Godfrey T. McHugh (September 30, 1911 – July 5, 1997) was a

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

general and served as military aide to President

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...

Early years

McHugh was born in

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

, Belgium, to American parents. He received a baccalaureate in science and languages from the

University of Paris The University of Paris (), known Metonymy, metonymically as the Sorbonne (), was the leading university in Paris, France, from 1150 to 1970, except for 1793–1806 during the French Revolution. Emerging around 1150 as a corporation associated wit ...

in 1929. He was an oil production supervisor for the West Texas Production Company in

Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, covering nearly into Denton County, Texas, Denton, Johnson County, Texas, Johnson, Parker County, Texas, Parker, and Wise County, Te ...

from 1938 to 1942. He dated

Jacqueline Bouvier Jacqueline Lee Kennedy Onassis ( ; July 28, 1929 – May 19, 1994) was an American writer, book editor, and socialite who served as the first lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963, as the wife of President John F. Kennedy. A popular f ...

(who later married John F. Kennedy and became

First Lady of the United States First Lady of the United States (FLOTUS) is a title typically held by the wife of the president of the United States, concurrent with the president's term in office. Although the first lady's role has never been Code of law, codified or offici ...

Military career

After the U.S. entered

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, McHugh joined the

U.S. Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

as a captain on January 31, 1942, and received pilot training. From February 1942 to 1943 he was a planning officer with the Air War Plans Division of the War Department General Staff. From 1943 to 1946 was executive of the U.S. Air Force Scientific Advisory Board assigned to General H.H. Arnold, commanding general U.S. Army Air Forces. He also served in both the European and Pacific Theaters with the Scientific Advisory Board. He was with the Army General Staff Intelligence Foreign Liaison Office for a year, graduated from the Army General Staff Strategic Military School in 1947. Then he became assistant executive and senior aide to General Hoyt S. Vandenberg, chief of staff, U.S. Air Force, from 1948 to 1953. McHugh attended the

National War College In the United States, the National War College (NWC) is a school within the National Defense University. It is housed in Roosevelt Hall on Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C., the third-oldest Army post still active. History The National ...

from 1953 to 1954. During World War II, he rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel and was stationed in the European and Pacific Theater. He was awarded the

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States military, military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievemen ...

for his wartime service.

Kennedy Administration

He became Air Force Aide to President Kennedy and was promoted to Brigadier General in 1961. As military aide to the President, his duties included supervising

Air Force One Air Force One is the official air traffic control-designated Aviation call signs, call sign for a United States Air Force aircraft carrying the president of the United States. The term is commonly used to denote U.S. Air Force aircraft modifie ...

. He very often rode in the middle of the front seat of the

Presidential State Car An official state car is an automobile used by a government to transport its head of state or head of government in an official capacity, which may also be used occasionally to transport other members of the government or visiting dignitaries from ...

while transporting the President. While he was in

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

during the

John F. Kennedy assassination John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, was assassinated while riding in a presidential motorcade through Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963. Kennedy was in the vehicle with his wife Jacqueline, Texas gove ...

, McHugh was moved farther back in the motorcade that day rather than riding in the President's car. He was present at

Parkland Memorial Hospital Parkland Memorial Hospital is a public hospital located in Dallas, Texas. It is the main hospital of the Parkland Health & Hospital System and serves as Dallas County's public hospital. It is located within the Southwestern Medical Distri ...

as doctors attempted to save the President’s life. After Kennedy's death, McHugh stood guard by Kennedy's body on Air Force One as the President's body was returned to Washington, D.C. In a 1978 oral history interview that McHugh gave to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library (that was withheld from the public until 2009), McHugh provided detailed statements that once Kennedy's body was back on-board

he did not know that

Lyndon Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after assassination of John F. Kennedy, the assassination of John F. Ken ...

was also on board. Due to safety concerns that there was a conspiracy,

Jacqueline Kennedy Jacqueline Lee Kennedy Onassis ( ; July 28, 1929 – May 19, 1994) was an American writer, book editor, and socialite who served as the first lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963, as the wife of President John F. Kennedy. A popular f ...

