William Blanchard

William H. Blanchard (1916-1966) was a U.S. Air Force officer with a distinguished military career.
- Served as commanding officer of the 509th Bomb Group at Roswell Army Air Field in July 1947
- Graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point
- Reached the rank of four-star general
- Served as Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force before his death in 1966

Blanchard played a central role in the Roswell incident.
- Authorized the famous press release announcing the recovery of a flying disc
- The release was quickly retracted by higher command
- Retracted release was recharacterized as a weather balloon

Blanchard contributed significantly to strategic air operations.
- Commanded units involved in B-29 and B-36 bomber operations
- Directed atomic training for intercontinental bomber crews
- Served in key leadership roles in Strategic Air Command