Fogleman's Farewell

摘要

With the cryptic statement that he may have been "out of step with the times and some of the thinking of the establishment," Gen. Ronald R. Fogleman on July 28, 1997, cut short by more than a year his tour as Air Force Chief of Staff and retired from active duty. It was a move unprecedented in the Air Force's 50-year history. Fogleman had several reasons for his action. The most important of these, however, stemmed from the disagreement between himself and top defense officials on what punitive action, if any, should be taken as a result of the June 25, 1996, bombing of the Khobar Towers housing complex in Saudi Arabia. In that attack, 19 USAF airmen were killed and hundreds were wounded.