Robert Merrill Lee General Robert Merrill Lee CBE ( April 13 , 1909 – June 29 , 2003 ) was the air deputy to the Supreme Allied Commander Europe , with the responsibility of assisting SACEUR in developing , training and employing NATO combat forces for the defense of allied Europe . Biography . Lee was born in Hinsdale , New Hampshire , educated in the public schools in Augusta , Maine , and graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point , N . Y . , in June 1931 . After attending Air Corps Flying Schools at Randolph and Kelly fields , Texas , General Lee received his wings in October 1932 . He was assigned to the 55th Pursuit Squadron of the 20th Pursuit Group at Barksdale Field , Louisiana . While at Barksdale he performed pilot and other squadron officer duties . In early 1934 when U . S . airmail contracts were cancelled by the president , Lieutenant Lee joined other officers in his group flying the airmail in the central zone . In May 1937 he was assigned to the First Cavalry ( Mechanized ) at Fort Knox , Kentucky . In addition to participating in intensive training as a junior officer in Troop " C , " First Mechanized Cavalry Regiment , Lieutenant Lee commanded several detachments , guarding the shipments of gold that were being shipped from various mints in the United States , to the Fort Knox Gold Repository . The following year he returned to the U . S . Army Air Corps and was assigned to the 12th Observation Squadron , Godman Field , also at Fort Knox . During 1938 to 1940 he was aide - de - camp to General Adna R . Chaffee , Jr . , the " father " of the Armored Force . During this period of his career he assisted in the development of operations teamwork between air and ground forces . In 1940 Captain Lee attended the Air Corps Tactical School at Maxwell Field , Alabama . During 1940 - 1941 he commanded the 12th Observation Squadron . In late 1941 Major Lee became chief of corps aviation , Headquarters I Armored Corps , and later air officer for Armored Force headquarters . In 1942 Lieutenant Colonel Lee organized at Godman Field , and commanded the newly activated 73rd Observation Group , later to become the 10th Recce Group and Wing , now assigned to Allied Command Europe , NATO and stationed in England . In January 1943 he was promoted to colonel and became chief of staff of the First Air Support Command at Morris Field , North Carolina . He continued in this position through successive reorganizations and redesignations of this command as I Tactical Air Division and the Third Tactical Air Command . In August 1944 , Colonel Lee joined the Ninth Air Forces in France where he served as deputy commander for operations under Lieutenant General Hoyt S . Vandenberg and shared responsibility for the defeat of Germany in four major campaigns : Northern France , the Rhineland , the Ardennes , and Central Europe . He was promoted to brigadier general in January 1945 . At the end of hostilities when the Ninth Air Force took up its occupation role , he served as chief of staff . Late in 1945 General Lee was assigned to the air section of the Theater General Board at Bad Nauheim as it completed its analyses and reports on the European campaigns . In January 1946 , General Lee returned to the United States and in April he became the first chief of Staff of the newly organized Tactical Air Command at Langley Field , Virginia , where he remained until August 1946 when he entered the first class of the National War College . After graduation from the National War College , General Lee was assigned in July 1947 to Tactical Air Command as deputy commanding general . During this assignment , in February 1948 , he was promoted to major general . From November 1948 , he served as commanding general until July 1950 . From Langley Air Force Base , General Lee went to Eglin Air Force Base , Florida , and assumed command of Air Task Group 3 . 4 , a special assignment to Operation Greenhouse that culminated in the atomic test at Eniwetok during the spring of 1951 . When this assignment was completed in July 1951 , General Lee was named the deputy director of plans under the deputy chief of staff for operations , Headquarters U . S . Air Force , Washington , D . C . , with a simultaneous duty as the Air Force member of the Joint Strategic Plans Committee . Shortly thereafter he became the director of plans . In November 1953 , General Lee was assigned to command the Fourth Allied Tactical Air Force and the Twelfth U . S . Air Force in Europe . The former constituted the largest tactical air forces in Allied Command Europe , consisting of all United States , French and Canadian air forces on the continent of Europe committed to the Supreme Allied Commander . In June 1956 , command of the two air forces was separated . General Lee retained command of the Allied Tactical Air Force . When he returned to the United States in July 1957 , he became commander of the Ninth Air Force , Tactical Air Command , with headquarters at Shaw Air Force Base , South Carolina . One year later , on July 15 , 1958 , General Lee assumed the rank of lieutenant general and arrived at United Nations Command headquarters , Seoul , Korea , to become chief of staff , United Nations Command and U . S . Forces , Korea . In September 1959 he returned to the United States to become vice commander of the Air Defense Command in Colorado Springs , Colorado , becoming commander in March 1961 . He was promoted to general on June 4 , 1963 , and became air deputy to the supreme allied commander , Europe , on August 1 , 1963 . A command pilot with more than 9 , 000 hours flying time , Lee includes among his awards and decorations the Distinguished Service Medal , Legion of Merit , Bronze Star Medal , Air Medal and Army Commendation Medal . In addition to various awards and decorations from other U . S . allies , he wears the French Legion of Honor in the grade of Commander and the Croix de Guerre with Palm ; the Luxembourg Order of Merit of Adolph of Nassau , Degree of Commander with Crown ; the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire , Degree of Honorary Commander ; and the Korean Order of Military Merit , Taeguk , with silver star .