Uzal Girard Ent | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1900-03-03)March 3, 1900 |
| Died | March 5, 1948(1948-03-05) (aged 48) Aurora, Colorado, U.S. |
| Cenotaph | Riverview Cemetery Northumberland, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch | United States Army Air Forces |
| Years of service | 1917–1946 |
| Rank |  Major general |
| Commands | IX Bomber Command Second Air Force |
| Battles / wars | World War I World War II |
Uzal Girard EntCBE (March 3, 1900 – March 5, 1948) was an AmericanArmy Air Forces officer who served as the commander of the Second Air Force duringWorld War II.[1]
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Ent was born on March 3, 1900, inNorthumberland, Pennsylvania. After attending grade school and high school in his hometown, he enrolled atSusquehanna University.[2] DuringWorld War I, Ent left to enlist as a private in the infantry in 1917. He transferred to the Aviation Section of the Army Signal Corps and was promoted to sergeant in the 59th Balloon Company in March 1919. Ent received an appointment toWest Point and was commissioned into theArmy Air Service in June 1924.[3][4]
On May 30, 1928, he was the co-pilot of a balloon in the National Balloon Race, starting atBettis Field inPittsburgh. During the race, Ent's balloon was struck by lightning overYoungstown, Pennsylvania. The lightning strike killed the pilot and set the balloon'shydrogen-filled envelope on fire. Ent could have parachuted to safety but chose to stay with the balloon, attempted to rescue the pilot, and successfully piloted the balloon to the ground. For this act of heroism, Ent was awarded theDistinguished Flying Cross later that year.[5]
After graduating from theAir Corps Tactical School in June 1937 and theCommand and General Staff School in June 1938,[6] he served as amilitary attaché at the American Embassy inLima,Peru from July 1939 until October 1942, acting as the senior neutral military observer on the Peruvian side after theirboundary war withEcuador.[4]
He waschief of staff to theU.S. Army Forces in the Middle East from October 1942 until February 1943. He then served as Commanding General,9th Bomber Command,9th Air Force from February to December 1943. During his stint, he led 178B-24s in "Operation Tidal Wave" – the bombing raid on the oil fields atPloieşti, Romania, on August 1, 1943. He was then appointed Chief of Staff and then Commanding General,2nd Air Force, based atColorado Springs, Colorado.[4] In September 1944, Ent selected Lieutenant ColonelPaul Tibbets to form and train an organization to drop atomic weapons from B-29 bombers. Given Tibbets and two other names byGeneral Henry "Hap" Arnold, Ent replied without hesitation, "Paul Tibbets is the man to do it."[7]
In October 1944, Ent was seriously injured in the crash of aB-25 on takeoff at theFort Worth Army Airfield, Texas.[4] Paralyzed from the waist down, he learned to walk again usingbraces.[8]He retired for "disability in line of duty" in 1946, with the rank of major general. After his retirement from military service, he studied to have a career in law; he also experimented with materials to develop lightweight braces for paraplegics. He wrote a book,What's My Score?, to help victims of paralysis. He also volunteered for several experimental surgeries so surgeons could learn to better treat spinal injuries.[9]
In 1927, he married Eleanor Marwitz; they would have a son, Girard.[9]
He died atFitzsimons General Hospital inAurora, Colorado, on March 5, 1948, due to complications from the injuries he sustained in the plane crash. He was cremated and his ashes were scattered over the Riverview Cemetery in his hometown of Northumberland. Acenotaph honoring him now stands there.[4][9]
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In 1951, a new Air Force base near Colorado Springs, Colorado, was named in the general's honor.Ent Air Force Base was the initial home to theNorth American Air Defense Command (NORAD) from 1957 until 1963 when the command center moved to a highly secure facility within Cheyenne Mountain. Ent AFB became the Ent Annex to theCheyenne Mountain Complex in 1975, and the facility was closed the following year.[4]
TheEnt Credit Union was named in his honor.[4]Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 8298 in Ent's hometown of Northumberland, Pennsylvania, is named "Major General Uzal G. Ent" to honor his memory.
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