By Richard LeComte

The University of Kentucky’s Air Force ROTC 290 Detachment will honor distinguished alumnus  and retired Air Force Gen.  Jack I. Gregory during a virtual Zoom ceremony at 3 p.m. EST Thursday, Nov. 12. The event will be streamed from Buell Armory on the UK campus.

To attend the event, go to https://youtu.be/L6p9HxbmJx4; no registration is requited.

Gregory was born in Somerset, Kentucky, in 1931, and he graduated from Somerset High School in 1949. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from UK in 1953, where he also was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force through UK’s Reserve Officer Training Corps Detachment 290, the “Flying Wildcats.”

Over the course of the next 35 years, Gregory served in multiple command positions across the United States, Germany and South Korea. He became a command pilot with almost 7,000 flying hours in fighter aircraft and flew more than 250 combat missions commander, Pacific Air Forces (Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii) from 1986 to 1988.

His military decorations and awards include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster, Distinguished Flying Cross with two oak leaf clusters, Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, Air Medal with 13 oak leaf clusters and Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster.

He is being honored as the 2020 U.S. Air Force’s ROTC Distinguished Alumnus for his accomplishments in service. A full biography of Gregory can be found here.