Looking for info on a General Thomas V Staten

[Joseph Backes]

Hello,

When JFK went to El Paso on June 5th, 1963 he was met by LBJ, Gov. Connally, the Mayor of El Paso, Judson B. Williams, a General Thomas V. Staten, and a Col. Netcher. Netcher was the commander of the 95th Bomb Wing at Bliss airfield which is in or on Ft. Biggs. I think Staten came from Ft. Biggs too, but I can't find anything about him online.

Thanks

Joe

[Mark Knight]

Methinks you're looking for Biggs Air Force Base, which later became Biggs Army Airfield when the AFB was closed in 1966.

http://en.wikipedia....s_Army_Airfield

If you can find a list of the units serving at Biggs AFB, you might find General Staten.

edit: Just discovered that the 95th Bombardment Wing, Heavy was the primary unit stationed at Biggs from 08 November 1952 until the unit was discontinued and inactivated on 25 June 1966...according to Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/95th_Bombardment_Wing

So, odds are your General Thomas V. Staten was connected with the 95th.

Hope this is helpful.

Edited August 26, 2012 by Mark Knight

[Chris Newton]

Couldn't find General Staten anywhere but found this guy of unknown rank:

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Staton&GSfn=Thomas&GSbyrel=all&GSdyrel=all&GSob=n&GRid=27832626&df=all&

Staten is not an Air Force General, the Air Force Bio page has data on all their flag officers.

http://www.af.mil/information/bios/alpha.asp?alpha=S

Also found this that may be of some interest:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/64058630/A-Visit-of-President-John-F-Kennedy-to-White-Sands-Missile-Range

Edited September 1, 2012 by Chris Newton

[Joseph Backes]

Couldn't find General Staten anywhere but found this guy of unknown rank:

http://www.findagrav...df=all&

Staten is not an Air Force General, the Air Force Bio page has data on all their flag officers.

http://www.af.mil/in...pha.asp?alpha=S

Also found this that may be of some interest:

http://www.scribd.co...s-Missile-Range

Chris,

Thank you very much.

Joe

[Joseph Backes]

If you go to the JFK Library and under Exhibits there is a submenu. There you'll find Interactive Exhibits

Scroll down a bit and you'll see White House Diary. Click on that and a new small window opens up. It looks like a three ring binder that's open. On the left side there's a small monthly calendar. And you can click through 1961 - 1963. There's often a film or some audio playing on this side. On the right side there may be a quote and a note for what was scheduled that day. On the bottom there's a very small icon "view appointments," which will show you a scan from the President's appointment book. You have to scroll up and down as the scan is embedded into the small viewing space of this diary thing. It won't let you see the whole 8 and 1/2 by 11 inch paper. So, if you go to page three, for June 5th, 1963 you will see that after JFK went to the White Sands missile range he went to El Paso, Texas. And it says the president was greeted by:

1.) Hon. Lyndon Johnson

2.) Hon. John B. Connally, Governor of Texas

3.) Mayor Judson B. Williams, El Paso, Texas

4.) General Thomas V. Staten

5.) Colonel Netcher.

I want to know who General Staten was. As this General met, and that's the key verb, "met" he was there to greet JFK. He was not traveling with JFK. So, I think he's a local official from El Paso. Maybe that's an incorrect assumption.

I've contacted the El Paso Times, and a nice woman, Trish Long, in their archive has never heard of him. She checked the city directories but found no information. Well, he might be living on a military base and, hence, he wouldn't show up in a City Directory. The El Paso Times has a section where they're selling photos from that day. President John F. Kennedy visits El Paso.

I think my mysterious General Staten has to be in one of these photographs. There are 21 photos to go through. I thought my General might be in #8. It's just JFK and some military person. But it looks to me like his name begins with a T, so probably not. Maybe he's in #10.

Though not listed as greeting the President, Senator Ralph Yarborough was at this event. Now we know this because it states at "6:30 p.m. The President, Governor John B. Connally, and Senator Ralph Yarborough departed the airport and motored to the Cortez Hotel, El Paso, Texas." Apparently, LBJ made his own arrangements to get to the Cortez Hotel.

It was at the Cortez Hotel that JFK, LBJ, and Connally allegedly discussed the 1963 Nov Texas trip. So, I want to learn all I can about this day, what JFK was doing, where he went, and who met him, everything about what he did this day.

I would love to hear from people who were there that day and may have taken photos. Would love to talk to people, get their memories written down. See their photos and films, get them preserved.

Joe

Edited September 1, 2012 by Joseph Backes