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Michael C. Gould
Gould in 2012
Born (1953-12-21) December 21, 1953 (age 70)
AllegianceUnited States
Service/branchUnited States Air Force
Years of service1973–2013
RankLieutenant general
Commands heldUnited States Air Force Academy
Second Air Force
Third Air Force
Cheyenne Mountain Operations Center
97th Air Mobility Wing
22nd Air Refueling Wing
305th Operations Group
Battles/warsGulf War
AwardsAir Force Distinguished Service Medal (3)
Defense Superior Service Medal (3)
Legion of Merit (2)

Lieutenant General Michael Carl Gould[1] (born December 21, 1953)[2] is a retired senior officer of the United States Air Force who served as the 18th Superintendent of the United States Air Force Academy.[3] He assumed command on June 9, 2009,[4] and retired from service in July 2013. He previously served as director of operations and plans, United States Transportation Command, Scott Air Force Base. Gould is a command pilot with more than 3,000 hours in a variety of aircraft.

Early life and education

Gould is a native of Kent, Ohio, and graduated from Kent State High School in 1971.[5][6] He graduated from the United States Air Force Academy Preparatory School in 1972 and earned his commission from the United States Air Force Academy in 1976. Gould starred as a defensive back on the Air Force football team.[7]

Military career

Gould hosts Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin E. Dempsey, at the Air Force Academy in April 2012.

Gould commanded an operations group, an air refueling wing, an air mobility wing and the Cheyenne Mountain Operations Center. He also commanded the Third Air Force, Royal Air Force Mildenhall, England, and the Second Air Force, Keesler AFB. His operational and staff assignments include three tours at Headquarters United States Air Force, along with duty as an Air Force aide to the President and military assistant to the Secretary of the Air Force. He served as the director of mobility forces for Operation Joint Endeavor and as United States European Command's Air Expeditionary Task Force commander for the deployment of African Union troops into the Darfur region of Sudan.

Assignments

Major awards and decorations

Dates of rank

Controversies

In October 2013, three months after retiring from the Air Force, Gould was named to the first-ever College Football Playoff selection committee. His selection to the committee came under some scrutiny as he had been away from the game since the 1970s, when he played and later coached at Air Force.[8]

After his committee appointment, a controversial program came to light in a Colorado Springs Gazette article. To help combat illicit drug use and sexual assaults by Air Force Academy students, the United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI) created in 2011 a system of student informants to hunt for misconduct among students.[9] According to The New York Times in Academic Year 2014, "after the informant program ended with no further convictions, reports fell by half."[10] The New York Times has cited a letter to Congress from former AFOSI Agent, Staff Sergeant Brandon Enos, who said that Gould had interfered in cases involving football players. In turn Gould said to The New York Times that the suggestion that he had interfered with the investigation "preposterous".[10] Gould said that the allegations would not stop him from serving on the playoff selection committee.[11] A special on ESPN E60 titled "Operation Gridiron" aired in 2014 showed an in-depth look at the scandal at the Air Force Academy regarding drugs and rape which took place under Gould's leadership. It uncovers how Gould not only attempted to cover up the scandal and protect high-profile football players at the Academy, but also set out to punish the students who provided intelligence on the scandal.[12]

After Operation Grid Iron and the Office of Special Investigations scandal, Lt. Gen. Michael Gould was named in a lawsuit in DeRito v. United States Air Force Academy/United States of America in 2017.[13] After reporting sexual assault and working as an undercover informant; DeRito alleged he was improperly discharged and his medical records were illegally falsified to delegitimize him. The case was dismissed.[14]

References

  1. ^ Polaris (PDF). Vol. XVIII. Colorado Springs, Colorado: United States Air Force Academy. 1976. p. 531. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  2. ^ Marquis Who's Who on the Web
  3. ^ "Lieutenant General Michael C. Gould". Air Force Link. Archived from the original on May 16, 2009. Retrieved 2009-06-19.
  4. ^ "General Gould takes command of the Avademy". Air Force Link. Archived from the original on 2012-12-12. Retrieved 2009-06-19.
  5. ^ Nethken, Laura (June 16, 2009). "Lt. Gen. Gould earns promotion". Record-Courier. Retrieved January 14, 2012.
  6. ^ Statesman 1971 (Yearbook). Kent, Ohio, USA: Kent State High School. 1971. p. 75.
  7. ^ tom.roeder@gazette.com, tom roeder (7 August 2013). "AFA general retiring, taking colonel with him". Colorado Springs Gazette. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  8. ^ brent.briggeman@gazette.com, BRENT BRIGGEMAN (16 October 2013). "Former Air Force superintendent Mike Gould takes seat on College Football Playoff committee". Colorado Springs Gazette. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  9. ^ Philipps, Dave (1 December 2013). "HONOR AND DECEPTION: A secretive Air Force program recruits academy students to inform on fellow cadets and disavows them afterward". gazette.com. Colorado Springs Gazette. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
  10. ^ a b Philipps, Dave (9 August 2014). "Informant Debate Renewed as Air Force Revisits Cadet Misconduct". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  11. ^ brent.briggeman@gazette.com, BRENT BRIGGEMAN (11 August 2014). "Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Gould ready for intense College Football Playoff committee commitment". Colorado Springs Gazette. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  12. ^ Johnson, Brian (4 November 2014). "E:60 Reports On 'Operation Gridiron' Air Force Academy Football Scandal". Empty Lighthouse Magazine. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  13. ^ https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/7295578/derito-v-united-states/ [bare URL]
  14. ^ "Derito v. United States". Casetext. Casetext, Inc. Retrieved 15 February 2023.

External links

Military offices Preceded byJohn F. Regni Superintendent of the United States Air Force Academy 2009–2013 Succeeded byMichelle D. Johnson
Superintendents of the United States Air Force Academy
Categories