Robert H . Reed Robert Harvey Reed ( born October 10 , 1929 ) is a former General in the United States Air Force and the former chief of staff of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe . Biography . Early life . Reed was born in 1929 , in Elkhorn City , Kentucky , and graduated from Warfield High School , in Warfield , Kentucky . From June 1952 to June 1953 he attended pilot training at Marana Air Base , Arizona , and Williams Air Force Base , also in Arizona , as an aviation cadet . After graduating as a Second Lieutenant , he completed the F - 94C Starfire All - Weather Fighter - Interceptor School at Moody Air Force Base , Georgia , and in December 1953 was assigned to the 332nd Fighter - Interceptor Squadron at New Castle Air Force Base , Delaware . He was assigned as an F - 89D Scorpion pilot to the 18th Fighter - Interceptor Squadron , Ladd Air Force Base , Alaska , in July 1954 . Upon completion of his Alaskan tour of duty in July 1956 , he was assigned to the 319th Fighter - Interceptor Squadron at Bunker Hill Air Force Base , Indiana . Other squadron assignments included duty as weapons director and operations officer with the 903d Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron , Gettysburg , South Dakota ; 740th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron , Ellsworth Air Force Base , South Dakota ; 916th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron , Prince George , British Columbia ; and as flight commander , 49th Fighter - Interceptor Squadron , Griffiss Air Force Base , New York , where he flew F - 101B Voodoo ' s . He earned a bachelor of arts degree in international relations from Syracuse University , New York , in 1959 . General Reed was assigned to Headquarters 26th Air Division at Hancock Field , New York , in June 1963 as aide - de - camp to Major General Arthur C . Agan , Jr . . Upon completing Air Command and Staff College in June 1965 , he was assigned to Headquarters Air Defense Command , Ent Air Force Base , Colorado . While there he served as an operations staff officer and assistant executive officer in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff , Operations . He also earned a master of public administration degree from The George Washington University that year . Later career . In September 1967 he went to Richards - Gebaur Air Force Base , Missouri . , where he worked for the commander , 10th Air Force , as special assistant for command planning . In July 1968 he transferred to the 479th Tactical Fighter Wing , George Air Force Base , California , and completed F - 4 Phantom II combat crew training in preparation for an assignment to Southeast Asia . The general transferred in December 1968 to the 12th Tactical Fighter Wing , Cam Ranh Bay Air Base , Republic of Vietnam , where he served as operations officer for the 557th Tactical Fighter Squadron . While there he completed 305 combat hours in F - 4 Phantom II s . After returning to the United States in December 1969 , he entered F - 106 Delta Dart combat crew training at Tyndall Air Force Base , Florida . He then was assigned as operations officer for the 84th Fighter - Interceptor Squadron , Hamilton Air Force Base , California . Upon graduation from the Air War College in June 1972 , he was assigned to Headquarters United States Air Force , Washington D . C . , as chief , Doctrine Development Branch , and later as assistant chief , Doctrine Division , in the Directorate of Doctrine , Concepts and Objectives , Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff , Plans and Operations . In April 1974 he was assigned to the Air Force Six Man Group . This was a special study team established by the chief of staff to investigate and advise him on matters pertaining to the development and employment of Air Force forces . Upon completion of this study effort in March 1975 , he was assigned to the 354th Tactical Fighter Wing , Myrtle Beach Air Force Base , South Carolina , as vice commander . He became commander in August 1976 . Reed was assigned to Davis - Monthan Air Force Base , Arizona , in April 1979 as commander , Tactical Training , Davis - Monthan . From July 1980 to August 1982 he served at Tyndall Air Force Base as commander of the Air Defense Weapons Center . He then transferred to Headquarters Tactical Air Command , Langley Air Force Base , Virginia , as deputy chief of staff for operations . In September 1984 he became Air Force assistant vice chief of staff , Washington D . C . He also served as the Air Force representative , United States Delegation to the Military Staff Committee , United Nations . He assumed his duty as the chief of staff of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe in June 1986 . He was promoted to General July 1 , 1986 , with same date of rank . Awards . Awards earned during his career :