Major General John Borling, U.S. Air Force, Retired, embodies a legacy of extraordinary courage, sacrifice, and resilience in service to our nation. A graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, he was shot down by enemy fire deep in North Vietnam during his 97th combat mission in June 1966. Severely injured and captured while attempting to evade, he endured more than six and a half years as a prisoner of war at the infamous Hanoi Hilton prisoner of war camp. Following his release in 1973, he demonstrated remarkable resolve, reuniting with his family and returning to the cockpit as a fighter pilot, continuing his service with unwavering dedication.
Selected as a White House Fellow, Major General Borling served in the Ford White House. In 1976, he joined the historic First Fighter Wing as it transitioned to the F-15. As an instructor pilot and later an operations and maintenance officer, he went on to command the famed “Hat-in-the-Ring” Squadron. A graduate of the National War College and a participant in executive education at Harvard’s Business and Kennedy Schools, his Pentagon assignments included Chief of CHECKMATE, a classified warfighting analysis group, and Director of Air Force Operational Requirements, where he championed a new generation of guided weapons.
Major General Borling commanded at both the base and fighter group level in Germany and held key assignments at NATO’s Supreme Headquarters in Belgium. At Strategic Air Command Headquarters in Omaha, he served as an Air Division Commander, overseeing missile, bomber, and tanker wings across multiple installations. He later rose to lead all Strategic Air Command operations, with responsibility for training, readiness, force projection, and both nuclear and conventional capabilities, including oversight of the nation’s nuclear war plan.
As the principal architect and Chief of Staff for Headquarters North, an integrated NATO, national, and Norwegian command, he served as the senior American military officer in Scandinavia. In recognition of his leadership and service, he was personally honored by King Harald V and remains the only American officer inducted as a Commander in the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit.
Following his military career, Major General Borling returned to Chicago as CEO of United Way, where he led the organization to record fundraising success. He reestablished Chicago’s Memorial Day ceremonies and helped create the city’s first Chicago Military Academy. A life member of The Commercial Club of Chicago, he is a Laureate of the Lincoln Academy of Illinois and a recipient of the Order of Lincoln, the state’s highest honor.
A gifted writer and storyteller, Major General Borling is a weekly columnist and the author of Taps on the Walls, a powerful memoir of his time as a prisoner of war. The book recounts how he and his fellow POWs devised a covert communication system by tapping on their prison walls, forging connection and resilience under unimaginable conditions. His creative work also includes writing, narrating, and directing the 2022 Memorial Day video We Are Americans, which aired worldwide.
In the private sector, he is an investor and lead outside director of Synthonics, serves on the board of Rabine Group, and is the founder of SOS America (Service Over Self), an organization dedicated to revitalizing America’s military ethos.
Over a distinguished 33-year military career, Major General Borling served in high-level command and staff positions worldwide. A highly decorated fighter pilot, his honors include the Silver Star, two Distinguished Flying Crosses, three Bronze Stars for Valor, two Purple Hearts, six Air Medals, and the Prisoner of War Medal. He has piloted a wide range of aircraft, including the F-15, F-16, F-4, SR-71, U-2, B-52, and B-1, as well as tanker and command-and-control aircraft.
He remains actively engaged in numerous civic and military organizations, continuing a lifetime of service and leadership.
