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A 1954 graduate of USMA, James Dalton was commissioned in the U.S. Air Force. During a career spanning three decades, he accumulated more than 5,400 flying hours in a variety of aircraft, served as a missile development project officer, commanded an air wing, and participated in arms control negotiations. In this interview, he recalls his years as a West Point cadet, his aviation assignments, his engagement in missile technology, the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT), his interactions with the Soviets, commanding a rescue unit, the importance of setting and maintaining high standards, his time on the Joint Staff, and his thoughts on corporate leadership in the private sector.

A USMA ’61 Graduate Recalls Three Decades Of Service To The Nation

“We Know What Freedom Is”: A Cuban Immigrant Flying For America In Vietnam

“I Told Her Don’t Worry”: From Vietnam To Being Kidnapped By Communists In Italy

“It’s Fun To Do Stuff When You Have All The Aces”: An Air Force Officer From USMA 61

Like Father Like Daughter: Pioneers In Their Own Fields, West Point And The Foreign Service

“Finding The Light Switch To Turn On In Cadets”: A Varied And Impactful Career In The Army And Academia

Behind The Lines With Krutz And Corcoran: A Driver And Tour Officer With The United States Military Liaison Mission

“The Air Force Gave Me Freedom To Excel”: An Instructor For Strategic Air Command And A Senior Supervisor At The Telephone Company

“West Point Means Home”: Service In The Army And In Telecommunications

“You’d Better Make Something Of This”: Commanding An Armor Battalion In The Invasion Of Iraq

A USMA ’65 Couple Reflects On Their Experiences During The Vietnam War And Beyond

“My Goal Is To Graduate”: Eight Years To A West Point Degree

“Not Too Much Regard For The Speed Limit”: Intelligence Collecting In East Germany

The Vietnam War as a Crucible for Leadership

A Trifecta Of Academia, Defense Department, And Industry Careers That Enhanced Our National Security

The Ending That Surprised: Watching the Cold War Collapse

Adventures Around The World With The Army: The Story Of Jerry And Cathy White

“I Love West Point And Everything It Stands For”: From The Army Air Corps To The Air Force And Beyond

"You Want My Tanks to Do What?!" An Armor Officer in Germany and Vietnam

A Rhodes Scholar And Armor Officer In Germany And Vietnam

“A Baptism Of Fire”: Fighting In Three Wars Abroad And Ushering In Constructive Disruption At Home

“Be Not Afraid”: Service As A Priest In Communist Poland And America

Service Around The World As An Engineer Officer: Reflections From A Member Of The Class Of 1961

“Dreaming In Russian”: Service In Vietnam And In East Germany With The USMLM

Improving the Welfare Of Society: A West Point Distinguished Graduate On His Legacy Of Service, Business, And Philanthropy

“A West Pointer Can Do Anything”: An Olympic Pentathlete And Army Officer Serving The Nation

“Dynamic People in the Military Get Things Done”: The War in Vietnam and Lifelong Learning

The First African-American Four-Star Admiral In The U.S. Navy

“Too Blessed To Be Stressed”: A Women's Army Corps Intelligence Analyst Puts The Pieces Together

Not Necessarily the Approved Solution: Having the Instincts to Get the Job Done

“West Point Prepared Me To Do Whatever I Wanted To Do”: A ’61 Grad’s Lifetime Of Service

Learning through Failure, Toward Greater Challenge: Self-Discipline, The Key

“The Fine Art Of Motivating And Leading American Soldiers”: West Point, Vietnam, And The Evolving Army

“Educating For Uncertainty”: The Sandhurst Commandant on Building a Flexible and Professional Officer Corps

"Seek Responsibility and Do the Job": An Air Force General on Initiative, Accountability, and Dealing with the Soviets

The Frontiers of Freedom: From Vietnam to the Fall of the Berlin Wall

Pride In America: Defending Freedom And Protecting People

“Loyalty Goes Up And Down”: Leading American Soldiers In Service Around The World

Dedicated To Service: Leading Transformation As An Army Engineer, A DOD Civilian, And Curator Of The West Point Jewish Chapel

