by the then-Joint Chiefs of Staff. In 1958, he was awarded the Air Force Commendation Medal for landing a B-52 without the right rear landing gear. Vietnam War Felices held various positions within the military and rose in rank. In June 1968, he was named commander of the 306th Bombardment Wing. He flew 39 combat bombing missions over North Vietnam during the Vietnam War in a B-52 aircraft. In 1969, he became the commander of the 823d Air Division at McCoy Air Force Base, Florida, which covered SAC bases and operating locations in Florida, Puerto Rico, North Carolina and Georgia. In May 1970, Felices was named Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff at Headquarters, Strategic Air Command at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. In this capacity, he was responsible for SAC's intercontinental ballistic missile operational testing programs. Later years Felices was promoted to the rank of major general on April 2, 1973, and in August of that year became the vice commander of Sixteenth Air Force, U.S. Air Forces in Europe at Torrejon Air Base, Spain. Major General Salvador E. Felices retired from the United States Air Force on September 1, 1974. He died of natural causes on July 14, 1987, while vacationing in Vienna, Austria. He was buried with full military honors in the United States Air Force Academy Cemetery at Colorado Springs, Colorado. Felices was married to Shirley C. Gross with whom he had three children, Sherryl, Mark and Steven. Awards and decorations Among Felices' decorations and medals were the following: Badges: Command pilot Missile Badge Further reading Puertorriquenos Who Served With Guts, Glory, and Honor. Fighting to Defend a Nation Not Completely Their Own, Greg Boudonck. ; See also List of Puerto Ricans List of Puerto Rican military personnel Hispanics in the United States Air Force References External links 1923 births 1987 deaths Puerto Rican United States Air Force personnel United States Air Force generals Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) United States Air Force personnel of the Korean War United States Air Force personnel of the Vietnam War American Korean War bomber pilots American Vietnam War bomber pilots Recipients of the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal Recipients of the Air Medal Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Military Academy alumni People from San Juan, Puerto Rico People from Santurce, Puerto Rico Puerto Rican military officers