US Army Air Force Major General. A combat bomber pilot veteran of World War II, he rose in rank to become the Commander of 2nd Air Force. He is remembered for leading the ill-fated force of 177 B-24 Liberator bomber aircraft under Operation Tidal Wave against the oil fields at Ploesti, Romania on August 1, 1943, one of the most daring low-level but costly attacks in military aviation history. Born Uzal Girard Ent in Northumberland, Pennsylvania, after completing high school he attended Susquehanna University in Sellinsgrove, Pennsylvania until March 1918 when he enlisted in the 2nd Recruiting Company, General Service Infantry. in June 1919 he entered the US Military Academy at West Point New York and graduated in June 1924 with a 2nd lieutenant's commission in the US Army Air Service. His early assignments included Brooks Field, Texas (now closed), Scott Field (now Scott Air Force Base), Illinois where he trained with balloons and airships, and Langley Field (now Langley Air Force Base, a part of Joint Base Langley-Eustis) where he was assigned to the 19th Airship Company. In May 1930 he was assigned to Crissy Field, California (now closed) as an inspector and five months later he was relocated to Nichols Field, Philippines and served with the 2nd Observation Squadron. In January 1933 he returned to the US and was assigned once again to Langley Field as Assistant Post Adjutant. From 1936 until 1938 he attended the US Army Air Corps Advanced Flying School at Kelly Field (now Kelly Air Reserve Base, a part of Joint Base San Antonio), the US Army Air Corps Tactical School at Maxwell Field (now Maxwell Air Force Base), Alabama, and the Army Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Following an assignment to Mitchel Field, New York (now closed) in July 1939 he became the military and air attaché at Lima, Peru. While serving in this position, he helped to resolve the boundary dispute between Peru and Ecuador. In October 1942 he was sent to the Middle East where he became the Chief of Staff, US Air Forces. The following February he was promoted to the rank of brigadier general and given command of the 9th Air Force. Under his leadership, he directed or personally led his forces against vital enemy targets in the Mediterranean area. The Ploesti, Romania oil fields raid was one of the costliest missions for the US Army Air Forces and was the worst loss ever on a single mission, with 53 aircraft destroyed, 55 aircraft damaged, 440 airmen killed, and 220 other captured or missing. The mission did little to reduce oil output and it was deemed a strategic Allied failure. In September 1943 he returned to the US and was assigned to Headquarters 2nd Air Force at Colorado Springs, Colorado and in June 1944 he was promoted to the rank of major general and assumed command of 2nd Air Force. On October 10, 1944 the B-25 Mitchell bomber aircraft he was flying crashed on take-off near Fort Worth, Texas and he sustained severe injuries paralyzing him from the waist down, and he was hospitalized until his retirement in October 1946 with 29 years of continuous military service. Among his military and foreign decorations and awards include the Distinguished Service Cross (with one oak leaf cluster), the Army Distinguished Service Medal (with one oak leaf cluster), the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross (with one oak leaf cluster), the Air Medal (with one oak leaf cluster, the Presidential Unit Citation, the World War I Victory Medal, the American Defense Service Medal, the American Campaign Medal, the European/African/Middle Eastern Campaign Medal (with three service stars), the World War II Victory Medal, the Bolivian Order of the Condor of the Andes, the Peruvian Order of Ayacucho (Commander), the Peruvian Aviation Cross (1st Class), and the Honorary Commander of the Order of the British Empire. He was a rated command pilot, combat observer, balloon pilot, and balloon observer-navigator. He was also a recipient of the Cheney Award as a result of his courage and heroism during a balloon race on May 30, 1928, after the balloon in which he was riding was struck by lightning and caught on fire, electrocuting its pilot, and he managed to guide it to a safe landing. He died in Denver, Colorado at the age of 48 due to complications resulting from his injuries. Ent Air Force Base (now closed) at Colorado Springs, Colorado was named in his honor.