Carlton L. Lee

Family-Placed Death Notice

Brigadier General Carlton L. Lee, died May 20, 2003. He was retired from the United States Air Force and has lived in the Atlanta area since 1972. Funeral service will be on Friday at 2 p.m. from the Chapel of the Pines at Floral Hills. Dr. Frank Crumpler will officiate. Brigadier General Carlton L. Lee was the commander of the 1st Composite Wing, Hqtrs comm., U.S.A.F. at Andrews AFB, MD. General Lee was born in 1919 in Eastman, GA. He attended the Georgia Institute of Tecnology for three years prior to his enlistment in May 1941 in the U.S. Army Air Corps as an aviation cadet. He completed flying school in December 1941 and received his pilot wings and commissioned as 2nd Lt. During WWII, from 1942 to July 1944, he was a flying instructor at Laughlin AAF, TX, and Las Vegas, NV. He next was a B-29 Aircraft commander and in November 1944 was assigned to the 41st Bomb. Squad. and went with the squad. to Guam. After the war from 1946 to 1948, Gen. Lee was in the inactive reserves. In June 1947, he retured to active military duty and was assigned to the 19th Bomb. Group of the Far East Air Forces where he served as ops. and training officer, exec. off. and squad. commander. He retured to the United States in June 1951 and was assigned to the 305th Bomb. Wing at MacDill AFB, Florida as ops. and traing off. and later became commander of the 305th Air Refueling Squadron. In February 1956, Gen. Lee became director of Safety for the 2nd AF with Hqtrs at Barksdale AFB, LA. He was transferred to Hqtrs SAC Offutt AFB, NE., in February 1958 where he held the positions of deputy chief and then chief of the Op. Div. He attended the National War College, Washington, D.C. from August 1961 to July 1962. He then went to England to command the 3919th Combat Support Group at Royal Air Force Station, Fairford and in July 1964 was transferred to High Wycombe Air Station as Director of Ops. and later became Dep. Comm. of the 7th Air Div. Gen. Lee returned to SAC Hqtrs in June 1965 as Chief, Plans and Programs Div. and later became chief, Off Div., Directorate of Personnel. In October 1966, he was assigned to 7th Bomb Wing, Carswell AFBS, TX., as vice comm. and became comm. in June 1967. He assumed command of the 40th Air Div. with Hqtrs at Wurtsmith AFB, MI., in August 1968. In March 1970, Gen. Lee became commander of the 1st Composite Wing Hqtrs Comm., USAF at Andrews AFB, MD. He was command pilot with more than 5000 hrs flying time and flew the B-29 aircraft on 36 combat missions totalling more than 470 flying hours during WWII and the Korean War. His military decorations include the Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Soldiers Medal, Bronze Star Medal, Air Medal with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters, the Air Force Commendations Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Distinguished Unit Citation Emblem, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award Ribbon, and Republic of Korea, Presidential Unit Citation Ribbon. He was promoted to the temporary Grade of Brig. Gen. effective February 6, 1970 with the date of rank January 6, 1970. He is survived by wife of 61 years, Sue R. Lee; children, David Lee, Richland, WA, John Lee, Paola, KS, Lyndall Lee, Stone Mountain, Jane Lee of Norcross, Nancy Kronick of West Hartford, CT; sister, Laverne Wilkie, Decatur, GA; five grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, several nieces and nephews. The family will receive friends On Thursday from 7 to 9 p.m. at A.S. Turner & Sons Funeral Home, Decatur.