James E . Dalton James Edward Dalton ( born October 17 , 1930 ) is a former General and former Chief of Staff of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe . Biography . Dalton was born in New York City in 1930 . He is a graduate of Brooklyn Technical High School . In 1954 he graduated from the United States Military Academy , West Point , New York . After completing pilot training in 1955 , Dalton joined the 76th Air Transport Squadron at Charleston Air Force Base , South Carolina , serving as an aircraft commander until he entered the University of Michigan in 1958 . After receiving a master of science degrees in aeronautical and astronautical engineering , and instrumentation engineering from the University of Michigan in 1960 , he served as a project officer in the Guidance and Control Directorate of the Ballistic Systems Division , Air Force Systems Command at Los Angeles Air Force Station , California . He was responsible for the development of the operational targeting programs for the inertially guided SM - 65 Atlas , Titan and LGM - 30 Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missiles . The general attended the Air Command and Staff College during the 1964 - 1965 academic year and was then assigned to the 374th Tactical Airlift Wing , Naha Air Base , Okinawa , where he served as an aircraft commander , instructor pilot , flight commander and wing executive officer . During this assignment he served in Southeast Asia as a C - 130 Hercules commander , operations officer and deputy commander of C - 130 operating locations . From May 1968 to May 1969 , he was a project officer in the Missile Division , Office of the Deputy for Strategic Forces , Deputy Chief of Staff , Research and Development , Headquarters United States Air Force , Washington D . C . While there he was the program element monitor for the Advanced Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Technology Program . He then attended the Industrial College of the Armed Forces , graduating in June 1970 . He was assigned as chief , Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis Branch in the Office of the Assistant to the Chairman , Joint Chiefs of Staff for Strategic Arms Negotiations from June 1970 to August 1972 . In this capacity he served with the United States Strategic Arms Limitation Talks Delegation as an adviser to the principal military delegate . Dalton was vice commander of the 438th Military Airlift Wing , McGuire Air Force Base , New Jersey , until May 1973 . He then took command of the 39th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Wing at Eglin Air Force Base , Florida . , where he was responsible for the rescue operations of seven squadrons and 14 detachments located in Europe , Iceland , Greenland , Alaska , Panama and the United States . As many as 100 aircraft of five different types were assigned to the wing . During his tenure the wing received the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award and the Military Airlift Command ' s Distinguished Wing Flying Safety Award for 1973 and 1974 . In February 1975 he become commander of the Air Reserve Personnel Center in Denver , Colorado where he was responsible for personnel support for the Air Force Reserve and members of the Air National Guard not on extended active duty , and personnel support for mobilization of the Air Reserve Forces . From November 1976 to May 1977 , he was deputy director of concepts in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff , Plans and Operations at Air Force headquarters . In June 1977 he was assigned to the Organization of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and served as deputy director for force development and strategic plans , Plans and Policy Directorate . His responsibilities involved a broad range of national security issues . In July 1978 he became vice director of the Joint Staff and in July 1980 he was named commandant of the Industrial College of the Armed Forces . He served as director of the Joint Staff from July 1981 until assuming his duties as Chief of Staff of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe in August 1983 . He was promoted to general on August 1 , 1983 and retired twenty three months later to the day . In 1998 , he was inducted into the Brooklyn Technical High School Hall of Fame .