Hedlund, Earl C. (Earl Clifford), 1916-2002

Earl C. Hedlund (b. 1916, Valparaiso, Neb.-d. July 21, 2002), U. S. Air Force officer, was commissioned in the U.S. Army Reserve in 1938 through the ROTC program at university and graduated from pilot training in 1942. He served as a fighter pilot, squadron commander, group commander, and deputy wing commander in the Pacific and European theaters of operations from 1942 to 1947. In April 1945 his P-38 was shot down, and he was captured by the Germans for a short time before escaping back to American lines. During World War II, he flew 170 fighter missions. Before his retirement in 1973 he served as the U.S. Representative to the Permanent Military Deputies Group, Central Treaty Organization, and chief, U.S. Element CENTO, in Turkey.