Fighter pilot, aviation leader and commander of air and space forces (1958 -1994), General Horner distinguished himself as the "architect" of the successful U.S./allied joint air assault to free Kuwait from Iraq during the 1990/1991 Operations "Desert Shield/Desert Storm". In his career as an F-100/F-105 Wild Weasel/F-4/ F-15/F-16 pilot and the commander of fighter wings, air divisions, a numbered Air Force and a major Air Command, he contributed to the growth of U.S. air power spanning the Cold War, the Vietnam War and the Persian Gulf War. His command of U.S. Central Command Air Forces, North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Space Command distinguished him as a leader in the development and employment of U.S. air and space forces for national purposes that ensure the preservation of peace and freedom for the United States of America.