John B. Coffey
Encyclopedia
John Brindley Coffey is a retired Lieutenant Colonel
in the USAAF
who flew with the Hell's Angels in the 303d Bombardment Group
in World War II
and was Deputy Chairman and then Chairman of the USAAF
Nato Planning Liaison Group during the Cold War
.
, United States
, to Robert L. Coffey, a brick manufacturer and Curie Ethel Brindley, a milliner. He is the 2nd of three sons, between Robert L. Coffey, Jr.
born 1921, and William B. Coffey born 1923. Both his brothers became pilots in the USAAF
, and both prematurely died in plane crashes.
After the failure of his business during the Great Depression
, Robert Coffey, Sr. moved the family first to Philadelphia and finally to Johnstown, Pennsylvania
where he found work as supervisor in a coal mine. John Coffey followed his father into the mine and became a member of the UMWA.
in 1939, in Santa Ana,California
, training as a glider pilot
in Pittsburg, Kansas
. In 1943 the glider pilot
program was winding down; he became a cadet/navigator and received training in Albuquerque, Santa Ana
, and Sacramento
before shipping out.
Stationed in Molesworth
, England, one of the first Eighth Air Force
stations attached to the USAAF
, he was assigned to the 303d Bombardment Group
, 427th Bombardment Squadron
. In two B-17 Flying Fortress tours, he was credited with 35 bombing missions over Nazi Germany
. Midway through the missions, after developing and conducting a navigational training curriculum for pilots, he was promoted to lead navigator.
In 1948 he left active service, and returned to the United States, and while still in the Military Reserves
, enrolled in the University of Miami
on the GI Bill. There he met Valerie Kendall, and they were married in 1949. They honeymooned in Havana
, Cuba, and had three sons: Christopher, Kendall, and Kevin.
, he was recalled to active duty and began training in the new technologies that the SAC
in the early years of the Cold War
was developing under the leadership of then-Lieutenant General Curtis LeMay. The stated mission was being able to strike anywhere in the world. To do so demanded development and integration in the areas of jet engines, in-air refueling, ballistic missiles, and ultimately nuclear missiles.
Lt. Col. Coffey became part of War Planning Operations and was stationed variously at Loring Air Force Base
, Robins Air Force Base
, and Westover Airforce Base, headquarters of the Eighth Air Force
, where he was on the IG team inspecting SAC
facilities for standards.
In 1966 he was redeployed overseas and assigned to Lindsey Air Station in Wiesbaden
, Germany, headquarters for USAFE, while the family found housing at Finthen Army Airfield in Mainz
. While in Mainz his skills as a community liaison prompted an invitation for him to join the Reitercorps of the Mainzer Ranzengarde, a local equestrian club, an honor normally reserved for Germans.
As Deputy of Operations, headquarters, USAFE, he served as Chief of the Special Plans Branch where he was responsible for HQ USAFE "planning for all aspects of unconventional warfare in the European theater, supervision and coordindation of all Berlin contingency planning, involving frequent and very sensitive high-level coordination and conferences with military and civilian planners of four nations." He created an operational planning concept covering all aspects of conventional warfare that became a basic reference for the work of the USAFE Force Employment Panel on which Lt. Col. Coffey was assistant chairman and coordinator. The panel's determinations largely affected stratgegy and tactics for U.S. and Nato war planning in Europe.
In 1969 he officially retired and was transferred back to Homestead Air Force Base and then into civilian life.
Among the decorations Lt. Col. Coffey received were the Air Force Commendation Medal, the First Oak Leaf Cluster
to the Air Force Commendation Medal, and the Meritorious Service Medal
.
, Florida, where they bought a ranch and raised cattle. In 1980 he entered the Democratic primary
for the U.S. Senate but did not qualify for the runoff which went to Bill Gunter
. Gunter ultimately lost to Republican Paula Hawkins
, the only woman elected to the US Senate from Florida.
He became active in local politics and served as a Glades County Commissioner from 1982–1990, and as Commissioner Chairman for two years. He also played a prominent role in the movement to preserve public access for Fisheating Creek
when private interests threatened to abolish it.
Valerie Coffey died in 2005, and Lt. Col. Coffey currently resides in West Palm Beach
, Florida.
Lieutenant Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.The pay...
in the USAAF
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
who flew with the Hell's Angels in the 303d Bombardment Group
303d Bombardment Group
The 303d Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was to the 303d Bombardment Wing, being stationed at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. It was de-activated on 16 June 1952....
in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and was Deputy Chairman and then Chairman of the USAAF
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
Nato Planning Liaison Group during the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
.
