Brooks W. Booker Jr
Col, USAF 1941-67
WWII & Korea
Brooks William Booker, Jr. was born in Mountain Park, Oklahoma on February 24, 1917 to Ella Adel Weaver and Brooks William Booker. He married Edna Meryle Carpenter on June 1, 1942. Brooks and Edna had three children together – Brooks William III, Carolyn Sue, and Sandra Lynn. Brooks passed away on October 15, 1979 following a lengthy illness.
Education
• Bachelor’s degree from Sacramento State College
• Master’s degree from George Washington University
Non-Military Positions Held
• Director of the University of Iowa Center for Conferences and Institutes 1967-1972
• Professor and Head of the University of Iowa Aerospace Military Studies and Commandant of the Air Force ROTC Program during the Vietnam era 1963-1967
Military Service
• Entered the Air Force as a Flying Cadet 1940
• Graduated from Pan American Airways Flight Program 1941
• Received commission as 2nd Lieutenant in U.S. Air Force 1941
• Supervisor of Cadet Flying Training Program throughout World War II
• Military Governor of Munich and Erding, Germany, participant in the Berlin Airlift, Nuremberg trials 1946-1949
• Chief of Operations and Intelligence Organizations of the Strategic Air Command, The Tactical Air Command, and Pacific Command 1950-1959
• Korea 1952
• Chief of War Plans Branch for the Joint Chief of Staff. Advised the President’s Board of Consultants, The Secretary of Defense, Congressional Committees, and The Joint Chiefs of Staff on ULS Strategic Was Plans. 1959-1963
Community Service
• Founder, President, and Director of Goodwill Industries of Southeast Iowa
• Director, Hawkeye Area Community Action Program
• Vice-President, Hawkeye Area Council, Boy Scouts of America
• National Council Member, Boy Scouts of America
• President, Iowa City Kiwanis Club
• Founder and Director, Mid-Eastern Iowa Mental Health Center
• President, Gideons of Iowa/Johnson Counties
• Chairman, Training Division, Community Givers Fund Campaign 1968
• Donated his time, money and handyman skills to help the elderly with home repair, etc. so that they could stay in their homes
• Frequent Public Speaker on patriotism
Honors
• Air Force Victory Medal
• Air Defense Service Medal
• Medal for Humane Action
• National Defense Service Medal with Bronze Service Star
• Army of Occupation Medal with Berlin Airlift Device
• Korean Service Medal
• United Nations Service Medal
• Air Force Longevity Service Award with 5 Oak Leaf Clusters
• Outstanding Layman of the Year, U.S. Air Force Chaplain Service, Hawaii 1959
• Outstanding Layman of the Year, U.S. Air Force Chaplain Service, Washington D.C. 1963
• Man of the Year Award, Goodwill Industries of American, Washington D.C. 1967
• Air Force Commendation Medal 1967
• Outstanding Community Leader Award from the National Community Service Association 1969 and 1970
• Silver Beaver Award, Boy Scout of America 1971
• National Medal of Freedom, Sons of the American Revolution 1972
• Iowa City Press Citizen Tribute in the Editorial section on October 17, 1979 upon news of dad’s passing: “No one, at least since World War II, entered as fully into community life as actively and productively as did Col. Booker”. “Brooks Booker left his mark on this community; he is gone now but the institutions he did so much to create and the dedication he exemplified remain to serve and to inspire us in the future”.
• Memorial Resolution, College of Liberal Arts, University of Iowa 1980
• Son Brooks III became a Colonel in the Air Force before his retirement; and his three grandsons, Eron, Jacob, and Jordan became Army officers during their service.
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