States Air Force (USAF). He served as commander of Pacific Air Forces, Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii. As commander, he had responsibility for USAF activities spread over half the world in a command that supports 44,000 airmen serving principally in Hawaii, Alaska, Guam, Republic of Korea and Japan.

Background

General Lorber graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in 1964. He flew as a fast-moving forward air controller in the Vietnam War, has commanded a fighter squadron and wing, and is a command pilot with more than 5,000 flying hours, primarily in fighter aircraft. He retired from active duty on June 25, 1997.

Education

1964 Bachelor of Science degree, United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado
1974 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama
1979 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama
1979 Master's degree in personnel management, Troy State University, Alabama
1985 Air War College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama

Assignments

August 1964 - August 1965, student, pilot training, Laredo Air Force Base, Texas
August 1965 - April 1969, T-37 Tweet instructor pilot and check pilot, 3640th Pilot Training Squadron, Laredo Air Force Base, Texas
April 1969 - November 1969, student, F-4 Phantom II pilot training, Homestead Air Force Base, Florida
November 1969 - January 1971, F-4 aircraft commander, instructor pilot and standardization and evaluation flight examiner, flying combat as a fast-moving forward air controller, 497th Tactical Fighter Squadron "Night Owls," 8th Tactical Fighter Wing, Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand
January 1971 - May 1971, F-111 Aardvark aircraft commander, 442nd Tactical Fighter Training Squadron, Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada
May 1971 - January 1975, instructor pilot and standardization and evaluation flight examiner, 77th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 20th Tactical Fighter Wing, Royal Air Force Station Upper Heyford, England
January 1975 - July 1978, candidate counselor and recruiter specialist, athletic department, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado
August 1978 - November 1979, student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama
November 1979 - April 1980, operations officer, 77th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 20th Tactical Fighter Wing, RAF Upper Heyford, England
April 1980 - July 1982, commander, 79th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 20th Tactical Fighter Wing, RAF Upper Heyford, England. During this period, the 79th TFS was repeatedly recognized by NATO as the top squadron in the best prepared wing in NATO. Then Lt. Col. Lorber's initiatives such as the "Tiger Flag" joint training exercises with Royal Air Force fighter squadrons located in Scotland and the Radar Bomb Scoring site at RAF Spadeadam set a new standard for combat readiness exercises initiated and executed at the squadron level. A talented painter, his "Hard to be Humble" tiger painting is a powerful visual representation of his leadership style and single minded dedication to combat readiness.
July 1982 - August 1984, nuclear employment and policy planner, deputy director for force development and strategic plans, Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Washington, D.C.
August 1984 - June 1985, student, Air War College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama
July 1985 - July 1986, deputy commander of operations, 8th Tactical Fighter Wing, Kunsan Air Base, South Korea
August 1986 - June 1987, deputy chief of staff for operations, 5th Air Force, Yokota Air Base, Japan
June 1987 - July 1989, commander, 432nd Tactical Fighter Wing, Misawa Air Base, Japan
July 1989 - July 1992, deputy chief of staff, plans, Headquarters Pacific Air Forces, Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii
July 1992 - July 1993, director of plans, deputy chief of staff for plans and operations, Headquarters USAF, Washington, D.C.
July 1993 - October 1994, vice commander in chief, United States Air Forces in Europe, Ramstein Air Base, Germany
October 1994 - September 1997, commander, Pacific Air Forces, Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii