Aubrey S. Gaskins
Theater: European
Theater: American
Wife: Graham Comsay Atkinson Gaskins
Highest rank: Col.
Decorations: Legion of Merit with One Oak Leaf Cluster, the Meritorious Service Medal, the D.F.C., the Air Medal with Eight Oak leaf clusters, the Joint Service Medal, and other campaign ribbons too numerous to mention.
Lloyd Treadaway was his Instructor. He had Basic at Greenville and graduated at Craig Field. He went to the Central Instructors School at Randolph Field, and then to the Central Instructors Instrument School at Bryan, TX. Then he was an instructor of BT-13A's and AT-6's at the Courtland, Alabama Basic Flying School for 16 months. He volunteered for B-29’s and was in a replacement pool in Nebraska when the war ended. He was also a B-29 flight engineer, leaving active duty in January 1946.
He returned to active duty April 1948. He was at Johnson AFB and Japan flying P-51s in the 35th Fighter Interceptor Group, 41st Fighter Squadron. He transitioned to F-80C's in 1950. He did a tour in Korea, flying 58 missions in F-80C's and F-51D's. He was stationed at Wright Patterson in the Inspector General's Flying Safety office until April, 1953, when he was assigned to the 3rd AF Headquarters London, England as Chief, telecommunications branch. He flew C-47's at Bovington RAF Station.
In 1956, he returned to the University of Maryland to complete his B.S. degree. Subsequently he was assigned to the 1880th Supply Squadron, AACS, flying B-25's, F-80's, T-33's and C-47's. In 1959 he was a student at the Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala. after which he was assigned to the European-African-Middle East AFCS command in Weisbaden, Germany as Director of Maintenance.
Returning to the U.S. in 1964 he was assigned as Action Officer in Maintenance Engineering on the Air Staff. In 1968 he went through combat crew upgrade for a Vietnam flying assignment. As a result of a 1968 promotion to full colonel, his Vietnam assignment was changed to Military Assistance Command, Vietnam in J-6 as chief of the Planning and Programming Division.
Returning to the States in 1970, he was assigned as Director of Maintenance, HQ. AFCS at Scott. In early 1970 AFCS moved from Scott AFB, Ill. to Richards-Gebaur AFB Mo. where he became the Wing-Base Commander. In August 1972, he expressed a desire to retire and his final assignment was on the staff of the Joints Chiefs of Staff in the Pentagon. He subsequently retired Jul. 1, 1973 as a Colonel, permanent grade, with 31 years, 3 months and 2 days service. He had flown a variety of aircraft, including PT-17s, BT-13s, BT-14s, BT-9s, AT-6s, C-45s, C-47s, F-51s, F-80s, T-33s, B-25s, B-29s, B-17s, B-24s and T-39s, ending with some 7800 flying hours.
After retirement from the USAF, he joined the Northern Virginia Board of Realtors as the Executive Director for Public Affairs.