Robert George Ruegg was born in Gresham, Oregon, in 1914. He attended elementary and high schools in Nampa, Idaho. He graduated from Oregon State College with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1939, and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Field Artillery Reserve, having been a member of the Reserve Officer Training Corps. He entered Flying School in August, 1939, and received his pilot wings and an appointment as a Second Lieutenant in the Army Air Corps Reserve in May, 1940. Early duties included service with the 27th Bombardment Group, Barksdale Field, Louisiana, and service at Savannah Air Base, Georgia. In November, 1941, he was sent to the Philippine Islands to serve as a flight leader and Deputy Acting Squadron Commander with the 3rd Bombardment Group. After the war with Japan erupted in the Pacific Theater, he served in Northern Australia and New Guinea and saw combat action against the Japanese, for which he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for extraordinary heroism. Ruegg returned to the U.S. in 1942, and was assigned duties at Wright Field, Ohio, serving as a test pilot and later as Chief of the Bomber Branch. In 1944, he attended the Army Air Forces Engineering School, and later attended the Air Command and Staff School at Maxwell AFB, Alabama. In August, 1953, he attended the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. Successive assignments included command roles at the Alaskan Air Command, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, Headquarters, U.S. Air Force, the Organization of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Later in his career in 1969, he was appointed Commander in Chief of the Alaskan Air Command. He retired from active duty on August 1, 1972. Ruegg was a command pilot, and was honored through his career with the Distinguished Service Cross, Distinguished Service Medal, and the Legion of Merit.
From the description of Ruegg, Robert G. (Robert George), 1914- (U.S. National Archives and Records Administration). naId: 10615263
