Christian F. Dreyer – Brigadier General, United States Air Force

Christian F. Dreyer was born in Cranford, New Jersey, in 1906. He enlisted in the Army in May 1927 and was selected for the U.S. Military Academy where he became a Cadet in July 1928.

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On receiving his commission in June 1932, he went to his first assignment at Mitchel Air Force Base, New York, in the Construction Division, Quartermaster General’s Office. Following other assignments, General Dreyer spent two years at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he was awarded the degree of master of science in engineering in 1937.

His next tours took him to Sacramento Air Depot, now known as McClellan Air Force Base, then to Washington, D.C., where he was assigned to the Office of the Quartermaster General, in charge of design; he was serving here at the beginning of World War II. He went overseas with the V Corps in February 1942, and was later reassigned to Allied Force headquarters, London, later moving with the second echelon of that headquarters to Algiers in November 1942.

In July 1943, General Dreyer was reassigned to G-4 of the Army, and served as a member of the Joint Logistics Plans Committee until July l945, when he was assigned to Headquarters Armed Forces Western Pacific, at Manila. In 1947, he returned to the United States to attend the Armed Forces Industrial College. He then transferred to the Transportation Corps in 1947 and to the Air Force in 1949.

From 1950 to 1952, General Dreyer served as head of the Real Estate Division, Assistant Chief of Staff, Installations, at Headquarters U.S. Air Force. In 1952 he became Air Force installations representative, East Ocean Division Area, in charge of the Air Force construction in Iceland, Greenland, Canada, Bermuda and the Azores.

On July 1, 1954, General Dreyer was assigned as director of installations engineering, Headquarters Strategic Air Command, Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. In July 1957 he joined Air Force headquarters as deputy director for real property, Directorate of Installations, with additional duty in November 1958 as deputy director of installations, becoming deputy director of installations on January 1 1959 and relieved of duty as director for real property.

He has extensive collection of high fidelity equipment; is a tennis player; enjoys watching professional baseball.

He was awarded the European-African Middle East Campaign Medal, the American Campaign Medal, the World War II Victory Medal, the American Defense Service Medal, the Philippines Liberation Ribbon, the Commendation Ribbon, the National Defense Service Medal, and the Air Force Longevity Service Award with five oak leaf clusters.


A celebration of life for Christian “Chris” F. Dreyer of Monterey was conducted January 10, 2007, in Pacific Grove, California. Internment will take place at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date.

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Brigadier General Dreyer died Saturday, January 6, 2007. He was 100.

General Dreyer was born October 13, 1906, in Cranford, New Jersey. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1932, as a civil engineer and completed his education with a MS degree in civil engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

He continued his military career retiring in 1961 from Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. He then worked in heavy construction for the next six years in California.

He was an avid tennis player, and played until the age of 95, having competed in many age 90-plus tournaments. He enjoyed woodworking and gardening, especially growing vegetables.

He is survived by his wife of 27 years, Phyllis Moore Dreyer; sons and daughters-in-law Christian F. Dreyer Jr. and Margaret Dreyer of Florida, and Lawrence M and Cheryl Dreyer of Arizona; daughter and son-in-law Mary L. and Davis Drittler of Maryland; daughter, Christine Dreyer of California; stepson and stepdaughter-in-law William B. and Susan Moore of Maryland; stepdaughter and stepson-in-law Kay Lou and Ray Tomlinson of Alabama, Phyllis “Pam” A. and David Moore of California, and Bernice Moore-Valdez and Madis Valdez of California; and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Mary Louise Dreyer in 1979; and son, John H. Dreyer in 1966.

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