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Former Commander at Whiteman Forced to Retire

Whiteman Air Force Base
Kenny Holston/ US Air Force

A former commander at Whiteman Air Force Base will take forced retirement over several misconduct allegations.

Capt. Earon Brown, spokesman for the Air Force Global Strike Command, confirmed Tuesday that Brig. Gen. Paul Tibbets IV will stop work on Oct. 19, and retire Dec. 1.

Brown says the Air Force began investigating in May 2017 after concerns were raised about Tibbets, who was commanding the 509th Bomb Wing near Knob Noster, Missouri, at the time.

Brown says the investigation substantiated allegations against Tibbets, including making inappropriate comments, not reporting four suicide attempts, violating policy for use of a government vehicle and failure to report the value of autographed photos that celebrities had given him.

Tibbets left Whiteman in 2017 and is deputy commander of Air Force Global Strike Command in Barksdale, Louisiana.

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