Osmond J. Ritland
United States Air Force major general (1909-1991) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Osmond Jay Ritland (30 October 1909 – 23 March 1991) was a United States Air Force (USAF) major general who played an important role in the development of the American ballistic missiles.
Osmond J. Ritland | |
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Born | (1909-10-30)30 October 1909 Berthoud, Colorado, U.S. |
Died | 23 March 1991(1991-03-23) (aged 81) Encinitas, California, U. S. |
Buried | |
Allegiance | United States |
Service/ |
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Years of service | 1932–1935, 1939–1965 |
Rank | Major general |
Service number | O22332 |
Commands held | |
Battles/wars | |
Awards |
Ritland attended San Diego State College for three years before joining the United States Army Air Corps in 1932. He left in 1935 to become a pilot for United Airlines, but returned when he received a regular commission in 1939. During World War II he served as a test pilot at Wright Field and was involved in the development and testing of many of the aircraft used by the United States during and immediately after the war, and he was one of the first pilots to fly jet aircraft. In the latter part of the war he served in the China Burma India Theater as commander of the Assam Air Depot.
After the war he returned to Wright Field, where he was involved in the development of the ejection seat. In 1950 he organized and commanded the 4925th Test Group (Atomic), which handled the development and testing of equipment related to USAF nuclear weapons. His unit assisted the United States Atomic Energy Commission and the Armed Forces Special Weapons Project in evaluating the effects of nuclear tests. In 1955 and 1956 he was the deputy manager of the project that developed the Lockheed U-2 spy plane with the Central Intelligence Agency. He then became the manager of the USAF WS-117L project, the USAF component of the space program, and the deputy manager of the CORONA spy satellite project, another joint venture with the CIA. He was the first recipient of the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal in 1962, and his work in support of NASA's Project Mercury and Project Gemini was recognized with the award of its NASA Exceptional Service Medal in 1965.