Following the war, LeMay builds the Strategic Air Command (SAC) into a dominant force, though he struggles as a "fish out of water" in the political environment of Washington. He clashes with Robert McNamara and the Kennedy administration during the Cuba

Following the war, LeMay builds the Strategic Air Command (SAC) into a dominant force, though he struggles as a "fish out of water" in the political environment of Washington. He clashes with Robert McNamara and the Kennedyadministration during the Cuban Missile Crisis and the lead-up to the Vietnam War. LeMay's uncompromising approach leads to the infamous remark about bombing North Vietnam "back to the stone ages," reflecting his inability to adapt to changing public attitudes toward aerial warfare. Despite later being caricatured as a "Dr. Strangelove" figure, he never expresses remorse for the firebombing of Tokyo, viewing it as a military necessity. His legacy is further complicated by his disastrous 1968 vice-presidential run on George Wallace's segregationist ticket. Though he claimed he only joined to influence Vietnam policy, the move forever tarred his reputation, a mistake he eventually acknowledged by saying he was "a hero one day and a bum the next." 8/8
2016 LEMAY OFFICIAL PORTRAIT