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 After a
thirty-four-year career in the military, Brigadier General William
Boardley ’72 retired as commander of the 171st Air Refueling Wing of
the Pennsylvania National Guard.
When Boardley graduated
from IUP with a degree in Criminology, he intended to pursue a life of law
enforcement. That changed when his draft number was called. His new career
took him to Air Force officer training school in Texas, where he received
his commission to second lieutenant in December, 1972. He received his
navigator wings the following year and was assigned to Beale Air Force
Base in California as a crew member on a KC-135 Stratotanker and, as
captain, supported the SR-71 Blackbird reconnaissance aircraft on missions
around the world.
In 1978, Boardley
joined the Pennsylvania Air National Guard at Pittsburgh International
Airport and served at numerous staff officer positions, including
navigator, operations plan officer, aircrew scheduler, and operations
officer. In July, 1995, he became wing commander of the 171st Air
Expeditionary Wing, serving in military operations in areas including
Asia, Bosnia, and Yugoslavia. |
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He participated in Operations Desert Shield
and Desert Storm as aircrew member and staff planner for the 1713th Air
Refueling Wing; was wing commander during the 171st ARW’s participation in
Operation Allied Force in May, 1999; and was deployed as the ARW’s
commander during Operation Iraqi Freedom in March, 2003, overseeing flight
operations supporting midair refueling of B-52s, Navy fighters, and
NATO-allied aircraft supporting soldiers on the ground. |
In a 2000 article in
IUP Magazine, Boardley was listed with
six other alumni who had attained general officer rank.
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As a Master Navigator,
Boardley flew over 6,740 hours in the T-29 (a “flying classroom” used to
train navigators) and the KC-135. His twenty-seven military awards and
decorations include an air medal, Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, and both
the Air Force and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Distinguished Service
medals. He recently received the 2006 Outstanding Community Leader Award
from the Pittsburgh Airport Area Chamber of Commerce.
In an article from the
Observer-Reporter, Boardley noted that retirement will take some
getting used to, as will an anticipated change in command. “I kid people,”
Boardley said. “I’m leaving a post where I’m the commander to a two-person
household where I’m second in charge.”
The Washington (Pa.)
native and his wife, Carol, will stay in the home they built in Hopewell
Township in 1998. They have two children, Amy and Matthew.
November, 2006
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