Major General William B. Lynch is the adjutant general of
Pennsylvania. In this State cabinet level position General Lynch is headquartered at Fort Indiantown Gap and is responsible for command, control, and supervision of all Air and Army National Guard units allocated to the State of
Pennsylvania. He is also responsible for five state owned Veterans' Homes, Scotland School for veterans' children and programs for Pennsylvania's 1.3 million veterans.
The General was commissioned through Officer Training School in 1964. He is the recipient of several 'Top Gun' awards and completed 100 unarmed reconnaissance missions over North Vietnam in the RF-4C. As chief of the operations division at the National Guard Bureau, he was responsible for all operational tasking of 91 flying and 244 support units of the Air National Guard in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
1964 Bachelor of arts in American literature, Brown University, Providence, R.I.
1974 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence
1976 Juris doctor degree, Ohio Northern University, College of Law, Ada
1982 Air War College, by correspondence
1990 National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
1. March 1965 - March 1966, student, undergraduate pilot training, Craig Air Force Base, Ala.
2. March 1966 - March 1968, student RF-4C pilot training, 22nd Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho
3. March 1968 - October 1968, aircraft commander RF-4C, 11th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, Udorn Royal Thai Air Base, Thailand
4. October 1968 - January 1972, aircraft commander RF-4C, 1st Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, RAF Alconbury, England
5. January 1972 - July 1973, inactive status, Headquarters, Air Reserve Personnel Center, NARS, Denver, Colo.
6. July 1973 - June 1979, flight commander, 178th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Springfield, Ohio
7. June 1979 - June 1981, operations officer, 524th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Cannon Air Force Base, N.M.
8. June 1981 - January 1984, Air Force advisor, 180th Tactical Fighter Group, Swanton, Ohio
9. January 1984 - October 1988, deputy commander, operations, 112th Tactical Fighter Group, Pittsburgh, Pa.
10. October 1988 - June 1989, chief, current operations branch, Air National Guard Support Center, Andrews Air Force Base, Md.
11. June 1989 - June 1990, student, National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
12. June 1990 - March 1991, chief, operations division, Air National Guard Support Center, Andrews Air Force Base, Md.
13. April 1991 - January 1993, deputy commander, operations, 171st Air Refueling Wing, Pittsburgh, Pa.
14. January 1993 - July 1995, commander, 171st Air Refueling Wing, Pittsburgh, Pa.
15. July 1995 ' March 1999, deputy adjutant general ' air and commander, Headquarters, Pennsylvania Air National Guard, Fort Indiantown Gap, Annville, Pa.
16. March 1999 ' present, the adjutant general and commander, Pennsylvania National Guard, Fort Indiantown Gap, Annville, Pa.
Rating: Command pilot
Flight hours: More than 5,000 hours
Aircraft flown: T-37, T-33, F-100, RF-4C, F-111, A-7, KC-135, EC-130
Pilot wings from: Craig Air Force Base, Ala.
Air Force Distinguished Service Medal
Legion of Merit
Meritorious Service Medal with two devices
Air Medal with nine devices
Air Force Commendation Medal
Distinguished Presidential Unit Citation
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with one device
Air Force Organizational Excellence Award
Combat Readiness Medal with seven devices
National Defense Service Medal with one device
Vietnam Service Medal with two devices
Humanitarian Services Medal
Air Force Overseas Service Ribbon - Long Tour
Air Force Longevity Service Award Ribbon with seven devices
Armed Forces Reserve Medal w Silver Hourglass
Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon
Air Force Training Ribbon
Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm Device
Vietnam Campaign Medal
In addition to his many military awards, General Lynch was elected to Law Review and received a writing award from the National War College. He served as chairman of the Air Reserve Forces Policy Committee (ARFPC), was a member of the Ohio and Federal Bars, and is on the board of the Pennsylvania National Guard Foundation.
Second Lieutenant Feb 10, 1965
First Lieutenant Aug 10, 1968
Captain Feb 10, 1970
Major Feb 10, 1979
Lieutenant Colonel May 4, 1984
Colonel Jun 30, 1990
Brigadier General Sep 23, 1994
Major General Aug 2, 1996
(Current as of February 2003)
The date of publication indicated on this biography reflects the most recent update. It does not necessarily reflect the date of printing.