Clemson grad one of only 40 four-star generals in U.S.

Clemson University recently announced the promotion of 1984 graduate USAF General John "Jay" Raymond to four-star general.

He was commissioned through the Clemson USAF Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC).

Raymond is the highest ranking military officer produced by Clemson's ROTC program. To reach four-star general, a general must be nominated by the president and confirmed by Congress.

“Detachment 770 is honored to call General Raymond one of our own, and we couldn’t be more proud of his well-deserved promotion,” Air Force ROTC Detachment 770 Commander Col. Chris Mann said. “While not every graduate of a military commissioning program will become a four-star general officer, General Raymond is a product of the outstanding training, education and leadership preparation available to Clemson cadets.”

With the promotion, Raymond was also named commander of the Air Force Space Command at Peterson AFB in Colorado, where he will oversee satellite launch capabilities. Space Command also ensures that friendly forces have access to America's space assets. It provides other satellite-based capabilities, such as communications, intelligence, missile warning and weather.

Prior to his assignment to Space Command, Raymond commanded the 30th Operations Group and the 14th Air Force, both at Vandenberg AFB and the 21st Space Wing at Peterson AFB. He also led the U.S. Strategic Command's Joint Functional Component Command for space.