Sure, everyone knows that Georgia Tech produces some of the best scientists and engineers around.
But there are other career avenues for graduates, too. This Veteran’s Day, pause to think about some of your old classmates, because their engineering degrees may have helped them serve the country.
Numerous College of Engineering graduates have gone on to become decorated military members, and others have played key roles in supporting military operations. (You can find plaques commemorating Tech’s veterans along the Wardlaw Center walkway on North Avenue.)
The aerospace engineering (AE) program has produced numerous high-ranking military officials. They include Adm. James A. “Sandy” Winnefeld, vice chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff since 2011. As a commander, he led task forces in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Another major military figure to emerge from Tech’s AE program is Adm. James O. Ellis. He spent 39 years in the Navy, according to a biography from the National Space Symposium, serving in roles that included commander of the USS Abraham Lincoln. Ellis, who holds a master’s degree in aerospace engineering, is presently president and CEO of the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations.
An AE alumnus who made huge contributions to the military was David Sloan Lewis Jr. A 1939 graduate of the program, Lewis eventually became leader of General Dynamics and was instrumental in developing the F-16 fighter, according to The New York Times.
Other majors have also produced distinguished graduates who have served at the highest levels of the military. Philip M. Breedlove, is a four-star general, previous vice chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force, and currently serves as the Commander, U.S. European Command, as well as the 17th Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) of NATO Allied Command Operations. He was born and raised in Atlanta and holds a BS in civil engineering from Georgia Tech.
Some other notable Tech veterans:
- Ray Davis, a chemical engineering graduate, became a four-star general in the U.S. Marine Corps. He served in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, and his decorations include a Medal of Honor for bravery.
- Brig. Gen. Peter Madsen has a Tech master’s from the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE). According to a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers biography, he served as executive officer to the chief of engineers from 1997 to 1998.
- Edward Aldridge Jr. and John Young Jr., both AE graduates, are both former under secretaries of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics.
- Ron Johnson, a retired two-star Army general, has a master’s degree in industrial engineering from Tech. From 2003 to 2004, he oversaw the Corps of Engineers’ operations in Iraq. He is now a Professor of the Practice in ISyE and Faculty Leadership Fellow at Georgia Tech.
- Jule C. Spach (ChE, 1949) was a U.S. Air Force Bomber Pilot in WWII, POW at Stalag-Luft III in Germany,and a participant in Death March from the Russians. The author of Every Road Leads Home, his memoirs as a POW and then later in life as a missionary in Brazil.
- Colonel Susan Wisnom, (IE, 1971) was in the U.S. Air Force Reserves for 30 years and retired in 2006 as a Colonel with a range of commendations
A Veteran's Day recognition ceremony will be held on Tuesday, November 11, 2014 at 10:45 in Harrison Square by Tech Tower.