Early life
He was born in Rossville, GeorgiaRossville, Georgia
Rossville is a city in Walker County, Georgia, United States. The city of Rossville was named after Cherokee Indian Chief John Ross, who resided there until being forced to relocate with his people to Oklahoma in the Indian Removal. Chief John Ross' log cabin home is still located in the city and...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, to Robert L. Coffey, a brick manufacturer and Curie Ethel Brindley, a milliner. He is the 2nd of three sons, between Robert L. Coffey, Jr.
Robert L. Coffey
Robert Lewis Coffey, Jr. was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania....
born 1921, and William B. Coffey born 1923. Both his brothers became pilots in the USAAF
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
, and both prematurely died in plane crashes.
After the failure of his business during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, Robert Coffey, Sr. moved the family first to Philadelphia and finally to Johnstown, Pennsylvania
Johnstown, Pennsylvania
Johnstown is a city in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States, west-southwest of Altoona, Pennsylvania and east of Pittsburgh. The population was 20,978 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Cambria County...
where he found work as supervisor in a coal mine. John Coffey followed his father into the mine and became a member of the UMWA.
Military career
He joined the USAAFUnited States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
in 1939, in Santa Ana,California
Santa Ana, California
Santa Ana is the county seat and second most populous city in Orange County, California, and with a population of 324,528 at the 2010 census, Santa Ana is the 57th-most populous city in the United States....
, training as a glider pilot
Glider infantry
Glider infantry was a type of airborne infantry in which soldiers and their equipment were inserted into enemy controlled territory via military glider rather than parachute...
in Pittsburg, Kansas
Pittsburg, Kansas
Pittsburg is a city in Crawford County, in southeastern Kansas, United States. It is the most populous city in Crawford County and in southeastern Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 20,233.-History:...
. In 1943 the glider pilot
Glider infantry
Glider infantry was a type of airborne infantry in which soldiers and their equipment were inserted into enemy controlled territory via military glider rather than parachute...
program was winding down; he became a cadet/navigator and received training in Albuquerque, Santa Ana
Santa Ana, California
Santa Ana is the county seat and second most populous city in Orange County, California, and with a population of 324,528 at the 2010 census, Santa Ana is the 57th-most populous city in the United States....
, and Sacramento
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
before shipping out.
Stationed in Molesworth
RAF Molesworth
RAF Molesworth is a Royal Air Force station located near Molesworth, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom with a history dating back to 1917.Its runway and flight line facilities were closed in 1973 and demolished to support ground-launched cruise missile operations in the early 1980s...
, England, one of the first Eighth Air Force
Eighth Air Force
The Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana....
stations attached to the USAAF
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
, he was assigned to the 303d Bombardment Group
303d Bombardment Group
The 303d Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was to the 303d Bombardment Wing, being stationed at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. It was de-activated on 16 June 1952....
, 427th Bombardment Squadron
427th Bombardment Squadron
The 427th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Strategic Air Command 303d Bombardment Wing, based at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona. The unit was inactivated on 1 January 1962.-History:...
. In two B-17 Flying Fortress tours, he was credited with 35 bombing missions over Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
. Midway through the missions, after developing and conducting a navigational training curriculum for pilots, he was promoted to lead navigator.
In 1948 he left active service, and returned to the United States, and while still in the Military Reserves
Military reserve
A military reserve, tactical reserve, or strategic reserve is a group of military personnel or units which are initially not committed to a battle by their commander so that they are available to address unforeseen situations or exploit suddenly developing...
, enrolled in the University of Miami
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
on the GI Bill. There he met Valerie Kendall, and they were married in 1949. They honeymooned in Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
, Cuba, and had three sons: Christopher, Kendall, and Kevin.
Cold War
In 1950 at the beginning of the Korean WarKorean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, he was recalled to active duty and began training in the new technologies that the SAC
Strategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
in the early years of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
was developing under the leadership of then-Lieutenant General Curtis LeMay. The stated mission was being able to strike anywhere in the world. To do so demanded development and integration in the areas of jet engines, in-air refueling, ballistic missiles, and ultimately nuclear missiles.
Lt. Col. Coffey became part of War Planning Operations and was stationed variously at Loring Air Force Base
Loring Air Force Base
Loring Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base that was under the operational control of the Strategic Air Command for most of its existence. In 1992, it was transferred to the newly-established Air Combat Command, and it was finally closed as an active Air Force installation in...
