The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal to Brigadier General John A. Corder, United States Air Force, for exceptionally meritorious and distinguished service in a position of great responsibility to the Government of the United States. General Corder distinguished himself as Director for Electronic Combat, Deputy Chief of Staff, Plans and Operations, and as Director for Electronic Combat Programs, Military Deputy for Acquisition, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force of Acquisition, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, the Pentagon, Washington, District of Columbia, from 30 May 1985 to 30 June 1987. During this period, General Corder directly affected the improved combat capabilities of front-line aircraft and crews by development of innovative tactical applications of F-4G Wild Weasel aircraft, improvement of Shrike Anti-Radiation Missile seekers, and procurement of over two billion dollars of state-of-the-art Electronic Combat avionics for present and future Air Force, Army, and Navy aircraft. His extraordinary knowledge, leadership, and diplomacy enabled the Air Force Electronic Combat community to persevere and flourish during a period of scarce resources. General Corder’s superior performance is in keeping with the highest standards of the Air Force officer corps. The singularly distinctive accomplishments of General Corder reflect the highest credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.
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Awards Received
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Distinguished Flying Cross
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Air Force Distinguished Service Medal
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Legion of Merit
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Defense Superior Service Medal
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Air Force Cross
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Air Force Distinguished Service Medal
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Distinguished Flying Cross
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 2, 1926, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross to Captain John A. Corder (AFSN: 0-71711), United States Air Force, for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight over hostile territory as an F-4D Aircraft Commander on 5 February 1968. On that date, Captain Corder successfully led a force of twenty aircraft on a unique radar ordnance delivery mission against a heavily defended airfield in North Vietnam. His newly developed tactics, planning, and precise execution of the mission were directly responsible for its complete success in spite of extremely poor weather. The extremely professional competence, aerial skill and devotion to duty displayed by Captain Corder reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.
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Air Force Distinguished Service Medal
Service:
United States Air ForceRank:
Major GeneralAction Date:
November 22, 1990 – March 17, 1991
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting a Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of a Second Award of the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal to Major General John A. Corder, United States Air Force, for exceptionally meritorious and distinguished service in a position of great responsibility to the Government of the United States. General Corder distinguished himself as Director of Operations, United States Central Command Air Forces, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from 22 November 1990 to 17 March 1991. In preparing the coalition air forces to carry out the most successful air campaign in history, General Corder developed and implemented a training program that prepared over fifteen hundred fighter and support aircraft to integrate into a unique fighting force. His innovative ideas and newly developed tactics ensured that the superior technological advantage enjoyed by the coalition forces was used to maximum advantage. The singularly distinctive accomplishments of General Corder reflect the highest credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.
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Legion of Merit
Service:
United States Air ForceRank:
Brigadier GeneralAction Date:
August 18, 1980 – August 5, 1983
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, 20 July 1942, takes pleasure in presenting the Legion of Merit to Brigadier General John A. Corder (AFSN: 0-71711), United States Air Force, for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services to the Government of the United States as Vice Commander and Commander, 3d Tactical Fighter Wing, Clark Air Base, Republic of the Philippines, from 18 August 1980 to 5 August 1983. During this period, the meticulous planning and attention to detail exhibited by General Corder resulted in a higher state of combat readiness for assigned units and improved morale among the personnel assigned to the 3d Tactical Fighter Wing. His contributions in the international arena have contributed to improved relations between the host government and the United States Air Force. The superior initiative, outstanding leadership and personal endeavor displayed by General Corder reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.
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Defense Superior Service Medal
Service:
United States Air ForceRank:
Brigadier GeneralAction Date:
August 1983 – May 1985
Under the provisions of Department of Defense 1348.33-M, the Secretary of Defense of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Defense Superior Service Medal to Brigadier General John A. Corder (AFSN: 0-71711), United States Air Force, for exceptionally superior service as Commander, Defense General Supply Center, Richmond, Virginia, Defense Logistics Agency, from August 1983 to May 1985. Through his outstanding leadership, Brigadier General Corder consistently directed the Supply Center toward high levels of achievement in providing quality military supplies in the most cost effective manner. His visionary application of leading edge technology to logistics operations through computer directed warehousing and electronic contract order placement became the criteria for the entire Defense Logistics Agency. He led the way in seeking out and developing competition between suppliers to decrease cost while improving quality. The distinctive accomplishments of Brigadier General Corder reflect great credit upon himself, the United States Air Force, and the Department of Defense.
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Air Force Cross
Service:
United States Air ForceRank:
CaptainRegiment:
8th Tactical Fighter WingDivision:
Ubon Royal Thai Air Base, ThailandAction Date:
February 8, 1968
Department of the Air Force, Special Order GB-123 (March 27, 1968)The President of the United States of America, authorized by Title 10, Section 8742, United States Code, takes pleasure in presenting the Air Force Cross to Captain John A. Corder, United States Air Force, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an opposing armed force as an F-4D Pilot in the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing, Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand, in action in Southeast Asia on 8 February 1968. On that date, Captain Corder led two aircraft against one of the largest, most important, and most heavily defended airfields in North Vietnam. Despite inclement weather, Captain Corder descended to extremely low altitude for a visual high-speed run across the airfield. Although faced with a barrage of withering anti-aircraft artillery fire which severely crippled his aircraft, Captain Corder resolutely and skillfully pressed his attack against the target, damaging and destroying several aircraft on the ground. Captain Corder was finally forced to eject over hostile territory. He successfully evaded hostile search parties and was subsequently rescued by a friendly helicopter. As a result of his actions, Captain Corder was successful in neutralizing a threat to Free World forces in Southeast Asia. Through his extraordinary heroism, superb airmanship, and aggressiveness, Captain Corder reflected the highest credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.
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Air Force Distinguished Service Medal
Service:
United States Air ForceRank:
Major GeneralAction Date:
January 19, 1989 – September 30, 1992
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting a Second Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of a Third Award of the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal to Major General John A. Corder, United States Air Force, for exceptionally meritorious and distinguished service in a position of great responsibility to the Government of the United States. General Corder distinguished himself as Commander, United States Air Force Air Warfare Center from 19 January 1989 to 30 September 1992. In this important assignment, General Corder expanded the Air Force’s electronic combat capability by developing a system to provide realistic home-based training to aircrews, establishing an aggressor squadron to go directly to units and evaluate the capability of their electronic warfare equipment, and developing a missile warning system which lets aircrews know they are under attack. He initiated a worldwide Distributed Wargaming System to allow large-scale multiforce exercises to be conducted with the majority of participants never leaving their duty station, thus saving funds and increasing command and control training. He provided guidance and direction to a joint task force which developed a national data base regarding the effects of electromagnetic interference between friendly electronic systems employed in joint contingency operations. The singularly distinctive accomplishments of General Corder culminate a long and distinguished career in the service of his country and reflect the highest credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.