Chaplain ( Major General) Robert Preston Taylor,

USAF 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 ...

(April 11, 1909 – February 1, 1997) was an American military officer who served as the 3rd Chief of Chaplains of the United States Air Force. A graduate of

Baylor University Baylor University is a Private university, private Baptist research university in Waco, Texas, United States. It was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Te ...

Waco, Texas Waco ( ) is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and Interstate 35, I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin, Texas, Austin. The city had a U.S. census estimated 2024 popul ...

, he notably served as a chaplain during World War II and was a

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

and survivor of the

Bataan Death March The Bataan Death March was the Death march, forcible transfer by the Imperial Japanese Army of around 72,000 to 78,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war (POWs) from the municipalities of Bagac and Mariveles on the Bataan Peninsula to Camp ...

. He began his tenure as chief of chaplains on September 1, 1962, and served until his retirement on August 1, 1966. Taylor previously served as Deputy Chief of Chaplains of the United States Air Force from August 1958 to September 1962. Born in Henderson, Texas, Taylor earned a B.A. degree from Baylor University in 1933. He then entered the

Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary The Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary is a Baptist theological institute in Fort Worth, Texas. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. It was established in 1908 and in 2005 was one of the largest seminaries in the wor ...

, completing an M.Th. degree in 1936 and a D.Th. degree in 1939. Taylor served as pastor of the South Fort Worth Baptist Church until becoming a U.S. Army chaplain in September 1940. After his release from captivity in 1945, he was reassigned to the U.S. Army Air Forces in January 1946. Taylor became part of the new U.S. Air Force the following year.

References

1909 births 1997 deaths People from Henderson, Texas Baylor University alumni Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary alumni 20th-century American clergy United States Army personnel of World War II World War II chaplains Recipients of the Silver Star Bataan Death March prisoners American prisoners of war in World War II United States Air Force generals Chiefs of Chaplains of the United States Air Force {{USAF-bio-stub