Colonel Thomas S. Pugh
9th SRW Commander
July 1982 to July 1983
Colonel Thomas S. Pugh
9th SRW Commander July 1982 to July 1983
Colonel Thomas S. Pugh was born
on September 30, 1935 in Fort Lewis, Washington, and graduated from Highline
High School, Seattle, Washington in 1953. He attended Central Washington State
University and graduated in 1958 with a Bachelors of Arts degree in Economics
and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the ROTC program. He completed
graduate studies at George Washington University with a specialty in public administration.
He was graduated from the Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ga., in
1973, and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, National Defense
University in 1979.
He attended pilot training at Bartow AFB, Fla., and Webb AFB, Texas in 1958-1959. He was awarded his pilot's wings in November 1959 and was assigned to McConnell AFB, Kan., for B-47 training.
Colonel Pugh was transferred to MacDill AFB, Fla., where he served as a B-47E pilot with the 306th Bomb Wing. When that unit was deactivated in 1963, Colonel Pugh was selected for B-52 training at Castle AFB, Ca., and Walker AFB, N.M. After completing his training, he was assigned to the 91st Bomb Wing at Glascow AFB, Mont. as a B-52D pilot. In addition to his normal duties, Colonel Pugh was also the officer in charge of the base Instrument Ground School and a standardization/evaluation instructor pilot. While assigned to the 91st Bomb Wing, he completed two "Arc Light" tours, flying combat missions in Southeast Asia from bases in Guam, Okinawa and Thailand. When the 91st Bomb Wing was deactivated in 1968, Colonel Pugh was transferred to the 456th Bomb Wing at Beale AFB, as Chief of Standardization Division.
Colonel Pugh was selected for the SR-71 program and was transferred to the 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing in 1969. While assigned as an SR-71 pilot in both the 99th and the 1st Strategic Reconnaissance Squadrons, he performed worldwide reconnaissance missions from overseas locations. He was selected for duty in the SR-71 Test Force at AFP-42, Palmdale, Ca. He served as Chief of the Flight Test Engineering Branch and Chief of the Flight Test Division.
Colonel Thomas Pugh is a command pilot with 6,000 flying hours which includes 735 hours in the SR-71. He has flown 121 combat missions and logged 907 combat hours in the B-52 and SR-71.
His military decorations include the Distinguished Flying Cross, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal with nine Oak Leaf clusters, Air force Commendation medal with three Oak Leaf clusters. He is a member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots, the Order of Daedalions, and the Air Force Association and the 15th Air Force Heritage Association.
He served as 9th SRW Vice Commander for two years and assumed command of the 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing on July 20, 1982. He served in that capacity to July 1983.
Colonel Pugh is married to the former Deanna Winner, both are from Seattle, Washington. They have four daughters; Cathy,Sherrie, Laurie and Diane.
(Current to July 1983)