On the Front Lines of Freedom: Team Derrick in Korea, Germany, and Desert Storm

“No Pity”: Recovering From Wounds And Continuing To Serve The Country

“See You Guys After The War”: An Air Force Pilot In Peace, War, And Captivity

“Angels Along The Way”: Mentorship, Teamwork, And Growth Along Life’s Journey

“Make The Most Of What You Have”: Overcoming Tragedy And Standing On Principle

An Insurgent Non-Conformist In Special Forces

“Broken Bones, A Big Heart, And Not Quitting”: A Special Forces Officer With A Mission

“I Always Liked Where I Was”: Air Defense In The U.S., Greece, Vietnam, And Germany

From Soldier to Expert: In the Thick of Policy

Building Roads, Managing Resources, And Teaching Physics: An Engineering Career Both Diverse And Satisfying

“Being Part Of The Action”: A Lifetime Of Service In The Army And In State Government

“Changing The Answer To Yes”: Commanding Engineers In Combat And Taking Care Of Families On Post

Strategic Inflection Points: Serving On The Border Of Freedom From The Cold War To NATO In The 21st Century

“I Planned To Go To West Point For As Long As I Can Remember”: A ’67 Graduate In Vietnam And Berlin

“Someday This Is Going To End:” An Iranian Hostage Reflects On Detention, Survival, and Returning Home

“A Symbol Of What’s Right With America”: West Point, Army Service, And School Administration

A Life Together In The Army: Vietnam, The Home Front, And Service To The Nation

“We Did What We Had To Do – We’re Engineers”: An Engineer In Vietnam And Germany

“Breaking Bread Was A Great Way To Make Relationships”: Forming Friendships That Last A Lifetime

“We’re Here To Go Home, But We’re Here To Win”: A Rakkasan In Vietnam

“West Point Turned My Life Around”: A Lifetime Of Service In The Army And Army Reserve

Love This Place, Hate This Place: Reflections From A Member Of The West Point Class Of ‘80

Cold War Germany, Vietnam, And The English Department: An Armor Officer’s Service

JFK, RFK, MLK, And Ike: A Sentinel At The Tomb Of The Unknown Soldier in The 1960’s

Practical Counterinsurgency in Latin America

“James Bond Cars”: A Military Liaison Mission Driver’s View of the Cold War

From Desert Storm to the Tennis Courts of West Point: “You Make a Decision, You Don’t Realize Where It Takes You”

“I Wasn’t Quitting”: Determination At West Point And As A Field Artillery Officer And Comptroller In The Army

West Point As The Foundation Of A “Considerable Life”: Over Four Decades As An Army Officer And Teacher

“Soldiers Are A Reflection Of Their Leaders”: Facilitating Success At West Point And In The Army

“Love” Found On The Tennis Courts: Reflections On Life As A West Point Spouse

“Our Family Business Is Service To Country In Uniform”: Becoming The Best At West Point And In The Army

Healing Old Wounds And Appreciating The Academy: A West Point And Ladycliff Family Returns To Their Rockbound Highland Home

Rebuilding The Hollow Army of the 1970s

On The Cutting Edge Of Computer Science: A Signal Officer At War And At West Point

Building Cohesive Units And Teaching Leadership: A Naval Academy Grad Reflects On The Evolving Marine Corps From The 70s To The 90s

“Learn Russian And You’ll Never Be Unemployed”: A US Military Liaison Mission Officer During The Cold War

“Teaching The Army Profession From Start To Finish”: Leading Army Education At All Levels

“To Be A Good Citizen You Ought To Do Your Part”: An Air National Guard General Serves His Community

“You Gotta Think About The Details”: The West Point Dean Reflects On His Operational Experience

A European War Refugee Comes To America, Graduates From West Point, And Serves In The Army

Not My Will, But The Army’s: Three Decades of Service to the Nation

Life Is A Highway: A Professional Engineer From The Class Of ’65 Reflects On Combat, Construction, And Community

“The Army Is Like A Family”: Memories Of A Cold War Army Spouse

Peeking Behind The Iron Curtain: A US Military Liaison Officer In Cold War Europe

“Don’t Stop Serving”: A West Pointer Reflects On Opportunities In The Army Reserve And The National Guard

A USMA Commandant And SOCOM Commander Reflects On Leadership, Responsibility, And Taking Care Of Soldiers

“Our Screens Lit Up”: Shooting Down SCUDs Over Riyadh In The Gulf War

“I Expected The Worst And That’s What I Got”: The Oldest Grad Reflects On West Point And 39 Months As A Prisoner Of The Japanese

Like A Brick Wall Falling On You All At Once: A Judge Reflects on West Point, Vietnam, and His Career

Service As An Armor And A Civil Affairs Officer: “Think Of The Peace Corps With Guns”

“There’s A War Coming And I’m A Soldier”: Service In Vietnam As An Enlisted Engineer And A Pathfinder Officer

“We Were Different”: Service As An Army Pathfinder

Service With The Big Red One In Vietnam And The Old Guard In D.C.