's repeated requests, and the fact that the plane's interior cabin was quite warm, McHugh had requested that the plane take off. When the plane still had not taken off, McHugh went forward to again ask pilot James Swindal why the plane had not taken off and he was told that Johnson did not want the plane to take off yet. McHugh went to find Johnson and he soon found Johnson in a bathroom with Johnson saying repeatedly, "They're going to get us all. It's a plot. It's a plot. It's going to get us all." According to the General, Johnson "was hysterical, sitting down on the john there alone in this thing." In a documented interview the previous week in 1978 McHugh had also stated to the

House Select Committee on Assassinations The United States House of Representatives Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) was established on September 15, 1976 by U.S. House Resolution 1540 to investigate the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. in 1963 and ...

investigator Mark Flanagan the same basic account of what he witnessed.

Jordan Marsh incident

In the summer of 1963,

was at the Kennedy family compound in Massachusetts while she was pregnant. Air Force personnel became concerned that if Mrs. Kennedy were to deliver the child at the

Otis Air Force Base Otis may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Otis'' (film), a direct-to-DVD 2008 American comedy horror film * "Otis" (''The Jeffersons''), a television episode * "Otis" (''Prison Break''), a television episode Music * ...

hospital, that the maternity ward furniture would be unsatisfactory for the newborn child of the President and First Lady. The Air Force then spent $5,000.00 ($44,000 in 2021) of taxpayer money at Jordan Marsh & Company to purchase new furniture, and allowed media photographs of a

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft ...

aide standing next to the purchase. After the photos made their way into the ''

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'', an irate President Kennedy telephoned McHugh and ordered him to have the furniture returned. Kennedy's profanity-laden phone call with McHugh is now public.

Later years

McHugh married Lillian Triplett Fall in 1967. The couple retired to

Palm Beach, Florida Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. Located on a barrier island in east-central Palm Beach County, the town is separated from West Palm Beach, Florida, West Palm Beach and Lake Worth Beach, Florida, ...

in 1986. General McHugh died in Palm Beach in 1997 and is buried in

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia. ...

Awards

Air Force Commendation Medal The Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military decoration presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. Each branch of the United States Armed Forces issues its own version of the Commendation Medal, with a fift ...

Army Commendation Medal The Commendation Medal is a mid-level Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, United States military decoration presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. Each branch of the United States Armed Forces issu ...

American Campaign Medal The American Campaign Medal was a military award of the United States Armed Forces which was first created on November 6, 1942, by issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The medal was intended to recognize those military members who had per ...

* European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal *

World War II Victory Medal The World War II Victory Medal was a service medal of the United States military which was established by an Act of Congress on 6 July 1945 (Public Law 135, 79th Congress) and promulgated by Section V, War Department Bulletin 12, 1945. Histo ...

Army of Occupation Medal The Army of Occupation Medal was a military award of the United States military which was established by the United States War Department on 5 April 1946. The medal was created in the aftermath of the Second World War to recognize those who had ...

National Defense Service Medal The National Defense Service Medal (NDSM) is a service award of the United States Armed Forces established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953. It was awarded to every member of the U.S. Armed Forces who served during any one of four s ...

with star * Air Force Longevity Service Ribbon with four bronze

oak leaf cluster An oak leaf cluster is a ribbon device to denote preceding decorations and awards consisting of a miniature bronze or silver twig of four oak leaves with three acorns on the stem. It is authorized by the United States Armed Forces for a spec ...

Dates of rank

References

External links

JFK Library contributions

AF.Mil biography

McHugh House

Air Force One Graphic History
{{DEFAULTSORT:McHugh, Godfrey 1911 births 1997 deaths Military personnel from Brussels University of Paris alumni National War College alumni United States Air Force generals Recipients of the Legion of Merit Kennedy administration personnel People associated with the assassination of John F. Kennedy Military aides to the president of the United States Burials at Arlington National Cemetery