Air Force Historical Foundation
Board of Directors
Directors
- Capt. Jennifer A. Brown, USAF
- Lt. Col. John Farquhar, USAF, Retired, Ph.D.
- Maj. Gen. Walter D. “Walt” Givhan, USAF, Retired
- Col. Phillip S. Meilinger, USAF, Retired, Ph.D.
- Lt. Col. John Terino, USAF, Retired, Ph.D.
- Brig. Gen. Paul Tibbets, IV, USAF, Retired
- Col. Darrel Whitcomb, USAFR, Retired
President's Advisory Council
- Robert Arnold
- Joe Burke
- David Byrd
- Mike Devine
- Tobias Naegele
- John “Pepe” Soto
- Bill Strandberg
- Kristin Walker
- Richard Wolf
Past Foundation Chair
- Gen James M. “Mike” Holmes, USAF, Retired
ABOUT
Directors
Lt Col John Farquhar, USAF Retired, Ph.D.
Following graduation with the Class of 1980, Farquhar flew as a navigator in the RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft with the 38th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron, Strategic Air Command. He amassed 4,600 flying hours in Cold War operational reconnaissance missions and in operations to monitor Iraq and Bosnia. He also served as Director of Wing Plans for the 55th Wing at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska where he coordinated worldwide readiness, operational, and contingency planning for the largest flying wing in Air Combat Command. In 1999, Farquhar served as the US European Command Theater Reconnaissance Scheduler for Operation ALLIED FORCE, the air campaign against Serbia. In 2002, Lt Col Farquhar worked as a Strategic Plans Officer for the Special Operations Command Central (SOCCENT), a component of US Central Command, where he drafted, revised, and briefed long-range plans for Operation ENDURING FREEDOM, the global war on terrorism.
With a Master’s Degree in U.S. Diplomatic History from Creighton University and a Ph. D. in American Military History from Ohio State, Lt Col Farquhar specialized in aviation history. He has taught courses in the history of air power, sea power, World War II, unconventional warfare, and general military history at the United States Air Force Academy. In 2004, Air University Press published his book, A Need to Know: The Role of Air Force Reconnaissance in War Planning, 1945-1953.
https://www.usafa.edu/facultyprofile/?smid=16083
Maj. Gen. Walter D. "Walt" Givhan, USAF, Retired
General Givhan, a native of Safford, Ala., graduated from Morgan Academy in Selma, Ala., and the University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn., where he was a National Merit Scholar. He served as the U.S. air liaison officer to the commanding general, French ground forces, for operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and he led the effort to rebuild the Afghan air force as Commanding General of the Combined Air Power Transition Force. The general has commanded a combat training squadron, an operations group, an air base wing, an air expeditionary wing, and the Air Force Institute of Technology.
General Givhan’s previous staff assignments include deputy military assistant to the Secretary of the Air Force; Chief of the Congressional Action Division for Air Force Legislative Liaison; Chief, Combat Forces Division, Directorate of Programs; and Director, Secretary of the Air Force and Chief of Staff Executive Action Group, Headquarters U.S. Air Force. He was also a Military Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. Prior to his current assignment, he was Deputy Assistant Secretary for Plans, Programs, and Operations, in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs.
He is a command pilot with more than 2,500 flying hours in the T-37, T-38, T-1, AT-38, F-15 and A-10 aircraft.
Col. Phillip S. Meilinger, USAF, Retired, Ph.D.
Colonel Meilinger received a BS degree from the United States Air Force Academy, an MA degree from the University of Colorado, and obtained a PhD in military history from the University of Michigan. A command pilot, he has served as a C-130 aircraft commander and instructor pilot in both Europe and the Pacific. He was also assigned to the Doctrine Division of the Air Staff at the Pentagon.
Meilinger was the director of military history and deputy department head at the Air Force Academy, a professor of strategy at the US Naval War College and was founder and first Dean of the School of Advanced Airpower Studies—now the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies—the Air Force’s only accredited graduate school for the education of future strategists. The SAASS has produced some of the most innovative leaders in the USAF.
Upon retiring from the AF, Meilinger worked as a defense analyst in the Washington DC area for six years at SAIC and Northrop Grumman. He has lectured at various military and civilian venues all over the world and is the author of more than a dozen books and over a hundred articles dealing with airpower and military history, operations, and theory. formation of strategy and theory in broad and substantial ways.
Phil was the 2023 recipient of AFHF’s I.B. Holley Award.
Lt. Col. John Terino, USAF, Retired, Ph.D.
John Terino is a professor of Comparative Military Strategy and the Chair of the Department of Airpower at the Air Command and Staff College. He joined the faculty in 2008 after more than 22 years as an officer in the Air Force. While on active duty, Dr. Terino served in acquisition, supply, security assistance, and logistics readiness billets. He also earned a PhD in the History and Sociology of Science from the University of Pennsylvania and served tours as a professor at the Air Force Academy, the Air Command and Staff College, and the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies. At ACSC, he teaches courses on Airpower Theory, Practice, and History; Leadership; Joint Warfighting, and an elective on the Air Force in Fact, Fiction and Film. He is currently working on an edited volume on American popular culture and war and is researching the evolution of precision guided weapons from Vietnam to the present.
Brig. Gen. Paul Tibbets, IV, USAF, Retired
Paul W. Tibbets IV received his commission through the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1989. Following graduation, he served in a variety of operational assignments as a B-1 and B-2 pilot. The general commanded the 393rd Bomb Squadron and 509th Bomb Wing, both assigned to Eighth Air Force. He flew combat missions in support of operations in Southwest Asia, the Balkans and Afghanistan and was awarded the Bronze Star and Distinguished Flying Cross. Paul retired from the U.S. Air Force as a Brigadier General with more than 4,000 flying hours after nearly 30 years of service.
Paul is currently the Global Strike Portfolio Lead for LinQuest Corporation. He is also the President and Owner of Strike Advanced Solutions, LLC, as an Independent Consultant. He assesses strategic plans, risk management programs and leadership strategies to find optimum solutions to business challenges. Strike Advanced Solutions also provides leadership coaching, messaging, speeches/seminars, mentoring and networking/teambuilding. Additionally, Paul is a First Officer for FedEx Express, flying the B-777.
Col. Darrel Whitcomb, USAFR, Retired
Darrel D. Whitcomb graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in 1969 and went on to serve three tours in Southeast Asia as a cargo pilot and forward air controller. He flew combat missions over Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. Whitcomb was awarded a Silver Star and two Distinguished Flying Crosses for his service. He retired from the Air Force Reserve as a colonel in 1999 and then retired from Delta Airlines as an international captain in 2003. Colonel Whitcomb has published five books on aviation and combat rescue operations.