later he was advanced two grades to brigadier general and named assistant chief of Air Corps. In 1942 he became director of military requirements and was promoted to major general in August. In November he became a member of the Joint Strategic Survey Committee of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Post war In January 1946, he was named commandant of Air University at Maxwell Field in Alabama, with promotion to lieutenant general. On May 27, 1948, he became the second vice chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force, with the rank of general. General Fairchild died of a heart attack at his quarters at Fort Myer on March 17, 1950, while still on active duty as vice chief of staff at the Pentagon. He was survived by his wife, Florence Alice Fairchild, and his daughter, Betsy Anne Calvert. Legacy Fairchild Hall, the main academic building at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado, and the library at the Air University in Alabama, Fairchild Memorial Hall, were named for him. In his home state of Washington, Fairchild Air Force Base near Spokane was named for him shortly after his death. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. References External links Air University Library bio Air Force Historical Research Agency: – Papers of Muri S. Fairchild, (1918–1950) Muir S. Fairchild at ArlingtonCemetery.net, an unofficial website United States Air Force generals United States Army Air Service pilots of World War I Muir S. Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) People from Bellingham, Washington 1894 births 1950 deaths Air Corps Tactical School alumni United States Army War College alumni Mackay Trophy winners Vice Chiefs of Staff of the United States Air Force Burials at Arlington National Cemetery