Dayton Willis Eddy – Major General, United States Army

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From a contemporary press report:

Dayton Willis Eddy, 83, a retired major general in the Army Signal Corps who became telecommunications coordinator in the Maryland Department of General Services, died January 23, 1999 at the Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore after a stroke.

General Eddy, a resident of Clarksville, served in the Pacific in World War II. He later served in Washington and France. He was a graduate of the Industrial College of the Armed Forces in Washington and the Armed Forces Staff College in Norfolk.

From 1963 to 1966, he was deputy commanding general of the Army Security Agency, and from 1966 to 1969, he was director of  communications-electronics on the Joint Staff Organization of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He retired later that year after a brief period as deputy chief of reserve components on the Army staff.

General Eddy’s military decorations included two awards of the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star and the Army Commendation Medal.

General Eddy was born in Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts. In 1937, he graduated from the University of Vermont, where he majored in electrical engineering.

He was commissioned as a second lieutenant of infantry in the Army Reserves through the Reserve Officer Training Corps. 

In 1964, he received a master’s degree in business administration from George Washington University.

In 1940, he was called to active duty. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941, he was aboard a troop transport bound for the Philippines. The ship was ordered to Australia instead.

Because of his background in electrical engineering, he was detailed to the Signal Corps. During the next three years, he had assignments in Australia, Java and New Guinea. In 1944, he commanded a signal battalion that set up communications for the headquarters of General of the Army Douglas MacArthur during the liberation of the Philippines.

In 1946, General Eddy was ordered to Washington. He spent the next five years in the Office of the Chief Signal Officer of the Army and had maintained a residence in the Washington area since then. He lived in Falls Church before moving to Clarksville 25 years ago.

He was recalled to active duty from retirement for several months in 1971. He began his career with the Maryland General Services Department in 1972. He retired a second time in 1981. 

General Eddy was a member of the Association of the U.S. Army, the Armed Forces Communications Electronics Association and St. Marks Episcopal Church in Highland.

Survivors include his wife of 55 years, Jane Johnston Eddy of Clarksville; two daughters, Dana C. Rau of Sharpsburg, Md., and Janet L. Voight of Germantown; and three grandchildren.

EDDY, DAYTON W., (Maj. Gen. USA Ret.)

On January 23, 1999, DAYTON W. EDDY, (Maj. Gen. USA Ret.), of Howard County, MD, beloved husband of Jane (nee Johnston) Eddy; father of Dana C. Rau and Janet L. Voight. Friends are invited to attend a Memorial Service to be held 1 p.m., Thursday, at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Rt. 216 and Hall Shop Rd., Highland, MD. Further services and interment will be held Wednesday, February 3, 11 a.m. at Arlington National Cemetery.

EDDY, DAYTON W

MG   US ARMY
KOREA, VIETNAM
DATE OF BIRTH: 07/15/1915
DATE OF DEATH: 01/23/1999
BURIED AT: SECTION 6  SITE 9543-A-4

ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY

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