Howard Leaf was born on September 22, 1923, in Illinois. He enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Forces on June 28, 1943, and served as a remote control gun turret repairman until leaving active duty on March 1, 1946. After completing his bachelor's degree in geophysical engineering at the Colorado School of Mines in 1950, he was commissioned a 2d Lt in the U.S. Air Force Reserve on May 26, 1950, and went on active duty in the Aviation Cadet program on August 17, 1950. Lt Leaf was awarded his pilot wings on September 15, 1951, and then completed F-80 Shooting Star Combat Crew Training in November 1951. His next assignment was as an F-80 pilot with the 44th Fighter-Bomber Squadron of the 18th Fighter-Bomber Group in the Philippines from January to March 1952, followed by service with the 80th Fighter-Bomber Squadron in Korea from March to September 1952. Lt Leaf served as an F-86 Sabre pilot in Korea with the 25th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron of the 51st Fighter-Interceptor Group from September 1952 to July 1953, and then served as a Special Projects Officer at Scott AFB, Illinois, from July to September 1953. He next received an Air Force Institute of Technology assignment to complete his master's degree in geophysics at St. Louis University from September 1953 to March 1955, followed by service as a test pilot with the Air Force Armament Center and then with Air Proving Ground Command at Eglin AFB, Florida, from March 1955 to September 1960. Maj Leaf attended Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell AFB, Alabama, from September 1960 to September 1961, and then served as a geophysicist in the Geophysics Division with the Air Force Office of Scientific Research in Washington, D.C., from September 1961 to January 1965. His next assignment was as an F-105 Thunderchief pilot, Assistant Operations Officer and then Operations Officer for the 8th Tactical Fighter Squadron of the 49th Tactical Fighter Wing at Spangdahlem AB, West Germany, from January 1965 to February 1966, followed by service as an F-105 pilot, Operations Officer, and then Commander of the 333rd Tactical Fighter Squadron of the 355th Tactical Fighter Wing at Takhli Royal Thai AFB, Thailand, from February to October 1966. Col Leaf then served on the staff of Headquarters U.S. Air Force in the Pentagon from October 1966 to August 1968, and then attended the Industrial College of the Armed Forces from August 1968 to June 1969. He then served as Chief of the Southeast Asia Projects Division in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Research and Development with Headquarters U.S. Air Force in the Pentagon from June 1969 to March 1971, followed by service as Vice Commander and then Commander of the 1st Tactical Fighter Wing at MacDill AFB, Florida, from March to November 1971. Gen Leaf served as Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Requirements with Headquarters Tactical Air Command at Langley AFB, Virginia, from November 1971 to May 1973, and then as Commander of the 366th Tactical Fighter Wing at Mountain Home AFB, Idaho, from May 1973 to July 1974. His next assignment was as Deputy Chief of Staff for Requirements at Headquarters Tactical Air Command from July 1974 to October 1976, followed by service as Commander of the Air Force Test and Evaluation Center at Kirtland AFB, New Mexico, from October 1976 to may 1980. Gen Leaf served as Inspector General of the Air Force at the Pentagon from May 1980 to July 1983, and then as Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force from July 1983 until his retirement on October 1, 1984. Howard Leaf died on April 25, 2009, and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.