Tattoo of GEN Donald R. Keith
US Army, Retired

GRADUATING FROM WEST POINT IN 1949, GENERAL KEITH WAS COMMISSIONED IN THE FIELD ARTILLERY AND SERVED IN VARIOUS BATTERY AND BATTALION POSITIONS IN THE 517TH FA BATTALION IN WETZLAR, GERMANY, AS BATTERY COMMANDER OF THE 36TH FA GROUP HEADQUARTERS AND HEADQUARTERS BATTERY, BABENHAUSEN, GERMANY, AND AS BĂTTERY COMMANDER AND S-3 IN THE 2ND GUIDED MISSILE BATTALION, WHITE SANDS, NEW MEXICO. LATER AS A MAJOR, HE SERVED IN EIGHTH ARMY OPERATIONS IN THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA DURING THE TENSE DAYS OF THE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS. GENERAL KEITH COMMANDED ARTILLERY UNITS AT ALL LEVELS, TO INCLUDE THE STH BATTALION, 73D FIELD ARTILLERY AND THE 36TH: FIELD ARTILLERY GROUP, US ARMY EUROPE. FROM 9 OCTOBER 1976 TO 21 OCTOBER 1977, THEN MAJOR GENERAL KEITH SERVED AS THE CHIEF OF FA, COMMANDANT OF THE FIELD ARTILLERY SCHOOL AND COMMANDING GENERAL OF THE FIELD ARTILLERY CENTER AT FORT SILL, DURING HIS TENURE, THE MULTIPLE LAUNCH ROCKET SYSTEM (MLRS) WAS DEVELOPED. AS THE DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF, RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT, AND ACQUISITION (DCSRDA), THEN LIEUTENANT GENERAL KEITH TRANSITIONED THE "BIG FIVE" SYSTEMS (M-1 ABRAMS, M-2 BRADLEY, PATRIOT, APACHE, AND BLACK HAWK) ONTO PRODUCTION. UPON PROMOTION TO GENERAL, HE ASSUMED COMMAND OF THE ARMY MATERIEL DEVELOPMENT AND READINESS COMMAND IN ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA. HE RETIRED WITH MORE THAN 35 YEARS OF FAITHFUL SERVICE TO THE NATION. IN RETIREMENT, HE SERVED ON ARMY SCIENCE BOARDS, THE WEST POINT ASSOCIATION OF GRADUATES BOARD OF DIRECTORS, AND AS THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF THE UNITED STATES FIELD ARTILLERY ASSOCIATION.