Dr. Bill Barry graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY in 1959. He was commissioned in the U.S. Air Force, and completed pilot training in 1960 as a Distinguished Graduate. He next attended a series of upgrades to tactical fighters, and completed Survival Training. A European assignment from 1960-64 included involvement in the Congo Crisis, the Chines invasion of India in Ladakh Province, and numerous fighter exercises with NATO Forces throughout Europe, Africa, & the Middle East.
He then attended Medical School under the auspices of the Regular Officer Medical Student Program, receiving the M.D. Degree in 1968. During summers he was assigned to the Flight Test Center at Edwards AFB as a Flight Surgeon on the NASA X-15 Program, and at the Bioastronautic Operational Support Unit at Cape Canaveral in support of Project Mercury & Gemini launches. After a Surgical Internship at Wilford Hall USAF Medical Center in 1969, he attended Harvard University, being awarded the MPH Degree with honors in 1970. Dr. Barry then completed his Residency in Aerospace Medicine at the USAF School of Aerospace Medicine, Brooks AFB, TX. During this period he once again flew the F-100 for Medical Research Projects. He was awarded the Julian E. Ward Award as the Outstanding Resident in Aerospace Medicine, from the Aerospace Medical Association in 1972.
Next was an assignment to Danang, Vietnam with the 366th Tac Fighter Wing, flying the F-4 Phantom II. During this tour he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal with oak leaf cluster. His following assignment was Chief of Aerospace Medicine, Office of the USAF Surgeon General, Washington DC. Dr. Barry was selected as a White House Fellow in 1973, serving as a Special Assistant to the Administrator of NASA. During that time two successful SKYLAB missions were completed, and the planning for the APOLLO-SOYUZ Project and the SPACE SHUTTLE were finalized. He was then selected for a clinical residency in Dermatology at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, MD., which he completed in 1978. His final active duty assignment was as Deputy Commander and then Commander of the David Grant USAF Medical Center, Travis AFB, CA. He was also appointed as a Clinical Professor of Medicine (Dermatology) at the University of California Medical School, Davis, CA. During this period he was awarded the John Shaw Billings Award for Distinguished Federal Medical Service, by the Association of Military Surgeons of the U.S.
Dr. Barry is a Command Pilot, a Senior Parachutist, and a Chief Flight Surgeon with over 10,500 hours in 89 different aircraft types. His decorations include the AF Distinguished Service medal, Legion of Merit, DFC, Air Medal, and Meritorious Service Medal. In 2016 he was awarded the FAA Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award.