Advertisement

Glenn Kay Otis

Advertisement

Glenn Kay Otis Veteran Famous memorial

Birth
Plattsburgh, Clinton County, New York, USA
Death
21 Feb 2013 (aged 83)
Carlisle, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, USA
Burial
North Middleton Township, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, USA GPS-Latitude: 40.2090458, Longitude: -77.2264857
Memorial ID
View Source
US Army General. Born Glenn Kay Otis, he enlisted in the US Army in 1946, and began his career serving on occupation duty in post World War II Korea. About three years later he was chosen from the Army ranks to attend the US Military Academy at West Point, New York, graduating in 1953. He later taught at West Point and received a master's degree in mathematics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York and in 1965 he was one of the first student Army officers to receive a Master of Military Art and Science degree from the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. During the Viet Nam War he distinguished himself in the Tet Offensive on January 31, 1968 as commander of the 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry, 25th Infantry Division, when he defended Tan Son Nhut Air Base against an attack that resulted in 300 enemy soldiers dead and the capture of 24 prisoners, earning his squadron the Presidential Unit Citation. In 1974, as a brigadier general, he was assigned as the director of the XM-1 Tank Task Force where he oversaw engine change, improvements in turret stabilization, the integration of advanced night vision technology, and upgrades to its suspension, armor, mobility, and future upgrade of the main gun from a 105mm to a 120mm weapon. Other key assignments during his later career include Deputy Chief of Staff, Combined Arms Combat Development Agency at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas (1976 to 1978), Commander, 1st Armor Division (1978 to 1979, at the rank of major general), Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations and Plans, Department of the Army, Washington DC (1979 to 1981, at the rank of lieutenant general), Commanding General, US Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), Fort Eustis, Virginia (1981 to 1983), and Commander in Chief, US Army Europe in Germany (1983 to 1988). He was promoted to the rank of general on August 1, 1981. In 1988 he retired from the US Army in 1988 with 42 years of continued active service. Among his decorations and awards include the Distinguished Service Cross, the Silver Star, and the Purple Heart (with oak leaf cluster), the Legion of Merit, and the Air Medal (with 7 oak leaf clusters). After his military retirement he became a senior fellow of the Institute of Land Warfare, and a member of the Association of the US Army and the Army Science Board. Additionally, in 2000 he served as a member of the House Armed Services Committee's Commission to Assess US National Security Space Management and Organization. He died as a result of complications from a heart attack and an aneurysm at the age of 83.
US Army General. Born Glenn Kay Otis, he enlisted in the US Army in 1946, and began his career serving on occupation duty in post World War II Korea. About three years later he was chosen from the Army ranks to attend the US Military Academy at West Point, New York, graduating in 1953. He later taught at West Point and received a master's degree in mathematics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York and in 1965 he was one of the first student Army officers to receive a Master of Military Art and Science degree from the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. During the Viet Nam War he distinguished himself in the Tet Offensive on January 31, 1968 as commander of the 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry, 25th Infantry Division, when he defended Tan Son Nhut Air Base against an attack that resulted in 300 enemy soldiers dead and the capture of 24 prisoners, earning his squadron the Presidential Unit Citation. In 1974, as a brigadier general, he was assigned as the director of the XM-1 Tank Task Force where he oversaw engine change, improvements in turret stabilization, the integration of advanced night vision technology, and upgrades to its suspension, armor, mobility, and future upgrade of the main gun from a 105mm to a 120mm weapon. Other key assignments during his later career include Deputy Chief of Staff, Combined Arms Combat Development Agency at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas (1976 to 1978), Commander, 1st Armor Division (1978 to 1979, at the rank of major general), Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations and Plans, Department of the Army, Washington DC (1979 to 1981, at the rank of lieutenant general), Commanding General, US Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), Fort Eustis, Virginia (1981 to 1983), and Commander in Chief, US Army Europe in Germany (1983 to 1988). He was promoted to the rank of general on August 1, 1981. In 1988 he retired from the US Army in 1988 with 42 years of continued active service. Among his decorations and awards include the Distinguished Service Cross, the Silver Star, and the Purple Heart (with oak leaf cluster), the Legion of Merit, and the Air Medal (with 7 oak leaf clusters). After his military retirement he became a senior fellow of the Institute of Land Warfare, and a member of the Association of the US Army and the Army Science Board. Additionally, in 2000 he served as a member of the House Armed Services Committee's Commission to Assess US National Security Space Management and Organization. He died as a result of complications from a heart attack and an aneurysm at the age of 83.

Bio by: William Bjornstad



Advertisement

Advertisement

How famous was Glenn Kay Otis ?

Current rating: 3.88889 out of 5 stars

18 votes

Sign-in to cast your vote.

  • Maintained by: Find a Grave
  • Originally Created by: Michael Unwin
  • Added: Feb 25, 2013
  • Find a Grave Memorial ID:
  • Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/105832081/glenn_kay-otis: accessed ), memorial page for Glenn Kay Otis (15 Mar 1929–21 Feb 2013), Find a Grave Memorial ID 105832081, citing Saint Patricks Cemetery, North Middleton Township, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, USA; Maintained by Find a Grave.