John Bennett Gordon

West Point, 1951

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by Jose Andres "Andy" Chacon on August 29, 2004:

John Bennett Gordon, Jr. Born August 4, 1928 - Died June 27, 1958 John Bennett "Jack" Gordon, Jr. was born in North Carolina and was appointed to West Point on a Senatorial appointment. His roommates have indicated that second to his OAO came "Chee-Wees" and his non-regulation pajamas. Jack was on the football and basketball Army teams all four years and he had a fairly easy time with academics. Meeting Jack Gordon, or, for the first time seeing his tall, rangy figure crossing the flight line, you felt immediately that he was a man to respect. The great strength in Jack spoke out clearly, not from the obviously powerful frame of his body, but from a certitude of honor that you found implicit in his manner and the clear-eyed, unyielding set of his face. Hardly ever mentioning principles, he was unvaryingly a man of principle in all his actions. Jack never showed weakness, and yet the gentleness and humility of his conduct were the proof of his strength. With a low, full voice that in laughter would rise boyishly, he spoke in softly Southern inflections that took on an edge when he needed to press a point. He had different laughs that seemed to vary with the subject. He talked and laughed easily and with enjoyment, and almost any subject interested him; he particularly liked to discuss the Air Force, boats, sports, current affairs, and his family. In talking with him you felt that the personal rapport established by the conversation was more important to him than the words. Unless the occasion demanded formality, he was at ease and down-to-earth with everyone, fraudulent manners disgusted him. Jack came from a well-established North Carolina family whose lineage included a Civil War major general. He was born and grew up in Raleigh, made the all-state football team in high school. He spent two semesters at North Carolina State College before going on to West Point. On graduation day, he married his high school sweetheart, Harriet Moran - they were the first couple under the arch that day - and they made their first home at a primary pilot training base. Jack's height placed him in multi-engine training, and on getting his wings he was drafted into B?29's as a co-pilot. He got to the Far East just in time to fly in some of the last missions before the Korean War ended. Returning, he was placed in a KC-97 unit and was made an aircraft commander as soon as he had the minimum flying hours required for checkout. He liked to fly, ran a tight crew and held the devotion of his crew members; but he wanted larger responsibilities. He was broadly concerned with the management and employment of the Air Force, and he was able to express that concern in 1956, when he helped to organize a committee of junior officers in the Eighth Air Force to study the problem of retaining young officers in the service. His outstanding work on the committee drew the attention of the Commander, Major General W. C. Sweeney, Jr., and a few weeks later he was selected his aide-de-camp. As aide, Jack was deeply interested in the functioning of a command of 65,000 personnel, and in the techniques and methods of the various senior commanders he was able to observe. He was continually analyzing and storing up knowledge for the day when he might have a command. His natural easy manner never left him - he never succumbed to the superciliousness common in aides and his superior performance under different pressures earned the respect of numerous senior officers and civilian officials. Jack and Harriet lived on the base at Westover in an apartment that their friends made one of the most visited homes on the base. Jack built most of the furniture himself. With his four sons, Jack was a serious and affectionate father who time and again forfeited sleep after a long flight to play with the older boys or care for a crying infant. Jack flew a heavy schedule and in less than six years' service as a rated pilot accumulated over 3,500 flying hours, well above the level of his contemporaries. He had followed the development of the KC-135 keenly and felt very fortunate to get a pilot checkout in it. It was his first jet flying experience. When he got the chance to fly on a KC-135 attempting to set a new two-way trans-Atlantic speed record, he was enthusiastic and eager to go. Just after takeoff, due to an unknown cause, the aircraft failed to climb and crashed, killing all aboard. Of all the tributes to Jack made after his death, this statement by his commander most cogently attests to the strength of his living reputation: "Captain Gordon was one of the finest young officers I have known. He earned the respect and confidence of all with whom he came in contact. He was invaluable to me not only as a trusted aide, but even more so as a friend and confidant. His superior executive talent and strong character clearly marked him for future command. His loss is a matter of deepest personal regret to me." Major General W.C. Sweeney, Jr. Click to find out what makes Fly Boys tick Air Force Values ufa

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