Foil: 17 Panel: 1 Column: 3 Line: 3

Wall of Honor Level:
Air and Space Friend

Honored by:

Russell G. Stephenson, Colonel, USAF (Ret), was born November 1, 1938, in Painter, Virginia. He enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in September 1958, was selected for flight training through the Aviation Cadet program, graduating in March 1960. His first operational assignment after completing training was to the Strategic Air Commands' 96th Bombardment Wing (H), 337th Bomb Squadron, Dyess AFB Texas, flying Boeing B-47E's. After completing several "Reflex" deployments to the United Kingdom, he was reassigned to the 91st Bombardment Wing (H), 322nd Bomb Squadron, at Glasgow AFB, Montana, flying Boeing B-52D's. During the fall of 1965 he was appointed to lead the Wings Aircrew upgrade program that provided training on the Wings newly assigned "Big Belly" modified B-52D's. Following three "Arc Light" tours in support of B-52 operations in Viet Nam, he was reassigned back to the 96th Bomb Wing, 337th Bomb Squadron, Dyess AFB Texas, as a senior "Arc Light" training officer in May, 1968. His initial assignment established the wings training program to train and certify the wings assigned aircrews in "Arc Light" operations. After completing the aircrew certification assignment, he was reassigned to the Wings Standardization and Evaluation Division.
In the spring of 1969, he deployed back to South East Asia to the Headquarters, 8th Air Force Tactics Evaluation Office, B-52 Division. In this position he was responsible for developing and improving B-52 aircrew tactics and evaluating overall aircrew operations. 8th AF's "Tax Eval" was also responsible for the bi-annual review and certification of SAC's Arc Light Combat Crew Training Squadron (CCTS) operations at Castle AFB in California. Returning stateside in the fall of 1969, he was assigned as the senior crew in the Wings Standardization Division responsible for all evaluations of the wings aircrews. He returned overseas and completed his final "Arc Light" tour as the 8th AF TAC Eval, returning stateside in December 1970. January 1971, he was reassigned to SAC's 380th Bombardment Wing (M), Plattsburgh AFB, New York, with training in route at Mather AFB, California and Carswell AFB, Texas, in SAC's new FB-111A aircraft. During the period 1971 to 1975 he led numerous developmental projects for the aircraft and as well as serving in the Wings Standardization Division. In 1974, he led the effort to incorporate and certify the AGM-69A, Short Range Attack Missile, into the aircrafts' weapons inventory, firing the wings first operational missile launch at the Tonopah Test range in Nevada. From 1975 to 1978 he served as Commander of the 380th Transportation Squadron winning the Air Force Outstanding Unit award twice.
He was reassigned to the National Security Agency Headquarters at Fort Meade, Maryland in May 1978 as the agency's Director of Transportation. During this assignment he developed and implemented an air cargo movement program, an agency first. Employing special air and surface movement modes, he was able to save the agency over $3 million in one special project. In June 1981, he was reassigned to Europe to an organization with oversight of several airborne intelligence platforms. Working with the U.S. Army Air Defense Command he was instrumental in establishing and improving interoperability procedures between the two organizations.
Returning to Fort Meade in June 1983, he assumed command of the 6940th Intelligence Wing, the largest in the Air Force. The wing provide personnel and support for air and ground operations worldwide. During U.S. military operations in Granada, he acted as the Airborne Commander for the "Comfy Levi" airborne tactical SIGINT platform supporting the ground forces on the island. July 1, 1985, he was appointed as the new Director of Military Personnel for the National Security agency responsible for managing the military positions at the Agency for the five military services. Colonel Stephenson retired April 1, 1990.