Retired Lt. Gen. Gordon M Graham died of a stroke March 22 at his home in Virginia, according to an April 12 Washington Post report. Graham, who was 90, flew 73 combat missions in the P-51 Mustang during World War II, amassing, according to the Air Force Historical Research Agency, seven victory credits. (Note that the Air Force biography credits him with 16.5 credits, but AFHRA stands by its total.) Graham served in a variety of staff and command positions and flew several aircraft, including the F-84F, F-100, and F-4 and RF-4, in which he flew 146 combat missions during the Vietnam War.
The Air Force overall reduced its size by 120 aircraft in fiscal year 2021, but kept about the same number of fighter, bomber and attack aircraft, according to data supplied by the service. The F-35 fleet saw the biggest increase while the B-1B bomber fleet saw the largest decline.