Foil: 10 Panel: F100 Super Sabre Society Column: 2 Line: 48

Wall of Honor Level:
Air and Space Friend

Honored by:

General Boddie (pronounced body) was born in Baltimore, Maryland and received his Bachelor's degree and AFROTC commission at Howard University, Washington, DC in 1954. He also completed a Master's Degree Program in Public Administration at Auburn University in 1975 and the Senior Manager's Program at Harvard University in 1981.

He entered primary pilot training in March 1955, at Bartow Air Base, Florida where he flew PA-18s and T-6Gs. From there, he went to single-engine basic pilot training at Laredo Air Force Base. Texas, flying T-28s and T-33s -- he earned his pilot's wings in March 1956.

During his career he has flown the F-84F, F-86, F-100, B-57, and F-4. In 1965 the F-4 was then the most recent aircraft in the Air Force inventory and could reach speeds of more than 1400 mph.

He volunteered for combat duty in Southeast Asia and flew 201 F-4 combat missions including 57 missions over North Vietnam.

His next assignment took him to Headquarters, US Air Force, Manpower and Personnel Center, Randolph Air Force Base, TX as chief of the Flying Status Branch until August 1974 when he entered the Air War College.

In 1975 he was assigned to Headquarters, Tactical Air Command as chief of Maintenance Standardization and Evaluation. He led a 47-member team that evaluated the aircraft maintenance management effectiveness of all of the units assigned to the command.

In August 1976, he moved to Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, as Deputy Commander for Operations of the 347th Tactical Fighter Wing. The next year he became the Vice Commander of the wing.

In June 1978 he was assigned to the 51st Tactical Fighter Wing, Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea, where he subsequently commanded the largest Air Base on the Korean peninsula.

He was assigned as Deputy Director of Operations, Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in June 1980 and was assigned duties as the Deputy Director for Planning and Resources, J-4 in August 1982. He continued these duties until his retirement from active duty on 1 July 1983.

General Boddie has been involved as a pilot and operations manager in aviation activities for more than 50 years. He started flying in Baltimore as a young lad of 16 and became a command pilot with more than 5000 flying hours predominately in jet fighter aircraft.

After his Air Force retirement, he joined tile Link Flight Simulation Corporation as its Washington, DC office manager for Air Force requirements.

He retired from the Link Division and accepted the position as Director of Aviation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration headquarters. In this capacity, he provided national policy guidance for the administration and oversight of all NASA aviation activities. During this period, the General was recognized as the Senior Aviator in the Federal Government. As the Chairman of the Steering Committee for the Interagency Committee for Aviation Policy, he was responsible for establishing aviation policy, as mandated by the Congress, for all Federal agencies that owned or operated aircraft. These also included experimental, commercial, rescue, and drug interdiction aircraft.

His decorations and awards include the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal, the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Meritorious Service Medal with two Oak Leaf clusters, the Air Medal with 13 Oak Leaf clusters, the Air- Force Commendation Medal, the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award ribbon with three Oak Leaf clusters and "V" device, the Combat Readiness Medal, the National Defense Service Medal with three service stars, the Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon, the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm and the Vietnam Campaign Medal. He is also entitled to wear the Organization of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Badge.

He also received NASA's Equal Employment Opportunity Medal, and NASA Cooperative External Achievement Award.

Known by his friends as "Tim," Genera! Boddie is married to the former Mattye Dwiggins of Tuskegee, Alabama and they reside in Plano, Texas. They are the parents of five sons.