He completed military flight training/pilot training while a cadet at the academy and received an aeronautical rating as a USAAF pilot concurrent with his graduation from West Point.

[1] His first assignment was during World War II with a P-47 Thunderbolt unit, the 358th Fighter Group, which was deployed to England in October 1943 for bomber escort duty with the Eighth Air Force.

Two years later, he was transferred to SAC headquarters at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, as chief of the plans division.

During this four-year tour of duty, he worked on conceptual plans for the B-1 Lancer, F-15 Eagle, A-10 Thunderbolt II, and advanced versions of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM).

[1] In August 1968, Wilson became vice commander of the Space and Missile Systems Organization at Los Angeles Air Force Station, California.

[4] His military decorations and awards include the:[1] This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency