Donald Norton Yates (November 25, 1909 – August 28, 1993) was the US Army Air Force officer who helped select June 6, 1944 as the date for D-Day, the Allied invasion of Europe, in his capacity as chief meteorologist on General Dwight D. Eisenhower's staff. Yates and his British counterpart, James Martin Stagg, chose well – it turned out to be the only day that month the English Channel could have been successfully crossed. Yates was subsequently decorated by three governments. He went on to become the chief meteorologist of the newly formed U.S. Air Force, and commander of the Air Force Missile Test Center at Patrick Air Force Base in Florida. Early life and career Yates was born in Bangor, Maine, on November 25, 1909, and graduated from Bangor High School in 1927. He went on to the U.S. Military Academy, graduating in 1931, and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Cavalry, departing immediately for pilot training at Kelly Field, Texas. His first military assignment was to Luke Field, Hawaii, with the 23d Bomb Squadron. In June 1938, Yates enrolled as a graduate student at the California Institute of Technology, and received a master of science degree in meteorology. Yates became assistant chief of the weather section in the operations division of the Office, Chief of Air Corps, in December 1941. With the outbreak of war, he was appointed the following year deputy director of weather at Army Air Force Headquarters. On Eisenhower's staff, and planning for D-Day In February 1944 Col. Yates became director of weather service for the U.S. Strategic Air Force in Europe, in addition, serving on General Eisenhower's staff. In this capacity he made, together with British Group Captain James Martin Stagg, the final recommendation of June 6, 1944 as D-Day. The citation accompanying his award of the U.S. Army Legion of Merit stated that "through Colonel Yates' good judgment, skill and sound leadership, reconciliation of the differences in forecasting methods were effected, resulting in the development of a procedure capable of utilizing the talents and facilities of both nations (U.S. and U.K.) and all services in a unified manner. The value of Colonel Yates' advice has since been proven as the day selected for the continental assault was probably the only day during the month of June on which the operation could have been launched." For this he received the Degree of Chevalier