Michael C. Gould

For other people named Michael Gould, see Michael Gould (disambiguation).
Michael C. Gould

Lt. Gen. Michael C. Gould
Born 1953 (age 62–63)
Years of service 1973-2013
Rank Lieutenant General
Commands held Third Air Force
Second Air Force
Superintendent, U.S. Air Force Academy
Awards Air Force Distinguished Service Medal
Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit
Meritorious Service Medal

Lieutenant General Michael C. Gould (born 1953)[1] was the 18th Superintendent of the United States Air Force Academy.[2] He assumed command on June 9, 2009[3] and retired from service in July 2013. Prior to assuming the position of superintendent, he was Director of Operations and Plans, U.S. Transportation Command, Scott Air Force Base, Ill. General Gould is a command pilot with more than 3,000 hours in a variety of aircraft.

Early life and education

General Gould is a native of Kent, Ohio and graduated from Kent State High School in 1971.[4][5] He graduated from the United States Air Force Academy Preparatory School in 1972 and earned his commission from the United States Air Force Academy in 1976. Gould starred as a defensive back on the Air Force football team.[6]

Military career

General Gould has commanded an operations group, an air refueling wing, an air mobility wing and the Cheyenne Mountain Operations Center. He has also commanded the 3rd Air Force, Royal Air Force Mildenhall, England, and the 2nd Air Force, Keesler AFB, Miss. His operational and staff assignments include three tours at Headquarters U.S. Air Force, along with duty as an Air Force aide to the President and military assistant to the Secretary of the Air Force. He served as the Director of Mobility Forces for Operation Joint Endeavor and as U.S. European Command's Air Expeditionary Task Force commander for the deployment of African Union troops into the Darfur region of Sudan.

Assignments

Major Awards and Decorations

Dates of Rank

Controversies

In October 2013, three months after retiring from the Air Force, Gould was named to the first-ever College Football Playoff selection committee. His selection to the committee came under some scrutiny as he had been away from the game since the 70s, when he played and later coached at Air Force.[7]

After his committee appointment, a controversial program came to light in a Colorado Springs Gazette article. To help combat illicit drug use and sexual assaults by Air Force Academy students, the United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI) created in 2011 a system of student informants to hunt for misconduct among students[8] According to The New York Times in Academic Year 2014, "after the informant program ended with no further convictions, reports fell by half."[9] The New York Times has cited a letter to Congress from former AFOSI Agent, Staff Sergeant Brandon Enos, who said that Gould had interfered in cases involving football players. In turn Gould said to the Times that the suggestion that he had interfered with the investigation “preposterous."[9] Gould said that the allegations would not stop him from serving on the playoff selection committee.[10] A recent special on ESPN E60 titled "Operation Gridiron" aired on 11/04/2014 showed an in-depth look at the scandal at the Air Force Academy regarding drugs and rape which took place under Lt. Gen Michael Gould's leadership. It uncovers how Gould not only attempted to cover up the scandal and protect high-profile football players at the Academy, but also set out to punish the students who provided intelligence on the scandal. [11] As of January 2015, this Congressional inquiry is still pending resolution.

References

  1. ↑ Marquis Who's Who on the Web
  2. ↑ "Lieutenant General Michael C. Gould". Air Force Link. Archived from the original on May 16, 2009. Retrieved 2009-06-19.
  3. ↑ "General Gould takes command of the Avademy". Air Force Link. Archived from the original on 2012-12-12. Retrieved 2009-06-19.
  4. ↑ Nethken, Laura (June 16, 2009). "Lt. Gen. Gould earns promotion". Record-Courier. Retrieved January 14, 2012.
  5. ↑ Statesman 1971 (Yearbook). Kent, Ohio, USA: Kent State High School. 1971. p. 75.
  6. ↑ http://gazette.com/air-force-academy-general-retiring-taking-colonel-with-him/article/1504503
  7. ↑ Former Air Force superintendent Mike Gould takes seat on College Football Playoff committee
  8. ↑ Philipps, Dave (1 December 2013). "HONOR AND DECEPTION: A secretive Air Force program recruits academy students to inform on fellow cadets and disavows them afterward". gazette.com. Colorado Springs Gazette. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
  9. 1 2 http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/10/us/informant-debate-renewed-as-air-force-revisits-cadet-misconduct.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&version=HpSumSmallMediaHigh&module=second-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news
  10. ↑ http://gazette.com/retired-lt.-gen.-michael-gould-ready-for-intense-college-football-playoff-committee-commitment/article/1535420
  11. ↑ http://emptylighthouse.com/e60-reports-operation-gridiron-air-force-academy-football-scandal-1190845131

External links

Military offices
Preceded by
John F. Regni		 Superintendent of the U.S. Air Force Academy
2009 - 2013 		Succeeded by
Michelle D. Johnson
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Thursday, April 21, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.