Close, Winton R. (Winton Ralph), 1917-2008

Winton Ralph Close (b. 1917, Columbus, Ohio-d. May 24, 2008), Major General in the U.S. Air Force, a graduate of Stanford University, received his pilot wings and commission in August 1939. Between 1941 and 1944, he served successively as squadron commander in B-17, B-24, and B-29 units in Panama, Guatemala, and the U.S. In 1944 he became a B-29 squadron commander in the China-Burma-India theater, and during 1945 was a group operations officer in the Mariana Islands, having flown 35 missions and 600 combat hours. After the War, General Close was base executive officer at Kirtland Army Air Field; air attaché at Belgrade, Yugoslavia; and assistant deputy commander of operations, 15th Air Force Headquarters. He later commanded the 98th Bomb Wing in Japan, and during the Korean War participated in twenty-one combat missions in B-29s. He retired from Air Force service in June 1968.