A/TA honors aviation pioneer, air mobility advocate Gen. Paul “PK” Carlton

Published March 18, 2025
By Karen Petitt, 375th Air Mobiliy Wing Public Affairs

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. --

The late U.S. Air Force Gen. Paul K. “PK” Carlton, a former commander of Air Mobility Command, is recognized with a bust on the Airlift Tanker Association Hall of Fame memorial walk on Scott AFB, Illinois, March 13, 2025. Carlton was the 37th member to be inducted into the A/TA Hall of Fame. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Devin Morgan)

The Airlift/Tanker Association honored the late aviation pioneer and air mobility advocate Gen. Paul K. “PK” Carlton as part of their Hall of Fame tribute at Scott Air Force Base, March 13, 2025.

The A/TA bust dedication recognized Carlton for 36 years of service that spanned his time in the Army Air Corps flying the B-17 and B-29 during World War II to his retirement in 1977 as commander of Mobility Airlift Command.

“He was a visionary, pioneer and a mentor to countless Airmen,” said retired Gen. Carlton D. Everhart II, Chairman and CEO of A/TA. “He understood that air mobility is more than just moving aircraft from ‘point a-to-point b.’ He knew that airlift and air refueling are the lifelines for global operations … enabling our forces to respond anytime, anywhere whether in times of war, humanitarian crisis or national emergency.”

Gen. Johnny D. Lamontagne, commander of Air Mobility Command, provided an overview of Carlton’s career, citing his early years of teaching others how to fly the B-17 during the height of WWII to include the Women Air Service Pilots, known as “WASPs.”

U.S. Air Force Gen. Johnny D. Lamontagne, commander of Air Mobility Command, delivers remarks during the American Tanker Association Hall of Fame bust unveiling ceremony for retired Gen. Paul K. Carlton on Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, March 13, 2025. Carlton led Operation Homecoming which brought 591 American prisoners of war home from Vietnam in 1973. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman De’Quan Simmons)

He said Carlton’s “bulldog” personality was put to the test during WWII where he earned a Silver Star for heroic actions following a B-29 mission over a Japanese stronghold in Manchuria in December 1944.

Then-Capt. Carlton had successfully dropped bombs on target despite being hit with heavy shelling that damaged his radar, wings, navigation systems, defensive guns, oxygen supply and other vital parts of the aircraft. With fuel flooding the bomb bay, he safely landed his aircraft and aircrew members in friendly territory, relying solely on a compass.

Later, his ability “to speak truth to power” gained the trust and esteem of the Air Force’s legendary Gen. Curtis E. LeMay, who at the time was planning low-altitude incendiary bombing tactics to burn out parts of Tokyo in an effort to force a surrender before a planned allied invasion. When Carlton returned from one of these runs in the only surviving aircraft, he convinced LeMay to let him apply his own tactics, whereupon the following day, all aircrews returned home.

Carlton would go on to serve in the first atomic bomb organization under Strategic Air Command, and then as an aide-de-camp for LeMay when he became SAC’s commander-in-chief. He would also serve through some of the most consequential periods in American history including the Yom Kippur War and Vietnam, where he managed the evacuation of Vietnam refugees after the fall of Saigon and participated in bringing home American POWs.

Born in 1921, Carlton, a Manchester, New Hampshire native, was passionate about aviation, and during his career accumulated 12,000 flying hours–350 of them in combat.

He would add the B-47, B-52, B-58, KC-135, C-141, C-5 and the SR-71 aircrafts to his repertoire, specifically pushing for greater uses for the C-5 fleet to include aerial refueling capabilities.

He advocated for expanding the C-141’s payload and installing aerial refueling systems for expanded global reach. He is also credited with starting the requirements process that laid the foundation for the 60 KC-10 air refueling aircrafts that were built and used from 1981 to 2024, which were key to the mobilization of U.S. assets. Lamontagne added that these were only a few of Carlton’s accomplishments and that he is a “true mobility titan.”

Retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Paul K. Carlton Jr., son of Gen. Paul K. Carlton, delivers remarks during the American Tanker Association Hall of Fame bust unveiling ceremony for his father on Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, March 13, 2025. Carlton’s father directed the rapid mobilization of C-141 and C-5 fleets within nine hours of President Nixon’s order during the Yom Kippur War. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman De’Quan Simmons)

Members of Carlton’s family were on hand to receive the honor, including his son, retired Lt. Gen. (Dr.) P. K. Carlton, Jr., and grandsons, retired Col. P. K. Carlton III and Luke Carlton. Dr. Carlton served as the Air Force Surgeon General and was instrumental in the development of critical care capabilities within the medical community. He is also honored in the A/TA Hall of Fame, being inducted in 2007 as part of the Aeromedical Evacuation Legacy Team.

Dr. Carlton spoke about how his father was a strict disciplinarian and a “wonderful aviator” who provided a foundation of integrity and service-before-self for their own families. He said he witnessed the results of his father’s ability to refine tactics, and improve and innovate the force, and that he was honored to accept the recognition on behalf of his father as the 37th inductee.

A/TA is an international organization that provides a forum for ensuring that American military forces continue to have the air mobility capability required to implement U.S. national security strategy. The A/TA Hall of Fame was designed and built in 1992 as part of an initiative by the Hyser Chapter here to honor those who made significant contributions to air refueling and air mobility operations. The full write up of Carlton’s citation for the award can be found at atalink.org/hall-of-fame.