Scope and Contents

The collection consists of less than a quarter of a linear foot of materials documenting Lieutenant Colonel Howard J. Pierson's USAF service in Korea and Vietnam. The materials include artifacts, photographs, a memo, and military orders. The materials are dated 1952, 1958, 1968-1970, or are otherwise undated.

Biographical / Historical

Born in New Jersey in 1927, Lieutenant Colonel Howard J. Pierson left high school for the U.S. Navy during WWII. He served on the USS Iowa. He returned to complete high school upon his honorable discharge. He attended the University of Alabama on a football scholarship where he received an ROTC commission in 1951. He then received his pilot wings at Reese Air Foce Base in Lubbock, TX. His first assignment was flying B-29's during the Korean War. When the war ended, he served as aide-de-camp to the Commanding General of the Japan Air Defense Force in Nagoya, Japan. He then returned to the U.S. for Bombardier-Navigator training to fly the Strategic Air Command's nuclear B-47 and B-52 bombers during the Cold War.

In between volunteer combat tours in Vietnam, Lt. Colonel Pierson instructed student pilots in T-38's at Craig Air Force Base in Alabama and Reese Air Force Base. In Vietnam, his assignments included flying with USAF units and as operations advisor to the Vietnamese Air Force and the Royal Thai Air Force. He served in operational units for almost four years in Southeast Asia. He flew fighters, bombers, and trainers with anywhere from one to eight engines while accumulating over 10,000 flying hours. As Commander of the Nail Forward Air Controllers, he was the last to fly out of Cambodia when U.S. support terminated on August 15, 1973.

After his Vietnam War service, Lt. Colonel Pierson worked as an Associate Professor at four universities. He was the Founder and President of Top Gun and Formation Leadership Seminars, a consultant to American Airlines, and a member of numerous associations including Military Officers Association of America, Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion, and All Three Wars Association - of which he was a Founding Director.

Lt. Colonel Pierson was named to the Air Commando Hall of Fame. His combat decorations include the Airman Medal for Valor, four Distinguished Flying Crosses, four Bronze Stars, 39 Air Medals, the Meritorious Service Medal, and the Vietnamese Gallantry Cross.

Lt. Colonel Pierson married Gilberta Guth Pierson. In their combined family, they had eight children and twelve grandchildren. Lt. Colonel Pierson passed away in March 2013.