Bench, Herbert G. (Herbert George), 1917-

Herbert George Bench (b. 1917, Eaton, Colorado), a Brigadier General in the U.S. Air Force, entered military service in June 1941 as an enlisted man after graduating from college and coaching various high school athletic teams in Missouri. Following training as an aviation cadet and attending Officer Candidate School, he was commissioned a second lieutenant, Army Air Corps, and served as a training officer in California during World War II. In the late 1940s, General Bench entered airborne training and upon graduation commanded a parachute infantry company at Fort Benning, Georgia. Assigned to Germany in 1949, he served as Headquarters Squadron commander and director of personnel for the 86th Fighter-Bomber Wing. General Bench held several responsible positions at Headquarters U.S. Air Force in Washington, DC in the 1950s while earning a master's degree at George Washington University. He also served in Europe as deputy chief of staff for personnel. General Bench retired in September 1968.