 He next was assigned to the 379th Bombardment Wing, equipped with B-52H aircraft, at Wurtsmith Air Force Base, Michigan, where he served as squadron commander, deputy commander for operations, and as a 40th Air Division operations staff officer.He returned to Barksdale Air Force Base in 1965, and was assigned as operations chief in the office of the inspector general, Second Air Force, and a year later became deputy commander for operations of the 2nd Bombardment Wing.He traveled to the Republic of Vietnam in 1967 as deputy chief of the Strategic Air Command advanced echelon at Tan Son Nhut Air Base.