Charles Bishop Obituary, Death – Brigadier General Charles Landon Bishop 16 June 1938–9 May 2023 Brigadier General Charles Landon Bishop, 84, died peacefully on Tuesday, May 9, 2023. Charles was born June 16, 1938, in Cedar Mountain, North Carolina.
He learned to use axes, saws, fly fish, hunt, identify and use rare plants, and play music in North Carolina’s beautiful woods. Charlie’s eighth child. His one sister and six brothers sang gospel music across North Carolina for their small country Baptist Church. After graduating from Berea College in Kentucky, he joined the US Air Force as a Russian linguist, serving at the National Security Agency and in Peshawar, Pakistan. He was sent to Officer Candidate School in the US when the Berlin Wall was completed.
He used his computer programming skills to organize large amounts of intelligence data from the European and Asian theaters. He swiftly became an EC-121R reconnaissance pilot in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. After that, he worked at the Pentagon, the Air Force Military Personnel Center, and NORAD, where he was director of special security and special adviser for space systems to the commander in chief. He earned the inaugural Air Force Association Award for research and writing at the National War College.
In July 1978, General Bishop became director of Inspection, Office of the Inspector General, at US Air Force Security Service headquarters. He led the 6993rd Electronic Security Squadron and Consolidated Security Operations Center at Medina Annex, Lackland AFB, Texas, in September 1979.
General Bishop was ESC inspector general from 1980 to 1982. He then commanded the 6912th Electronic Security Group at Tempelhof Central Airport in Berlin, with troops across West Germany.
He became Commander of Headquarters Electronic Security Command Pacific and Electronic Combat Director, Pacific at Hickam AFB in June 1983. Headquarters Tactical Air Command at Langley, Virginia, employed him. He became deputy intelligence head in November 1984. In June 1987, the general was named deputy chief of staff for intelligence (12), United States Forces Korea/United Nations Command, and deputy assistant head of staff for intelligence (C-2), Combined Forces Command, Seoul, Korea, before being assigned to US Air Forces, Europe, at Ramstein AFB, Germany.
The general has over 1,200 EC-121, EC-130, RC-135, and E3A flight hours. His military awards and decorations include the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster, Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters, Air Medal, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award, Air Force Organizational Excellence Award, Good Conduct Medal, Army of Occupation Medal, National Defense Service Medal, and Vietnam Service Medal with three service stars. Air Force Longevity Service, Humanitarian Service Medal, Air Force Overseas Ribbon-Short with Oak Leaf Cluster, and Three Oak Leaf Clusters are available.
