U N I T E D   S T A T E S   A
I R   F O R C E

GENERAL CHARLES R.
HOLLAND

Retired Nov. 1, 2003.

Gen. Charles R. Holland is
Commander, Headquarters U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill Air
Force Base, Fla. As Commander, he is responsible for all special
operations forces of the Army, Navy and Air Force, both active duty
and Reserve.

General Holland entered the Air Force in 1968
after graduating from the U.S Air Force Academy. He has commanded a
squadron, two Air Force wings, served as Deputy Commanding General
of the Joint Special Operations Command, and was Commander of the
Special Operations Command Pacific. Prior to his current assignment,
General Holland commanded the Air Force Special Operations Command
at Hurlburt Field, Fla., and was the Vice Commander of U.S. Air
Forces in Europe at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.

General
Holland is a command pilot with more than 5,000 flying hours and
more than 100 combat missions, including 79 in an AC-130 Gunship in
Southeast Asia.

EDUCATION
1968 Bachelor of science
degree in aeronautical engineering, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado
Springs, Colo.
1974 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB,
Ala.
1975 Air Command and Staff College, by
correspondence
1976 Master of science degree in business
management, Troy State University, Ramstein AB, West Germany
1978
Master of science degree in astronautical engineering, Air Force
Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
1982 National
Security Management Course, by correspondence
1986 Industrial
College of the Armed Forces, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington,
D.C.
1990 Program for Senior Officials in National Security, John
F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge,
Mass.
1998 National and International Security Management
Program, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University,
Cambridge, Mass.

ASSIGNMENTS
1. August 1968 -
August 1969, student, undergraduate pilot training, Reese AFB,
Texas
2. September 1969 - November 1969, student, initial C-130E
pilot qualification training, Sewart AFB, Tenn.
3. November 1969
- September 1972, C-130E pilot, 347th and 772nd tactical airlift
squadrons, Dyess AFB, Texas
4. October 1972 - January 1973,
student, AC-130E combat crew training, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
5.
January 1973 - January 1974, AC-130E/H aircraft commander,
instructor pilot, and standardization and evaluation pilot, 16th
Special Operations Squadron, Ubon Royal Thai AFB, Thailand
6.
February 1974 - January 1976, Air Operations Staff Officer,
Directorate of Airlift, Headquarters U.S. Air Forces in Europe,
Ramstein AB, West Germany
7. January 1976 - April 1977, Joint
Training Exercise Plans Officer, Military Airlift Center Europe,
Ramstein AB, West Germany
8. May 1977 - December 1978,
astronautical engineering graduate student, Air Force Institute of
Technology, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
9. January 1979 - May
1983, Chief, Space Shuttle Flight Operations Branch, later, Deputy
Director for Policy Planning, later, Executive to the Commander,
Space Division, Los Angeles Air Force Station, Calif.
10. June
1983 - August 1983, student, C-130E requalification course, Little
Rock AFB, Ark.
11. September 1983 - June 1985, Commander, 21st
Tactical Airlift Squadron, Clark AB, Philippines
12. July 1985 -
June 1986, student, Industrial College of the Armed Forces, Fort
Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
13. June 1986 - June 1987,
Deputy Chief, Airlift and Training Division, Directorate of
Operational Requirements, Deputy Chief of Staff for Research,
Development and Acquisition, Headquarters U.S. Air Force,
Washington, D.C.
14. June 1987 - June 1988, Chief, Airlift and
Training Division, Directorate of Strategic, Special Operations
Forces and Airlift, Military Deputy for Acquisition, Office of the
Assistant Secretary of the Air Force, Washington, D.C.
15. June
1988 - June 1991, Vice Commander, later, Commander, 1550th Combat
Crew Training Wing, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
16. June 1991 - June 1993,
Commander, 1st Special Operations Wing, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
17.
June 1993 - June 1995, Deputy Commanding General, Joint Special
Operations Command, Fort Bragg, N.C.
18. June 1995 - June 1997,
Commander, Special Operations Command Pacific, Camp H.M. Smith,
Hawaii
19. July 1997 - August 1999, Commander, Air Force Special
Operations Command, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
20. August 1999 -
October 2000, Vice Commander, U.S. Air Forces in Europe, Ramstein
AB, Germany
21. October 2000 - present, Commander, Headquarters
U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill AFB, Fla.

FLIGHT
INFORMATION
Rating: Command pilot
Flight hours: More than
5,000
Aircraft flown: C-130, C-37, AC-130, HC-130, MC-130, MH-53,
MH-60, H-3, H-1 and T-39

MAJOR AWARDS AND
DECORATIONS
Distinguished Service Medal
Defense Superior
Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Legion of Merit with oak
leaf cluster
Distinguished Flying Cross
Meritorious Service
Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with four oak leaf
clusters
Joint Meritorious Unit Award with oak leaf
cluster
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with V device and oak
leaf cluster
Air Force Organizational Excellence Award with two
oak leaf clusters
Combat Readiness Medal
National Defense
Service Medal with service star
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
with service star
Vietnam Service Medal
Southwest Asia Service
Medal with service star
Air Force Overseas Ribbon-Short
Air
Force Overseas Ribbon-Long with two oak leaf clusters
Air Force
Longevity Service Award Ribbon with seven oak leaf clusters
Small
Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon
Air Force Training
Ribbon
Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm
Republic
of Vietnam Campaign Medal
Kuwait Liberation Medal (Government of
Kuwait)

EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second
Lieutenant Jun 5, 1968
First Lieutenant Dec 5, 1969
Captain
Jun 5, 1971
Major Apr 19, 1979
Lieutenant Colonel Dec 1,
1982
Colonel Dec 1, 1985
Brigadier General May 20,
1993
Major General Feb 22, 1997
Lieutenant General Nov 1,
1999
General Dec 1, 2000

(Current as of January
2003)