Craig, Howard A. (Howard Arnold), 1897-1977

Howard Arnold Craig, also known as Pinky Craig, (b. December 22, 1897, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-d. September 14, 1977, El Paso, Texas) was an early Army aviator and, later, a general in the United States Army Air Forces and U.S. Air Force. He enlisted in the U.S. Army Signal Corps’ Aviation Section in November 1917, continuing in Army service throughout the interwar years. Craig went to Washington, D.C., in May 1940, as Assistant to the Chief of the Plans Division, Office of the Chief of the Air Corps. He later became Assistant Chief of the Air Staff for Plans, Headquarters U.S. Army Air Forces. In June 1942, as a colonel, he became Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations, European Theater of Operations, United States Army (ETOUSA). In October, he was named Deputy Chief of Staff for Air, Allied Forces Headquarters, in England and North Africa. His next assignment was as Commanding General of the XII Air Support Command in Algeria. In February 1943, he became Chief of Staff of the Mediterranean Air Command. In August 1943, Craig became Assistant Chief of Air Staff for Operations, Commitments and Requirements, Headquarters U.S. Army Air Forces, Washington, D.C. After promotion to major general, he was assigned to Chief of the Theater Group, Operations Division, War Department General Staff, Washington, D.C., in October 1944. In June 1946, Craig became Commanding General of the Alaskan Department. When the Alaskan Command (ALCOM) was established at the beginning of 1947, he became its first Commander in Chief. From November 1947 to August 1949, he served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Material in the newly created Headquarters U.S. Air Force in Washington, D.C. In September 1949, he was appointed Inspector General of the Air Force. He became Commandant of the National War College in July 1952, and also served as Chairman of the Inter-American Defense Board starting in February 1953. He retired from active duty on June 30, 1955.

From the description of Craig, Howard Arnold, 1897-1977 (U.S. National Archives and Records Administration). naId: 17401426

Howard A. "Pinky" Craig (1897-1977) was an American Air Force officer and pilot. He joined the Air Force during World War I and eventually rose to the rank of Lieutenant General. Over the course of his career he was a bomber pilot, commanded a fighter group in Tunisia, led the XII Air Support Command during the North Africa campaign, was on the General Staff of the War Department, headed the Alaska Command, and served as commander of the National War College. His memoirs, Sunward I've Climbed: A Personal Narrative of Peace and War were published in 1975.

From the guide to the Howard A. Craig Papers, 1919-1959, (Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries)

Howard Arnold Craig (b. 1897, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-d. Oct. 1, 1977), U.S. Air Force officer, enlisted in the Signal Corps' Aviation Section in 1917, and after attending the school of Military Aeronautics at Princeton University and serving at several locations in the U.S., was appointed a first lieutenant in the Regular Army's Air Service. He then served in various field, staff, and school assignments (including attendance at the Air Corps Tactical School and Command and General Staff School) before becoming assistant chief of air staff for plans in February 1942. During World War II, General Craig served in the European Theater, North Africa, the Middle East, and as chief of staff of the Mediterranean Air Command. On his return to the U.S., he worked at Headquarters Army Air Force assigned to the Office of the Chief of Staff, Army, with Operations Division of the War Department General Staff. Following the War, this decorated officer served as commander-in-chief, Alaska; inspector general of the Air Force; commandant of the National War College; and chairman of the Inter-American Defense Board. He retired in June 1955.

From the description of Craig, Harold A. (Howard Arnold), 1897-1977 (U.S. National Archives and Records Administration). naId: 10599098