A hero in the desert: Remembering Chuck Yeager's Victor Valley days Victorville Daily Press For one man, the recent death of retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Charles “Chuck” Yeager evoked memories of a time when the legendary pilot worked, lived and played in the Victor Valley. The decorated hero — whose accomplishments include shooting down 13 German planes during World War II, breaking the sound barrier in 1947 and instructing aerospace pilots — commanded at George Air Force Base in Victorville. “Back in the day, people who knew of Col. Yeager treated him like royalty,” said Tom Umphries. The 74-year-old Umphries was a friend and neighbor when the Yeager family lived near Del Rey Elementary School in Victorville in the late 1950s and early 1960s.