Glenn K. Otis Military person
General Glenn Kay Otis (March 15, 1929 – February 21, 2013) was a retired United States Army four-star general who served as Commanding General, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (CG TRADOC) from 1981 to 1983; and as Commander in Chief, U.S. Army Europe/Commander, Central Army Group (CINCUSAREUR/COMCENTAG) from 1983 to 1988. He was a native of Plattsburgh, New York.Otis enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1946 and served on occupation duty in post-World War II Korea. He was later picked from the ranks to attend the United States Military Academy, from which he graduated in 1953. He holds a master's degree in mathematics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and, in 1965, was one of the first student officers to receive a Master of Military Art and Science degree from the Command and General Staff College.During the Vietnam War, Otis distinguished himself in the Tet Offensive as commander of the 3d Squadron, 4th Cavalry, 25th Infantry Division. While defending Tan Son Nhut air base, his unit was faced with an enemy battalion of 600 men, his squadron killed 300 and took 24 prisoners. Throughout his tour in Vietnam, Otis received the Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, and Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Legion of Merit, and eight Air Medals. The squadron he commanded received the Presidential Unit Citation.As a Brigadier General, he was assigned as director of the XM-1 Tank Task Force in 1974, two years after its commencement, overseeing engine change, provisions made to future upgrade of the main gun from 105mm to M256 120mm weapon, the turret was stabilized to permit firing on the move, advanced night vision technology was integrated, and suspension, armor and mobility were upgraded.Key assignments during his career included Deputy Chief of Staff, Combined Arms Combat Development Agency, Fort Leavenworth, 1976–78; Commander, 1st Armored Division, 1978–79; Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations and Plans, Department of the Army, 1979–81; Commanding General, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, 1981–83; and Commander in Chief, U.S. Army Europe, 1983–88.In retirement, Otis has remained active as a senior fellow of the Institute of Land Warfare, the Association of the United States Army, and as a member of the Army Science Board. He also served as a member of the House Armed Services Committee's Commission to Assess United States National Security Space Management and Organization in 2000, which was chaired by Donald Rumsfeld.He died at a hospital at Carlisle, Pennsylvania in 2013 of complications of a heart attack and aneurysm. He was 83.
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Military person
| allegiance | United States of America |
|---|---|
| award | |
| military operations | |
| military branch | |
| military command | U.S. Army Europe 1st Armored Division U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command |
| service start | 1946 |
| service end | 1946 |