Retired Major General Charles R. (Rex) Driggers Visits Mid America Flight Museum Tuesday. A native of Mount Pleasant, General Driggers joined the United States Air Force as a Second Lieutenant through the ROTC Program in 1955 after having received a degree from East Texas State University.
Early in General Driggers’ career, he trained in both the T-34 and T-28 for primary flight training. He was soon assigned as an instructor pilot in the 3555th Combat Crew Training Wing. Driggers left active duty in 1964 pursuing private employment although; he joined the U.S.A.F. Reserves 69th Troop Carrier Squadron.
In 1965 he transferred to the Texas Air National Guard as a member of the 181st Air Refueling Squadron where he served in refueling missions all over the world.
He joined American
Airlines in 1966 where he ultimately was rated as Captain of both the
Boeing 727 and the McDonald Douglass DC-10 where he flew both
domestically and internationally. In 1982, Driggers was transferred to
the 136th Airlift Wing as Director of Wing Operations then promoted to
Wing Commander of the 136th. Airlift Wing in 1984.
In 1986, Driggers was reassigned to Texas where he became Commander of all eleven Air National Guard units in State of Texas and served in that capacity until 1992, when he retired at the rank of Major General.
Over the span of his career, General Driggers accumulated 23000 hours of commercial flight hours alone. After General Driggers retired from his combined aviation and military careers as he will tell you, he elected to focus on spending time with his family.
Gen. Rex Driggers had married his wife Nelda in 1957 and today, they have three children, eight grand children, and nine great grand children, so suffice to say, he has plenty of family to keep him busy. We are so glad he came out to visit us today.
Gen. Driggers’ toured the Mid America Flight Museum’s C-4, which was General Henry “Hap” Arnold’s Staff Aircraft assigned to him when Arnold held the rank of Major General, ultimately having command over all U.S. Army an U.S. Army Air Corps combined forces.
In 1986, Driggers was reassigned to Texas where he became Commander of all eleven Air National Guard units in State of Texas and served in that capacity until 1992, when he retired at the rank of Major General.
Over the span of his career, General Driggers accumulated 23000 hours of commercial flight hours alone. After General Driggers retired from his combined aviation and military careers as he will tell you, he elected to focus on spending time with his family.
Gen. Rex Driggers had married his wife Nelda in 1957 and today, they have three children, eight grand children, and nine great grand children, so suffice to say, he has plenty of family to keep him busy. We are so glad he came out to visit us today.
Gen. Driggers’ toured the Mid America Flight Museum’s C-4, which was General Henry “Hap” Arnold’s Staff Aircraft assigned to him when Arnold held the rank of Major General, ultimately having command over all U.S. Army an U.S. Army Air Corps combined forces.
C-41 not C-4.
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