Frank Worth Elliott Jr. (December 2, 1924 – October 20, 1997) was a

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army S ...

. General Elliott served in World War II as the captain of a

B-24 Liberator The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models d ...

, commander of the

14th Strategic Aerospace Division The 14th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Fifteenth Air Force, stationed at Beale Air Force Base, California. It was inactivated on 14 June 1989. History World War II The organization was ...

, and commander of Chanute Air Force Base in

Rantoul, Illinois Rantoul is a village in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 12,371 at the 2020 census. History The community was named after Robert Rantoul, Jr., a U.S. representative from Massachusetts, and a director of the Illino ...

. Elliott also held the distinction of having piloted the SR-71 Blackbird. During his military career, General Elliott was awarded several commendations. Among them were the

Air Force Distinguished Service Medal The Air Force Distinguished Service Medal (AFDSM) is a military decoration of the United States Air Force and United States Space Force and is presented to airmen and guardians to recognize distinguished and exceptionally meritorious service to ...

with one oak leaf cluster, the

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...

with two oak leaf clusters, the Distinguished Flying Cross., and The

Order of the Sword The Royal Order of the Sword (officially: ''Royal Order of the Sword''; Swedish: ''Kungliga Svärdsorden'') is a Swedish order of chivalry and military decoration created by King Frederick I of Sweden on February 23, 1748, together with the ...

. Following his retirement from the USAF in 1975, General Elliott resided in Rantoul, IL. When Chanute AFB closed on September 30, 1993, General Elliott worked as an economic development consultant for the city and was instrumental in helping the city attract corporations to fill the vacuum left behind by the base closing."Chanute AIr Force Base, Illinois". Techbastard.com. Retrieved 2013-12-05. Following his death, Rantoul National Aviation Center was formally renamed Frank Elliott Field.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Elliott, Frank Worth Jr. 1924 births 1997 deaths United States Air Force generals Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) Recipients of the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Order of the Sword Recipients of the Distinguished Service Order (Vietnam) People from Statesville, North Carolina People from Rantoul, Illinois Military personnel from Illinois