Chaplain (Maj. Gen.) Stuart E. Barstad is chief of chaplains, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. As a member of the special staff of the chief of staff, he advises on all matters that pertain to the religious and moral welfare of Air Force personnel. He also is responsible for establishing an effective total chaplain program that will meet the religious needs of all members of the Air Force.
Chaplain Barstad was born in Colfax, Wis., in 1929, and graduated from Colfax High School. He continued his studies at St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minn., where he received a bachelor of arts degree in 1951. He attended Luther Theological Seminary, St. Paul, Minn., and obtained his theological degree in 1955. He was ordained a clergyman of the American Lutheran Church in 1955.
Entering the Air Force by direct appointment as a first lieutenant on July 27, 1955, Chaplain Barstad's first assignment was at McGuire Air Force Base, N.J., from October 1955 to September 1956. Since that time he has served at South Ruislip Air Station, England, from October 1956 to July 1959; Dover Air Force Base, Del., from August 1959 to October 1964; Don Muang Airport, Thailand, from November 1964 to December 1965; Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., from December 1965 to September 1968; Ramstein Air Base, West Germany, from September 1968 to August 1971; Headquarters Air Training Command, Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, from August 1971 to June 1973; Air Force headquarters, from June 1973 to July 1978 (as chief, Professional Division, from July 1976 to July 1978); Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., from August 1978 to January 1980; and as command chaplain, Headquarters U.S. Air Forces in Europe, Ramstein Air Base, from February 1980 to June 1982. He became deputy chief of chaplains in August 1982. Chaplain Barstad assumed his present duties in December 1985.
He presented a paper on "The Church and the Ideology of National Security" in November 1984 at the Lutheran World Federation Consultation in Geneva, Switzerland. In October 1986 he was a participant in an international consultation on "The Church and the Struggle for Common Security" in Buckow, East Germany. Several of his speeches have been published as aerospace speeches, including "Peace in the Real World," "Living in the Real World," "Symbols of Freedom," Is Freedom Worth Dying For?" and "Called to Excellence."
His military decorations and awards include the Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters, and Air Force Commendation Medal. He was awarded honorary doctor of divinity degrees from Susquehanna University in 1986 and Norwich University in 1987.
He was promoted to major general Dec. 1, 1985, with date of rank Dec. 1, 1982.
(Current as of October 1987)