Donn A. Starry

Who was Donn A. Starry?

General Donn Albert Starry was a United States Army four-star general who served as Commanding General, United States Army Training and Doctrine Command from 1977 to 1981; and as Commander in Chief, U.S. Readiness Command from 1981 to 1983.

Born in 1925, Starry graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1948 as a second lieutenant of Armor, after having enlisted as a private in 1943. His early career included staff and command positions in the United States, Europe, and Korea. During this same period, he attended the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, the Armed Forces Staff College, and the Army War College. In 1969, he commanded the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment in the Vietnam War and led its attack into Cambodia in May 1970. On May 5, 1970, Starry was wounded by a North Vietnamese grenade that also wounded future Army General Frederick Franks, Jr.

In 1973, he became commanding general, U.S. Army Armor Center and School, and then commander, V Corps, in the Federal Republic of Germany. Later, as commander of TRADOC, Starry formulated AirLand Battle doctrine, which prepared the Army for warfighting into the twenty-first century.