Donn A . Starry General Donn Albert Starry ( May 31 , 1925 – August 26 , 2011 ) was a United States Army four - star general who served as Commanding General , United States Army Training and Doctrine Command ( CG TRADOC ) from 1977 to 1981 ; and as Commander in Chief , U . S . Readiness Command ( USCINCRED ) 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 ( 1976 – 1977 ) , 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 . Starry concluded his career as Commander , U . S . Readiness Command ( 1981 – 1983 ) , retiring from the Army in 1983 . His awards and decorations include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal , two awards of the Army Distinguished Service Medal , the Silver Star , the Bronze Star with " V " device , the Soldier ' s Medal , the Purple Heart , the Legion of Merit with two Oak Leaf Clusters , the Distinguished Flying Cross , and the Air Medal with nine Oak Leaf Clusters . He is also the Honorary Colonel of the Regiment for the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment . Starry earned a Master ’ s Degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University , and several honorary doctoral degrees . He was also a member of the Defense Science Board for two terms . He was married to the former Leatrice ( Letty ) Gibbs of Kansas City , Kansas . They have four children and seven grandchildren . On April 10 , 2010 , he celebrated his new marriage to a long - time friend , Karen ( Cookie ) Deitrick . 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 BDM International . 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 . In 1991 he became a Senior Fellow on the faculty of the Joint and Combined Warfighting School at the Joint Forces Staff College . 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 supporting the Detainee Treatment Act of 2005 . His civic projects have included membership on the board of the Eisenhower Foundation in Abilene , Kansas , Chairman of the Board of the U . S . Cavalry Memorial Foundation , and a member of the Board of the Washington Institute of Foreign Affairs . He died in 2011 after suffering from a rare form of cancer . He was survived by his second wife , Karen . He was buried January 11 , 2012 .