Hugh J. Nevins enlisted in the U.S. Army's Horse Cavalry in 1935 and joined the Air Corps in 1940. He completed his flying training and in 1942 was the glider operations officer for the 50th Troop Carrier Wing in Sedalia, Missouri. Nevins then trained with the 10th Mountain Division in preparation for the American invasion of Norway, which was later changed to become the invasion of Normandy. In September of 1944, during "Operation Market Garden," Nevins was commanding officer of hundreds of U. S. military glider pilots who volunteered to become part of his unit to support the activities of the 82nd Airborne Division. For his participation in "Operation Varsity," the invasion of Germany from the Rhine River in March of 1945, Nevins was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. Hugh Nevins became the world's most decorated military glider pilot and one of the highest ranking glider pilots in World War II. He retired from the Air Force in 1962 and then concentrated his efforts as a quarter horse breeder and trainer and as a sub-division developer and builder. An avid skier, he and his wife founded the Colorado Ski School for the blind in 1975, and at age 71, Nevins was still teaching blind children how to ski. Hugh Nevins died in 1977.
From the description of Hugh J. Nevins collection, 1944-1990. (US Air Force Academy). WorldCat record id: 748588674
