This year's guest speaker is:
Brigadier General Arthur B. Cornelius

Born 21 April, 1939 in San Diego, California, General Cornelius graduated from Helix High School in 1956 and attended UCLA. Enlisting in the USAF Aviation Cadet program, he earned his wings and commission in September, 1960. He flew for three years in the European theater, during which time he twice won the 48th Tactical Fighter Wing Top Gun competition and was named Select Crew. Following a 1965 rotation to Japan and Korea, he was then assigned to Bien Hoa AB, Viet Nam, where he flew F-100 combat missions. General Cornelius was an F-100 gunnery instructor at Luke AFB from January 1966 until late 1967 when he was again assigned to Southeast Asia, via the PACAF Jungle Survival Course, as a Forward Air Controller with the 101st Airborne Division, US Army. Following the Tet Offensive of 1968, he was moved to project 404, a covert program serving with the CIA in Laos. Until his return from Southeast Asia and discharge from the USAF, he lived and worked with Hmong tribe guerilla forces under General Vang Pao, acting as commander, air advisor to the General and flying as a "Raven" Forward Air Controller. He concluded his active USAF career with over 500 combat missions and more than 800 hours of combat flying.

General Cornelius first affiliated with the Air National Guard as an F-100 pilot in South Dakota. In 1976 he joined the California Air National Guard and served as Forward Air Controller, Flight Commander, Brigade Air Liaison Officer, Instructor Pilot and Flight Examiner. General Cornelius retired from the Air National Guard in April of 1999.

General Cornelius resides in Tigard, Oregon with his wife, the former Merilyn Bellah of North Hollywood. They have two children and five grandchildren. He has logged approximately 22,000 hours of flying in more than 70 different aircraft.

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