William L. Kirk, 1932-2017

摘要

Retired Gen. William Leslie Kirk, one of a number of USAF leaders credited as a "father" of the Aggressors and the Red Flag exercise, commander of US Air Forces in Europe, a two-time MiG killer, and a noted expert in electronic warfare, died April 26 in Florida at age 84. Kirk was born in Rayville, La. He enlisted in the Air Force in 1951, training as a mechanic, but became an aviation cadet two years later and earned his wings and commission in 1954. In his early career he flew reconnaissance jets in the Far East, collecting airborne samples to monitor Soviet nuclear tests, and then flew the RF-101 Voodoo in Europe. He switched over to fighters in 1960 and was one of the first operational pilots to fly the F-4 Phantom II.