Lieutenant Colonel José Antonio Muñiz (October 16, 1919 –July 4, 1960) was a former United States Air Force officer who during World War II served in the United States Army Air Forces. Together with then-Colonels Alberto A. Nido and Mihiel Gilormini he founded the Puerto Rico Air National Guard. In 1963, the Air National Guard Base, at the San Juan International airport in Puerto Rico, was renamed "Muñiz Air National Guard Base" in his honor.

Early years - Muñiz (birth name: José Antonio Muñiz Vazquez) was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico. There he received his primary and secondary education. He attended the "Colegio Ponceño de Varones" in Ponce and later the University of Puerto Rico (UPR). During his student years, he was a member of that institutions Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) program.  

Like many Puerto Ricans who became interested in aviation, Muñiz made use of the Civilian Pilot Training Program, a federal program which came about with the approval of the Civil Aeronautics Act of 1938. The CPTP used the classrooms of the University of Puerto Rico at Rio Piedras, which was supported by government funds and which provided a pool of young civilian pilots who could be available for military service if war came.

Upon his return to Puerto Rico, he rejoined the Puerto Rico Air National Guard as Commander of the 198th Fighter Squadron. He served in that capacity until a tragic accident took his life. In 1960, Muñiz was flying a formation of F-86s celebrating the 4th of July festivities in Puerto Rico and upon take off his airplane flamed out and crashed. Major General Orlando Llenza, then a fellow aviator in the unit, later described the loss in the following translation: 

"We were short one pilot and Joe (Muñiz) offered to stand in. I was formation lead.  Right after departing the runway, his afterburner nozzles failed open, indicating a loss of power.  The ejection seats in use at the time could not safely extract a pilot at low altitude and Joe went in little after takeoff.  No one in the flight mentioned the event; we executed the flyover and were notified of the loss upon our return to base.  Shortly after that, we received the F-86H which did not use afterburning and could fly non-stop from homestead AFB (in Florida) to San Juan unlike the previous D and E models, which had to stop for fuel at Guantanamo, Cuba." 

		Muñiz was buried with full military honors at the Puerto Rico Memorial Cemetery in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. Muñiz had married twice. His first wife was Laura Elena Lluberas Kell, who died at an early age, and he had one son from that marriage: Terry Francisco Muñiz Kell. His second wife was Sara Emilia Olivari and they had four children: Jose Antonio, Cristina, Ana Elena, and Eric Muñiz Olivari. Legacy - In 1963, the Air National Guard Base, at the San Juan International airport in Puerto Rico, was renamed "Muñiz Air National Guard Base" in honor of Lieutenant Colonel Jose Antonio Muñiz Vazquez. Muñiz Air National Guard Base is the home of the Puerto Rico Air National Guard's 156th Airlift Wing and the 198th Airlift Squadron.
Type of aircraft in which Muñiz tragicly lost his life