John Giraudo was born on October 2, 1923, in Santa Barbara, California. He entered the Aviation Cadet Program of the U.S. Army Air Forces on March 25, 1942, and was commissioned a 2d Lt and awarded his pilot wings on March 10, 1943. Lt Giraudo flew B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24 Liberator bombers with the 720th Bomb Squadron at Alamogordo, New Mexico, and later under the 15th Air Force in the Mediterranean Theater, from March 1943 until his aircraft was shot down and he was taken as a Prisoner of War on February 25, 1944. He was held at Stalag Luft 1 in Barth-Vogelsang, Prussia, until he was liberated in April 1945. After the war, Giraudo served as assistant director of flying at Mather AFB, California, from May 1945 to August 1949, and then as Assistant Training and Operations Officer for the 3625th Flying Training Wing at Tyndall AFB, Florida, from September 1949 to October 1952. During this time, he was assigned to the staff of General Dwight D. Eisenhower during the formation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. His next assignment was as Operations Officer and then Commander of the 25th Fighter Interceptor Squadron of the 51st Fighter Interceptor Wing in Korea, where he served from November 1952 until he was shot down and taken as a Prisoner of War in May 1953. During this time, he was credited with destroying 2 enemy aircraft in aerial combat plus 1.5 probables and 1 damaged. After his release on August 31, 1953, Maj Giraudo served as Assistant Operations Officer of the 3595th Fighter Group and then as Commander of the Fighter Weapons School at Nellis AFB, Nevada, where he served from November 1953 to May 1956, followed by service as the Senior Air Force advisor to the Hawaii Air National Guard, from May 1956 to January 1959. Col Giraudo attended Armed Forces Staff College at Norfolk, Virginia, from February to August 1959, and then served at Headquarters U.S. Air Force in the Pentagon from August 1959 to August 1963. After attending National War College from August 1963 to July 1964, Giraudo served as Vice Commander of the 7272nd Flying Training Wing at Wheelus AB, Libya, from July 1964 to August 1965, followed by service as Commander of the 49th Tactical Fighter Wing at Spangdahlem AB, West Germany, from August 1965 to July 1967. Gen Giraudo next commanded the 355th Tactical Fighter Wing at Takhli Royal Thai AFB, Thailand, from August 1967 to August 1968, during which time he flew 100 combat missions, 77 of those over North Vietnam. He served as Deputy Director and then Director of the Office of Legislative Liaison in the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force from August 1968 to May 1973, and then commanded 17th Air Force at Sembach AB, West Germany, from May 1973 to January 1975. Gen Giraudo's final assignment was as Director of Plans and Policy at Headquarters U.S. Readiness Command at MacDill AFB, Florida, where he served from January 1975 until his retirement from the Air Force on November 1, 1977. John Giraudo died on June 17, 1996.