Brigadier General William H. Lawson was the Tenth Air Force Director of Operations, Air Force Reserve Command, Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base, Fort Worth, Texas.

The general was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. He entered the Air Force in 1965 after graduating from the University of Cincinnati and was commissioned through the Reserve Officer Training Corps. He commanded one reserve fighter group and three reserve fighter wings. Air Force reservists trained and assigned under his command were activated during Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm and he led four fighter squadron deployments for Deny Flight. A command pilot with more than 6,000 fighter flying hours, he flew 167 combat missions in Southeast Asia, including 40 sorties over Hanoi, North Vietnam, and combat and support sorties over Bosnia.

General Lawson is married to Colonel Brenda Reiter Lawson and has two sons, Bill and David.
EDUCATION
1965 Bachelor of Arts degree, Foreign Affairs, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio
1973 Squadron Officer School, by correspondence
1974 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence
1978 Masters of Liberal Arts, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, Texas
1982 Air War College, by seminar
ASSIGNMENTS
1. October 1965 - November 1966, student, undergraduate pilot training, Reese Air Force Base, Texas
2. November 1966 - September 1967, student, F-4 replacement training unit, Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz.
3. September 1967 - September 1968, F-4 pilot and F-4 aircraft commander, 433rd Tactical Fighter Squadron, Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand
4. October 1968 - November 1970, F-4 aircraft commander, 91st Tactical Fighter Squadron, Royal Air Force Bentwaters, United Kingdom
5. November 1970 - April October 1972, F-100 pilot, 166th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Ohio Air National Guard, Lockbourne AFB, Ohio
6. April 1972 - June 1982, F-105D instructor pilot, scheduling officer, training officer, weapons and tactics officer and operations officer, 457th Tactical Fighter Squadron; F-4D instructor pilot, wing director of operations, 301st Tactical Fighter Wing, Carswell AFB, Texas
7. June 1982 - August 1983, F4D deputy commander of operations, then air commander, 482nd Tactical Fighter Wing, Homestead AFB, Fla.
8. August 1983 - June 1987, F4D commander, 906th Tactical fighter Group, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
9. June 1987 - July 1994, F4D, F4E, F16C commander, 301st Fighter Wing, Carswell Air Reserve Base, Texas
10. July 1994 - May 1998, A10, B52H, commander, 917th Wing, Barksdale AFB, La.
11. May 1998 – December 1998, A10, director of operations, 10th Air Force, Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base, Fort Worth, Texas
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command pilot
Flight Hours: More than 6,000 fighter hours including over 300 combat hours over Southeast Asia and Bosnia- Herzegovina
Aircraft Flown: F-4C/D/E, F100C/D/F, F-105B/D/F, F-16C/D, A-10A, B-52H

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Distinguished Service Medal
Legion of Merit
Distinguished Flying Cross with two oak leaf clusters
Meritorious Service Medal
Air Medal with twelve oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal
Combat Readiness Medal with eight oak leaf clusters
Vietnam Service Medal with two bronze stars
Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant June 13, 1965
First Lieutenant April 13, 1967
Captain Oct. 13, 1968
Major May 21, 1976
Lieutenant Colonel Dec. 14, 1981
Colonel Aug. 1, 1985
Brigadier General Nov. 30, 1990

Post Military Retirement activities:
Fort Worth Air Power Council
Air Force Association:
Life Member
AFA Texas President 2011-2013
AFA Texas Executive Vice President 2009-2011
Fort Worth AFA Chapter president 2004-2006, 2013-
VP Texas Scholastic Awards 2005-2011
Vice Chairman Texas Aerospace Education Foundation Board 2008-2011
Consultant-The Spectrum Group, Alexandria VA 1999-2002
Senior Staff Engineer-Lockheed Martin Aeronautics 2002-2005
Member City of Fort Worth Aviation Advisory Board 2010-