, Robins Air Force Base
Robins Air Force Base
Robins Air Force Base is a major United States Air Force base located in Houston County, Georgia, United States. The base is located just east of and adjacent to the city of Warner Robins, Georgia, SSE of Macon, Georgia, and about SSE of Atlanta, Georgia...
, and Westover Airforce Base, headquarters of the Eighth Air Force
Eighth Air Force
The Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana....
, where he was on the IG team inspecting SAC
Strategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
facilities for standards.
In 1966 he was redeployed overseas and assigned to Lindsey Air Station in Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden is a city in southwest Germany and the capital of the federal state of Hesse. It has about 275,400 inhabitants, plus approximately 10,000 United States citizens...
, Germany, headquarters for USAFE, while the family found housing at Finthen Army Airfield in Mainz
Mainz
Mainz under the Holy Roman Empire, and previously was a Roman fort city which commanded the west bank of the Rhine and formed part of the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire...
. While in Mainz his skills as a community liaison prompted an invitation for him to join the Reitercorps of the Mainzer Ranzengarde, a local equestrian club, an honor normally reserved for Germans.
As Deputy of Operations, headquarters, USAFE, he served as Chief of the Special Plans Branch where he was responsible for HQ USAFE "planning for all aspects of unconventional warfare in the European theater, supervision and coordindation of all Berlin contingency planning, involving frequent and very sensitive high-level coordination and conferences with military and civilian planners of four nations." He created an operational planning concept covering all aspects of conventional warfare that became a basic reference for the work of the USAFE Force Employment Panel on which Lt. Col. Coffey was assistant chairman and coordinator. The panel's determinations largely affected stratgegy and tactics for U.S. and Nato war planning in Europe.
In 1969 he officially retired and was transferred back to Homestead Air Force Base and then into civilian life.
Among the decorations Lt. Col. Coffey received were the Air Force Commendation Medal, the First Oak Leaf Cluster
Oak leaf cluster
An oak leaf cluster is a common device which is placed on U.S. Army and Air Force awards and decorations to denote those who have received more than one bestowal of a particular decoration. The number of oak leaf clusters typically indicates the number of subsequent awards of the decoration...
to the Air Force Commendation Medal, and the Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal (United States)
The Meritorious Service Medal is a military decoration presented to members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguished themselves by outstanding meritorious achievement or service to the United States subsequent to January 16, 1969...
.
Private Life
In 1977 the Coffeys moved to Moore HavenMoore Haven, Florida
Moore Haven is a city in Glades County, Florida, United States. The population was 1,635 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 1,726. It is the county seat of Glades County...
, Florida, where they bought a ranch and raised cattle. In 1980 he entered the Democratic primary
United States Senate election in Florida, 1980
The 1980 United States Senate election in Florida took place on November 4, 1980 alongside other elections for President of the United States as well as to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections....
for the U.S. Senate but did not qualify for the runoff which went to Bill Gunter
Bill Gunter
William Dawson "Bill" Gunter, Jr. was an American politician from the state of Florida.-Early life and education:Gunter was born in Jacksonville in 1934. He attended public schools in Live Oak and received his Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from the University of Florida in 1956...
. Gunter ultimately lost to Republican Paula Hawkins
Paula Hawkins
Paula Hawkins was an U.S. politician from Florida. She is to date the only woman elected to the U.S. Senate from Florida. She was the first woman ever elected to a full term in the Senate without a family connection....
, the only woman elected to the US Senate from Florida.
He became active in local politics and served as a Glades County Commissioner from 1982–1990, and as Commissioner Chairman for two years. He also played a prominent role in the movement to preserve public access for Fisheating Creek
Fisheating Creek
Fisheating Creek is a stream that flows into Lake Okeechobee in Florida. It is the only remaining free-flowing water course feeding into the lake, and the second-largest natural source for the lake. Most of the land surrounding the stream is either publicly owned or under conservation easements...
when private interests threatened to abolish it.
Valerie Coffey died in 2005, and Lt. Col. Coffey currently resides in West Palm Beach
West Palm Beach, Florida
West Palm Beach, is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and is the most populous city in and county seat of Palm Beach County, the third most populous county in Florida with a 2010 population of 1,320,134. The city is also the oldest incorporated municipality in South Florida...
, Florida.
External links
- http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/ha-vs-mb.pdf
- http://www.pointvista.com/WW2GliderPilots/