 He returned to the United States in January 1945 and was assigned to flying duties in fighter aircraft until November 1945 when he became commandant of troops at Hunter Field, Georgia.Between September 1946 and June 1947, he served as flight commander, operations officer, and commander of the 77th Fighter Squadron, 20th Fighter Group, at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina.He next was a student at the University of Virginia under the Air Force Institute of Technology program from July 1947 to August 1949.