Wilson "Bud" Flagg served in the U.S. Navy, achieving the rank of Rear Admiral. On October 15, 1993 he was censured for failing to prevent the 1991 Tailhook conference scandal, effectively ending further advancement.

Flagg died at 62 in the crash of American Airlines flight 77 in the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attack. He was traveling with his wife, Darlene "Dee" Flagg, and friend Barbara G. Edwards, to Las Vegas at the time of the crash.

Career highlights

• 1961 - Graduated from the Naval Academy
• 1962 - Navy pilot assigned to the F-8 Crusader
• 1963 through 1967 - Three tours of duty in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam conflict
• 1967 - Left active duty and joined and Naval Reserves F-8 Squadron VF-201
• Commanding officer of Naval Reserve F-8 squadrons VFP 206 and VFP 6366
• Commander of the Naval Reserve Readiness Command Region II, and assistant chief of naval operations-air warfare
• Special assistant to the Honorable Fred Davidson, deputy assistant secretary of the Navy
• 1986 - Promoted to Rear Admiral (lower half)
• 1987 - Posted to the Pentagon
• 1990 - Promoted to Rear Admiral (upper half)
• 1993 - Censured for failing to prevent the Tailhook conference scandal
• 1995 - Retired from the Navy (though he maintained an office at the Pentagon and remained available for technical advice)

During his military career, he logged more than 3,200 flight hours on the F-8 Crusader, more than any other pilot.

Flagg also was a captain for American Airlines from 1967 through 1998.

Flagg moved to Millwood, Virginia around 1993 to start Daybreak Farm, a Black Angus beef cattle farm.