Gardiner, Paul

Paul E. Gardiner was a decorated military pilot and air officer. Gardiner served as a pilot in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II and flew P-47 fighter planes in the European theater. After the war, Gardiner served as an officer in the U.S. Air Force and held a number of posts between the 1940s and 1960s, including Chief of Combat Air Command Advisory Team, Taiwan (1954-1955) and Director of Operations, Air Force Advisory Group, Vietnam (1965-1966). He also was the recipient of a number of decorations, including the Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star, and Legion of Merit.