Brigadier General, U.S. Army Air Force
A native of New Iberia, Louisiana, Wiltz Segura attended LSU and the Southwestern Louisiana Institute (now University of Louisiana-Lafayette). As an aviation cadet, he joined the Army Air Corps in 1942 as a Second Lieutenant after winning his wings at Craig Field, Alabama.
He completed fighter training school in Florida in August 1943 and was sent to the
China-Burma-India Theater of Operations as a P-40 pilot. He joined the famed 23rd Fighter Group of the 14th Air Force, the American Volunteer Group formally known as the “Flying Tigers,” whose aircraft featured the famous “shark mouth” motif under the nose.
Segura became an “Ace” with the Flying Tigers destroying five Japanese fighter aircraft, one bomber and damaging three others while flying 102 combat missions. His plane was shot down twice by ground fire, but each time he parachuted to safety and successfully evaded capture behind enemy lines.
Returning home in 1945, Segura became a flight test and maintenance officer for several squadrons. In 1955, he became the Commander of the Maintenance and Supply Group of the 323rd Bomber Group and later Chief of Maintenance for the 401st Tactical Fighter Wing at England Air Force Base, Louisiana.
He became Wing Commander of the 3rd Tactical Fighter Wing and was assigned to duty in Vietnam in 1965. Segura jumped at the chance to return to combat and flew 125 combat missions out of Bien Hoa Air Base. He flew missions in the F-100 (a super-sonic interceptor converted to fighter-bomber) and was the first pilot to check out the new (at the time) F-5 in combat.
Segura returned to the United States in 1967 and took command of the 31st Tactical Fighter Wing. In 1971, General Segura became U.S. Chief of Staff, Live Oak, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe in Belgium. He ended his 28-year career with 6,500 flying hours, retiring as Brigadier General in October 1972.
He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with two oak leaf clusters, the Air Medal with seven oak clusters and the Purple Heart. He died in 1999.