Gen. William Thurman is U.S. Naval Academy graduate who accepted a U.S. Air Force commission. He was a T-38 flight instructor, and he flew Top Gun in Vietnam in the F-105, completing 56 missions. A command pilot with over 4,000 hours, he has flown nearly every aircraft in the current Air Force inventory.

Assigned to aviation and aircraft R&D, he was influential in building U.S. air superiority. He coordinated development of the nation's Supersonic Transport program. He structured a national short-haul transport system. He led the Department of Defense effort to reduce the time and money needed for aircraft development; under his leadership, 5,000-page Requests for Proposals were reduced to 25 pages. Such efficiencies gave the U.S. development advantage and led to the addition of the F-16, F-18 and C-17 to the U.S. inventory. The B-1B bomber (which as project manager he brought in ahead of schedule, under budget and exceeding every performance goal) is credited with breaking the back of Soviet strategists and ending the Cold War.

Gen. Thurman was presented by Sam Iacobellis, Rockwell International Executive Vice President and Chairman, Major Programs. The general was on hand to accept his medallion personally.

Bill Thurman was born in Hodgenville, Ky. He completed his schooling in Danville and is a recipient of Danville High School's Distinguished Alumni Award. With the Naval Academy's National Championship crew team, he was a member of the 1952 Summer Olympics team. He and his wife, the former Joan Hellerman, make their home in Pinehurst, N.C.