President nominates man with local ties for major general

The son of a Spruce couple has been nominated by President Bush for appointment to the rank of major general in the U.S. Air Force.

Brig. Gen. Mark S. Solo, son of Mark and Virginia Solo of Spruce, will pin on his second star contingent upon confirmation by the Senate. He is currently the deputy director of Air, Space and Information Operations with the Air Mobility Command at Scott Air Force Base, Ill.

With close to 29 years of military service, Solo has had assignments that have taken him to such places as California, Illinois, Washington state, Florida, Delaware, Oklahoma, Kuwait and Washington, D.C.

A command pilot with close to 5,000 flying hours in cargo and refueling aircraft, he has held positions ranging from pilot to instructor aircraft commander, protocol officer, officer retention chief, chief of safety, operations officer and deputy chief of political-military affairs. He has commanded an airlift squadron, an operations group and an air mobility wing. As a senior leader, Solo has held positions as the chief of a joint logistics operations center and the chief of the Office of Military Cooperation in Kuwait.

Solo earned his bachelor's degree from Michigan State University, Lansing in 1978 and went on to earn a master's degree in international relations from Webster University, St. Louis, in 1987. He earned a second master's degree in management in 1988, also from Webster.

His decorations include two awards of the Defense Superior Service Medal, two awards of the Legion of Merit, four awards of the Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Medal, the Aerial Achievement Medal and the Army Commendation Medal.