Dean Coldwell Strother (February 12, 1908 – September 24, 2000) was a

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

four-star general A four-star rank is the rank of any four-star officer described by the Ranks and insignia of NATO, NATO OF-9 code. Four-star officers are often the most senior commanders in the armed services, having ranks such as (full) admiral, (full) general ...

who served as U.S. Military Representative, NATO Military Committee (USMILREP), from 1962 to 1965; and as Commander in Chief, North American Air Defense Command/Commander in Chief, Continental Air Defense Command (CINCNORAD/CINCONAD), from 1965 to 1966. He also served in the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

during World War II.

Biography

Strother was born in

Winfield, Kansas Winfield is a city and county seat of Cowley County, Kansas, United States. It is situated along the Walnut River in South Central Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 11,777. It is home to Southwestern College. Hi ...

, in 1908, graduated from Winfield High School in 1925 and attended Southwestern College, Winfield, until 1927 when he received a Congressional appointment to the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

. Upon graduation from the academy in 1931, he attended Primary and Advanced Flying Schools at Randolph Field, Texas, and received his wings at Kelly Field, Texas, in October 1932. Some of his assignments during the period of 1932-1942 were: operations officer at Barksdale Field, Louisiana; air mail duty at the Municipal Airport, Chicago, Illinois; instrument flying instructor at Sherman Field, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas; pilot with the 72nd Bombardment Squadron, Luke Field, Hawaii; and adjutant of Randolph Field, Texas. In July 1942, Strother became staff fighter officer of the U.S. Army Forces in the South Pacific area, and when the

Thirteenth Air Force The Thirteenth Air Force (Air Forces Pacific) (13 AF) was a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). It was last headquartered at Hickam Air Force Base on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. 13 AF has never been stat ...

was organized in January 1943 he was appointed chief of the Fighter Command and promoted to brigadier general in May 1943. From July to January 1944, he headed an expanded outfit, the Solomon Islands Fighter Command, part of AirSol, AirSoPac; the unit directed U.S. Army, Navy and Marine, and New Zealand fighters who helped turn back the Japanese threatening Australia. His work earned him the

Army Distinguished Service Medal The Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a military decoration of the United States Army that is presented to soldiers who have distinguished themselves by exceptionally meritorious service to the government in a duty of great responsibility. Th ...

. Strother flew to Italy in January 1944 to command the 306th Fighter Wing of the

Fifteenth Air Force The Fifteenth Air Force (15 AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base. It was reactivated on 20 August 2020, merging the previous units of the Ninth Air Force ...

, and assumed command of the

XV Fighter Command XV or Xv may refer to: Arts and entertainment: * XV (rapper) (born 1985), rapper from Wichita, Kansas, United States * ''XV'' (King's X album), 2008 * ''XV'' (TVXQ album), 2019 * ''XV'' (EP), by the Jonas Brothers (2020) Science and technology: ...

in October 1944. For his services during this time, he was awarded an

oak leaf cluster An oak leaf cluster is a ribbon device to denote preceding decorations and awards consisting of a miniature bronze or silver twig of four oak leaves with three acorns on the stem. It is authorized by the United States Armed Forces for a speci ...

to the Army Distinguished Service Medal. He personally led a United States fighter task force from Italy to Russia to provide direct assistance for the Russian offensive in the East, and was awarded the

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an e ...

. Returning to the United States in October 1945, Strother was assigned as commander of the West Coast Wing of the

Air Training Command Air Training Command (ATC) is a former United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command designation. It was headquartered at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, but was initially formed at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. It was re-designated as Ai ...

's Pacific Division at Hamilton Field, California, until August 1946 when he was selected to attend the

National War College The National War College (NWC) of the United States is a school in the National Defense University. It is housed in Roosevelt Hall on Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C., the third-oldest Army post still active. History The National War Colle ...

, Washington, D.C. Upon graduation from the War College in June 1947, he was assigned to Headquarters U.S. Air Force as chief, Military Personnel Division, DCS/PA; director military personnel, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff and Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel until March 1951 when he assumed command of the

Twelfth Air Force The Twelfth Air Force (12 AF; Air Forces Southern, (AFSOUTH)) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. The command is the air component to U ...

(U.S. Air Forces in Europe) and the

Fourth Allied Tactical Air Force Fourth Allied Tactical Air Force (4 ATAF) was a NATO military formation under Allied Air Forces Central Europe tasked with providing air support to NATO's Allied Force Command Heidelberg, Central Army Group (CENTAG) in southern West Germany. 4 ATAF ...

at Wiesbaden, Germany. In November 1953, he returned to the United States as deputy commander of the Air University at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, and became commander on June 6, 1956. In July 1958, Strother was assigned to Headquarters U.S. Air Force as deputy chief of staff, operations until November 1962 when he was appointed as the U.S. representative to the Military Committee and Standing Group NATO. In April 1965, he assumed his assignment as commander in chief

NORAD North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD ), known until March 1981 as the North American Air Defense Command, is a combined organization of the United States and Canada that provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and protection ...

and

CONAD Conad ('), stylized CONAD, is an Italian retail store brand which operates one of the largest supermarket chains in Italy. Created in 1962, Conad is a cooperative system of entrepreneur Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of e ...

. He retired on July 31, 1966, and died on September 24, 2000. His decorations include the

with oak leaf cluster,

Air Force Distinguished Service Medal The Air Force Distinguished Service Medal (AFDSM) is a military decoration of the United States Air Force and United States Space Force and is presented to airmen and guardians to recognize distinguished and exceptionally meritorious service to ...

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...

with oak leaf cluster, Distinguished Flying Cross,

Air Medal The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight. Criteria The Air Medal was establish ...

with three oak leaf clusters, and the

Army Commendation Medal The Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military decoration presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. Each branch of the United States Armed Forces issues its own version of the Commendation Medal, with a fifth ...

. Strother's youngest brother, Donald Root Strother, was the first Army Air Corps pilot from Cowley County, Kansas to lose his life in World War II.

Strother Field Strother Field is a public airport in Cowley County, Kansas, six miles southwest of Winfield and north of Arkansas City. The airport is jointly owned by the two cities. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 categori ...

is named after him.Strother Army Air Field http://www.jcs-group.com/military/allyair/flying2.html

Effective dates of promotions

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Strother, Dean 1908 births 2000 deaths Military personnel from Kansas National War College alumni People from Winfield, Kansas Recipients of the Air Medal Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) Recipients of the Silver Star United States Military Academy alumni United States Air Force generals United States Army Air Forces pilots of World War II United States Army Air Forces generals Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Army Air Forces generals of World War II