AF Ball keynote speaker addresses "Breaking Barriers"

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  • 75th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
Retired Air Force Gen. Robert C. Oaks was the keynote speaker at Hill AFB’s 70th Anniversary Air Force Ball Sept. 23 at the Ogden Eccles Conference Center.

The general spoke about the Air Force’s contributions to national defense since it became a separate service in 1947. He also offered personal tales about his nearly 40 years of military service and some lessons he learned along the way.

Oaks was born in 1936. He grew up in Provo, Utah, where he graduated from Brigham Young High School in 1954. He entered the first class of the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1955 after attending Brigham Young University for a year.

Oaks served in several assignments throughout his lengthy military career. His final assignment was commander in chief, U.S. Air Forces in Europe, and commander, Allied Air Forces Central Europe, with headquarters at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.

He retired on Aug. 31, 1994.