Rockly Triantafellu was born in 1917 in Daytona Beach, Florida, and graduated from the Opportunity Business Accounting School and the Duvall Engine Aircraft Engine School in Jacksonville, Florida. He also attended Sacramento State College in Sacramento, California. In 1937, he enlisted in the Florida National Guard and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in December, 1942. During World War II, he served on a bombardier crew, carrying out combat missions in B-24 aircraft. His service included high profile raids such as over Rome in July, 1943 and Berlin in March, 1944. During a raid over Ploesti, Rumania, his aircraft crash landed in Turkey, but he was able to escape capture and return to England to continue his service with the 389th Bombardment Group. He served the Group as both Squadron and Group Bombardier. In August, 1945, he returned to the United States and entered Bombardier Instructors School at Midland, Texas. From 1946-1950, he was stationed at Mather AFB, California, where he attended and graduated from the Integrated Bombing, Navigation, and Radar School. Upon graduation, he supervised the bombing and radar training sections of the school. Until 1955, he held key positions at Headquarters Strategic Air Command at Offutt AFB, Nebraska and Headquarters, Eighth Air Force at Fort Worth, Texas and Westover Air Base, Massachusetts. He was also briefly assigned to the Supreme Headquarters, Allied Powers, Europe, and Headquarters, Tactical Air Command at Langley AFB, Virginia. Triantafellu was assigned to serve in the Republic of Vietnam in 1965 as part of a U.S. Air Force fact-finding team. He served multiple tours in Vietnam and later served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence at Headquarters, Pacific Air Forces. In 1969, he was promoted to Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence at Headquarters, U.S. Air Force in Washington, DC. He was promoted to Major General effective March 1, 1969. Throughout his military career, he was the recipient of the following awards: the Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster, Distinguished Flying Cross with oak leaf cluster, Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters, Presidential Unit Citation Emblem, French Croix de Guerre with silver star, and the Vietnamese Air Order Second Class.
From the description of Triantafellu, Rockly, 1917- (U.S. National Archives and Records Administration). naId: 10613447
