Sessums, John W. (John Walker), 1904-1989

John Walker Sessums, Jr. (b. 1904, Little Rock, Ark.-d. July 20, 1989), U.S. Air Force officer, was a college graduate who earned his pilot wings in 1928 and received a regular commission in the Air Corps the following year. During World War II, he served at Army Air Forces HQ as a fighter project officer and chief, Aircraft Production Division. In 1945 he became chief of plans for the XXII Tactical Air Command (TAC) in Italy, flying 22 combat missions; was appointed chief of staff, XXII TAC; and was assigned as chief of staff, 12th Air Force, Mediterranean Theater. Sessums held a number of key positions in the Research and Development field in the late 1940s, and in 1952 assumed command of the 13th Air Force in the Philippines. In 1954 he became vice commander of the Air Research and Development Command.