BEALE AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. –
To his friends and family, Maj. Gen. Sidney Novaresi was "Mr. Personality," a man with a deep love of flying and his country, who regaled them all with tales of his military flying days.
To the 940th Air Refueling Wing at Beale Air Force Base, Calif., the 85 year old general was both friend and former commander.
General Novaresi died July 22, 2007, in Citrus Heights, Calif., after a long illness.
The Eureka, Calif. native began his military career as a buck private in the California National Guard in 1939. He rose to the rank of a two-star general in the U.S. Air Force Reserve during a career that spanned three wars.
As a fighter pilot in World War II, he flew 125 combat missions in the Asian-Pacific Theater in the P-47 Thunderbolt.
After a break from active duty, he returned in 1951 to fly C-54s and C-47s over Thule, Greenland and the North Pole. From there, he served a stint in Korea flying F-84s before returning to California to fly F-8 fighters.
By 1967, when he assumed command of the 940th Military Airlift Group at McClellan AFB, Calif., the forerunner of the 940th ARW, he was flying C-124 supply planes in and out of combat in Vietnam.
He had more than 17,000 hours at the controls of both military and civilian aircraft, including fighters, trainers and cargo planes.
Although General Novaresi left the 940th in 1969 to attend Air War College at Maxwell AFB, Ala., his career eventually brought him back full circle to McClellan in 1975 as the commander of 4th Air Force.
Although he retired from the Air Force Reserve in 1982, his ties to the Air Force didn't end there. He spearheaded the creation of the Aerospace Museum of California at McClellan, later serving as president and a board member.
As an advocate and mentor for junior officers, General Novaresi served as president for the Department of California, Reserve Officers Association. His notable contributions to ROA over the years garnered him the John C. Fremont Award in 2006 for outstanding service.
Executive Secretary for the ROA, Lt. Cmdr. Art Curtis, U.S. Coast Guard (ret), said in a recent article that the general was a friend to many and a true American patriot.
Maj. Barbara Manouse, commander of the 940th Logistics Readiness Squadron, remembers the general from ROA functions and said his work for that organization was legendary. She said the Air Force section of the Department of California ROA donated funds for a symposium chair in General Novaresi's honor in the newly renovated Headquarters in Washington, D.C.
"I'll miss him tremendously," she said. "I am honored to have had the opportunity to know him and work with him in ROA."
Chief Master Sgt. Kathy Primrose, chief of the 940th ARW Education and Training, recalled that when General Novaresi left the 940th in 1969 for Air War College, he never forgot his roots with the 940th MAG and 314th Troop Carrier Squadron.
She said that even though the general was recalled to active duty several times during his long career, he remained a Reservist at heart.
"He attended all our reunions and was one of the biggest supporters to keep our 'family' together," Chief Primrose said. "He will live on in spirit with our wing and I know he'll be with us at each and every reunion."
The general was held in such high esteem by the enlisted corps that in 1981 he became the 68th of only 222 Air Force wide recipients of the Order of the Sword. This honor exists only within the U.S. Air Force, and is bestowed upon individuals who have made significant contributions to the enlisted corps during their career.
Accolades aside, the 940th family best remembers General Novaresi as a giving person who always took time to come to wing events and holiday gatherings. Described as a real people person, he stayed close to unit members whom he knew well.
One such member was Master Sgt. Delaine M. Wilhite. According to Senior Master Sgt. David Wilhite, her husband, they were great friends and remained so until Delaine's death in 2005.
"She always said that he was one heck of a guy and a perfect gentleman," said Sergeant Wilhite.
A memorial service for General Novaresi was held July 27, at the McClellan Chapel, followed by a reception at the Aerospace Museum of California. The general was interred in a private ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va.