Alton D. Slay

Who is Alton D. Slay?

General Alton Davis Slay, Sr. is a retired four star United States Air Force general and former commander, Air Force Systems Command, Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland.

Slay is a native of Crystal Springs, Mississippi. He was a command pilot with more than 8,000 flying hours, principally in single-engine and jet fighter aircraft, accumulated since his graduation from flying school at Craig Field, Alabama, in 1944. He flew 181 combat missions over Southeast Asia in jet fighters. He is a graduate of the Navy Parachutist School and wears the Senior Air Force Parachutist Badge and the Senior Missileman Badge.

Slay is a 1965 graduate of George Washington University at Washington, D.C., with a degree in mathematics; the Harvard University Advanced Management Program; and the Canadian National Defence College.

His assignments included deputy chief of staff, research and development, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C., vice commander of the Air Training Command, San Antonio, Texas; commander of the Lowry Technical Training Command, Denver; deputy chief of staff, operations, Seventh Air Force, in Southeast Asia; director of operations, Military Assistance Command, Vietnam; deputy chief of staff, operations, Air Force Systems Command; commander of the Air Force Flight Test Center, Edwards Air Force Base, California; and assistant deputy chief of staff, plans and operations, U.S. Air Forces in Europe. He assumed command of Systems Command in March 1978, and was promoted to four star rank on April 1, 1978. Slay retired from the Air Force on January 31, 1981.