Retired effective Apr 9, 1999
Brigadier
General Donald Dalton is the Assistant Adjutant General for Air, and serves in the
capacity of Commander, Arkansas Air National Guard, located on Little Rock Air Force Base,
Arkansas. He is responsible for the tactical employment, administration, and training of
the Air National Guard units.
He began his military career as a weapons mechanic in 1957 when he enlisted as an airman basic in the Arkansas Air National Guard. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in February 1961, and completed undergraduate pilot training at Laredo AFB, Texas in June 1962. He was assigned as a reconnaissance pilot, 154th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, Little Rock, Arkansas, flying RB-57 aircraft. During the call-up for the Pueblo Crisis in early 1968, he was named air operations officer. He remained in tactical flying until the group converted to KC-135 aircraft in 1975 and was then assigned as a tanker pilot. He was assigned as an operations staff officer from January until September 1978, when he was reassigned to Headquarters, Arkansas Air National Guard as an information staff officer. He was reassigned as deputy commander, Arkansas Air National Guard in December 1988, flying as an operational evaluator in the C-130 aircraft attached to the 189th Tactical Airlift Group. He was named Chief of Staff, Arkansas Air National Guard, February 15, 1990. Named Assistant Adjutant General for Air, Arkansas Air National Guard, February 13, 1997. He is a command pilot with over 2,000 flying hours in the T-37, T-33, RB-57, RF-101, KC-135, and C-130 aircraft.
1969 Bachelor of Science degree in marketing
1972 Professional Management Development Program at Harvard
1973 Squadron Officer School
1988 National Security Management Course
1. June 1962, completed undergraduate pilot training at Laredo AFB, Texas
2. Assigned as a reconnaissance pilot, 154th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron,
Little Rock, AR flying RB-57 aircraft
3. 1968, named Air Operations Officer during the call-up for the Pueblo Crisis
4. 1975, assigned as a tanker pilot.
5. January 1978 - September 1978, reassigned to Headquarters, Arkansas Air National Guard,
as an Information Staff Officer
6. December 1988, reassigned as Deputy Commander Arkansas Air National Guard
7. February 1990, named Chief of Staff, Arkansas Air National Guard
8. February 1997, named Assistant Adjutant General for Air
Rating: Command pilot
Flight hours: More than 2,000
Aircraft flown: T-37, T-33, RB-57, RF-101, KC-135, C-130
Meritorious Service Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal
Air Force Outstanding Unit with two oak leaf clusters
Combat Readiness Medal with two oak leaf clusters
National Defense Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Air Force Longevity Service Award Ribbon with eight oak leaf clusters
Armed Forces Reserve Medal with three hourglass devices
Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon with one oak leaf clusters
Air Force Training Ribbon
National Guard Association of the United States
National Guard Association of Arkansas Air National Guard
Air Force Association
National Association of Exposition Managers
American Society of Association Executives
Membership on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the Atlanta Convention and
Visitor Bureau
Second Lieutenant - February 21, 1961
First Lieutenant - February 21, 1964
Captain - March 25, 1966
Major - February 21, 1975
Lieutenant Colonel - February 21, 1982
Colonel - December 29, 1988
Brigadier General - April 8, 1992
(Current as of February 2001)
The date of publication indicated on this biography reflects the most recent update. It does not necessarily reflect the date of printing.