The Challenges of Protecting the “Street Without Joy”

“Train To Be The Best Commander You Can Be”: Developing Capabilities And Serving Soldiers

Reflections Of A Cold War Air Force Intelligence Officer

An Army Gymnast On Discipline And Leadership On The Battlefield And In Industry

The “F” As A Badge Of Honor: Surviving The Class Of ’77 Honor Scandal

Cultivating A Warrior Spirit At West Point: From Dak To To The Physics Department

Balancing Secrecy And Transparency As The Official Historian Of The British Joint Intelligence Committee

Decision-Making in Vietnam and Beyond

“All Of The Bad Times Are Overwhelmed By The Positives”: Tenacity And Determination At West Point And In The Air Force

"Into Harm's Way"

“There Is No Country Like Ours”: A USMLM Officer Behind The Iron Curtain Reflects On Service And The Soviets

“Serving the Mission”: Two USMLM Tour Officers Reflect On Their Service In East Germany During The Cold War

Around The World With The British Army In The 1950s: A Para’s Story

“It’s Going To Be Ok, Mom”: Service With The WACs In Vietnam

Three Tours In Vietnam: A West Point ’61 Graduate Reflects On His Service

Alexander Haig Assesses Leadership From Practical and Historical Perspectives

“It Was Like Going Through A Time Machine”: Serving In East Germany With The USMLM

“We’re Just Soldiers A Long Way From Home”: Service With The United States Military Liaison Mission In East Germany

Finding The Center Of Gravity: Leadership And Modernization In The Army

Two Stories Intertwined: A Special Forces Officer And His Vietnamese Wife

The “Original Good Deal”: A Special Forces Soldier Trains And Fights With Allies During The Vietnam War

“Running A Victory Lap”: A West Point Olympian Reflects On Competition And Service

Starting A Family Tradition: The First Of Three Generations Of West Pointers

Modernizing West Point’s Academic Administration: An Artillery Officer Returns To The Dean’s Staff

Tending His Flock Under Fire: A Chaplain Serving With Tiger Force In Vietnam

From Rice Paddies To The Pentagon: A Multi-Faceted Career

From Soldier to Expert: 20th Century Experience and a 21st Century Vision

“Forks In The Road”: Seizing Opportunities And Cultivating Positive Leadership

What it Was Like in Vietnam

Growing Up Army in Germany, China, and West Point: The Education of A Field Artillery Officer

“If Others Can Do This, I Can Too”: Attending West Point With The Class Of 1961 And Serving As An Army Engineer

“Don’t Follow A Single Track”: Adapting Leadership Lessons From West Point And The Army In The Business World

“I’ve Never Done Anything Else But the Army”: Fighting To Commission And Serve The Nation

Putting West Point Discipline And Ethics To Work In The Business World

“If You Need Help, We’re Here”: Service With River Assault Flotilla One In Vietnam

“The Military Made Me Who I Am”: Germany, Vietnam, And The 101st Airborne Division Association

“Luck Is When Preparedness And Opportunity Meet”: An Infantry Company Commander In Vietnam Becomes A Nuclear Weapons Specialist

“Are You Ready To Go To War Today?”: Service As An Engineer And As A Professor USMA

A Veteran Of The Navy And Army On Service, Teamwork, And Show Business

From Airships To Jet Fighters: A WWII Veteran Talks About The Early Cold War

A Crisis, The Vietnam War, And The Cold War: Reflections Of An Army Spouse

Surviving The Nazis And The Communists: The Story Of A Polish Priest

“Passionate for Equality”: An Army Veteran, Labor Leader, and Civil Rights Activist Reflects on a Lifetime of Service and the Pursuit of Justice

“A Stick In A Hornets Nest”: Stirring Up Trouble On Hamburger Hill

A Daughter’s Story: Experiencing the Hostage Crisis In Iran And The States

Reflections From A Special Forces Officer: West Point, Cold War Europe, And Vietnam