General
A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry.
In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...
Donn Albert Starry (31 May 1925 – 26 August 2011) was a
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
four-star general who served as commanding general of
United States Army Training and Doctrine Command
The United States Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) is a major command of the United States Army headquartered at Fort Eustis, Virginia. It is charged with overseeing training of Army forces and the development of operational doctrine ...
from 1977 to 1981, and as commander in chief of
United States Readiness Command from 1981 to 1983.
Early life and education
Born in 1925,
Starry graduated from the
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...
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 United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC or, obsolete, USACGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military ...
, the
Armed Forces Staff College, and the
Army War College. Starry later earned a master's degree in international affairs from the
George Washington University
The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...
, and several honorary doctoral degrees.
Military career

In 1969, Starry commanded the
11th Armored Cavalry Regiment in the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
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, Starry became commanding general of
United States Army Armor Center and School, and then commander of
V Corps (1976–1977), in the
Federal Republic of Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen constituent states have a total population of over 84 ...
. His conclusion, based on over a hundred battle simulations conducted in Germany, was that the existing DePuy doctrine of "Active Defense" failed; it was termed by one wag "a good way to lose a battle slowly".
Later, as commander of TRADOC, Starry formulated
AirLand Battle doctrine and such minutiae as the
Joint Air Attack Team Tactics, which prepared the Army for warfighting into the twenty-first century. Starry released an updated
FM100-5 in 1982,
[ and concluded his career as commander of U.S. Readiness Command (1981–1983), retiring from the Army in 1983.
Starry viewed his predecessor at TRADOC, ]William DePuy
William Eugene DePuy (1 October 1919 – 9 September 1992) was a United States Army general and the first commander of the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command. He is widely regarded as one of the principal architects of the restructu ...
, as overly simplistic in his version of ''Operations'', ignoring the human dimension and ultimately rejected it as “too mechanical, too mathematically certain, too specific” in favour of AirLand Battle. Starry realized that the DePuy's "Active Defense" doctrine assumed the Soviet Union would adhere to a doctrine of a massed penetration at a single point. While the V Corps commander in Europe, Starry realized that the Soviet Army modified their doctrine to include multi-pronged attacks across multiple axis of advance. Therefore, Starry focused AirLand Battle on Army and Air Force integration to better strike across both the width and depth of the enemy forces. The new doctrine went beyond just systems and focused on the human dimension and psychological impact of such integrated operations.
Starry's awards and decorations include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal
The Defense Distinguished Service Medal is a military decoration of the United States Department of Defense, which is presented to United States Armed Forces service members for exceptionally distinguished performance of duty contributing to the ...
, two awards of the Army Distinguished Service Medal
The Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a military decoration of the United States Army that is presented to soldiers who have distinguished themselves by exceptionally meritorious service to the government in a duty of great responsibility. ...
, the Silver Star
The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against a ...
, the Legion of Merit
The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States military, military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievemen ...
with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Soldier's Medal, the Bronze Star
The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone.
Wh ...
with "V" device, the Purple Heart
The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the president to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, ...
, and the Air Medal
The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight.
Criteria
The Air Medal was establi ...
with nine Oak Leaf Clusters.
Starry was also the Honorary Colonel of the Regiment for the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment.[Keynote Speaker bio from Defense Group, Inc.](_blank)
/ref> He was also a member of the Defense Science Board
The Defense Science Board (DSB) is a committee of civilian experts appointed to advise the U.S. Department of Defense on scientific and technical matters. It was established in 1956 on the second Hoover Commission's recommendation.
Charter
The B ...
for two terms.
Bibliography
*
*
Retirement
Upon retirement from the army, Starry joined Ford Aerospace, serving first as vice president and general manager of Ford's Space Missions Group, and later as executive vice president of Ford Aerospace and special assistant to the chief executive officer of Braddock Dunn & McDonald. He served as a member of the board of Maxwell Laboratories from 1988 to 1993, and from 1996 to 1998 was chairman of the board as the company became Maxwell Technologies, switching their focus from government to commercial markets. He has also served as chairman of the board of Universal Voltronics in Brookfield, Connecticut
Brookfield is a New England town, town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, situated within the southern foothills of the Berkshires, Berkshire Mountains. The population was 17,528 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The t ...
. In 1991 he became a Senior Fellow on the faculty of the Joint and Combined Warfighting School at the Joint Forces Staff College
The Joint Forces Staff College (JFSC), located in Norfolk, Virginia, was established as the Armed Forces Staff College in 1946 and incorporated into the National Defense University in August 1981. It educates and acculturates joint and multinat ...
.
In retirement, Starry, with George F. Hofmann, edited an anthology of U.S. armor warfare history and doctrine titled ''Camp Colt to Desert Storm: The History of U.S. Armored Forces.'' Later his two-volume of select stories, papers, articles, and book excerpts were edited by Lewis Sorley called ''Press On!'' Starry was also one of twenty-one signers, all retired flag officers, of a letter to John McCain
John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American statesman and United States Navy, naval officer who represented the Arizona, state of Arizona in United States Congress, Congress for over 35 years, first as ...
supporting the Detainee Treatment Act of 2005.Letter to Senator McCain
/ref> His civic projects have included membership on the board of the Eisenhower Foundation in Abilene, Kansas
Abilene (pronounced ) is a city in and the county seat of Dickinson County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 6,460. It is home of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Libra ...
, chairman of the board of the U.S. Cavalry Memorial Foundation, and a member of the board of the Washington Institute of Foreign Affairs. Starry was also the honorary "Father of the Regiment" for the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment.
Starry died on 26 August 2011, of a rare form of cancer
Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...
at age 86. He was survived by his second wife, Karen. He was interred in Arlington National Cemetery on 11 January 2012, Section 34, Site 583-A.
Personal life
Starry was married to the former Leatrice (Letty) Gibbs of Kansas City, Kansas
Kansas City (commonly known as KCK) is the third-most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is an inner suburb of the older and more populous Kansas City, Missouri, after which it is named. As ...
. They had four children and seven grandchildren. On 10 April 2010, he celebrated his new marriage to a long-time friend, Karen (Cookie) Deitrick.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Starry, Donn A.
1925 births
2011 deaths
Military personnel from New York City
United States Army generals
United States Military Academy alumni
United States Army War College alumni
United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War
Elliott School of International Affairs alumni
Recipients of the Soldier's Medal
United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni
Recipients of the Silver Star
Recipients of the Legion of Merit
Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)
Recipients of the Air Medal
Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army)
Recipients of the Defense Distinguished Service Medal
Deaths from cancer in Ohio
Burials at Arlington National Cemetery