EL TORO : Blot Promoted to Wing Commander

Maj. Gen. Harold W. Blot, who helped develop and test a revolutionary military plane during a three-decade career as a flier, was promoted Monday to commander of the Marine Corps’ biggest air wing, which is headquartered at El Toro.

Blot takes over as head of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing on Aug. 16.

The announcement had been expected for weeks and came a step closer to certainty last week as the former wing commander and Blot’s boss, Maj. Gen. Royal N. Moore Jr., was elevated to a post in Hawaii to head the Fleet Marine Force Pacific. Blot had done little to conceal his desire for the job, joking about it at public ceremonies.

Blot, 52, flew the F-8 Crusader in combat in Vietnam and has been most heralded for his work in helping to develop the AV-8A Harrier, an attack plane deployed in the Persian Gulf War that can take off and land both vertically and horizontally. Headquartered at the Marine Corps Air Station at El Toro, the 3rd wing also has bases at Tustin, Camp Pendleton and Yuma, Ariz. It includes 16,000 Marines and 500 aircraft.

Blot’s ascension reopens the post of commander of the Marine Corps’ Western air bases, left vacant in May when Brig. Gen. Wayne T. Adams was reassigned to Virginia amid a still-ongoing investigation into his use of military aircraft. After the reassignment, Blot was named interim base commander, along with his duties with the 3rd wing.