David Ewing Ott – Lieutenant General, United States Army

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Lieutenant Gen. David Ott; Authority on Field Artillery

David E. Ott, 81, a retired Army Lieutenant General who served in combat in the field artillery during three wars, and who in retirement worked to help military families, died June 21, 2004, at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington. 

He had contracted Legionnaire’s disease at his class reunion at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, in late spring.

Lieutenant General Ott, who wrote “Field Artillery, 1954-1973” (1975), was an expert on field artillery tactics in Vietnam. He was the chief of field artillery and commanding general at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and Commanding General of VII Corps in Germany during the 1970s.

In retirement, as board president of the Army Distaff Foundation, he initiated an expansion of life-care retirement facilities, including homes for military couples, such as the Fairfax at Fort Belvoir and the Army Retirement Residence in San Antonio.

At the time of his death, he lived at the Fairfax.

David Ewing Ott was born at the Army’s Schofield Barracks in Honolulu. His father was a Brigadier General in the field artillery, and the family lived on Army bases across the country.

He attended Western High School in the District and graduated from West Point in 1944. He received a master’s degree in international relations from George Washington University in 1962. He also had a certificate in advanced management training from Harvard University.

During World War II, General Ott was a forward observer and provisional battery commander with an infantry division in Europe.

He served in the Korean War as a Battalion Executive Officer and later commanded an artillery division in Vietnam during the war there.

“All three times he was in combat, he was in command — at whatever rank he was, he had the toughest jobs with the most responsibility,” said Pat Hollis, editor of Field Artillery Journal.

Artillerymen, known as “redlegs” for the red stripe on their uniform pants, are required to be good with detail and yet have a wide perspective. Their job requires them to work with most of the specialties in the Army, Hollis said.

General Ott was considered to be among the best. Along with retired General Tommy Franks, former commander in chief of U.S. Central Command, he raised the profile of field artillery within the Army.

Walter “Dutch” Kerwin, the retired four-star general who was Vice Chief of Staff of the Army in the mid-1970s, said Gen. Ott was “very highly respected as one of the good leaders, one of the real leaders of the redlegs. He really made a tremendous contribution to the profession . . . not only because of his knowledge of artillery. Both he and his wife will be missed because they were viewed as a very fine team.”

In Washington, General Ott became chief of the artillery branch at the Army personnel office and was the architect of the separation of the field artillery and air-defense.

As a Brigadier General, he commanded U.S. Army forces in Thailand, followed by an assignment as the Deputy Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence at the Pentagon. Later, he became the director of the Vietnam Task Force, an agency that was created to coordinate the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Vietnam.

From 1973 to 1976, General Ott served at Fort Sill as the chief of field artillery, commandant of the field artillery school and commanding general of the field artillery center.

He was promoted to Lieutenant General for his final assignment as commander of VII Corps in Germany in 1976.

At the time, he spoke about the improved combat readiness of the 200,000-man U.S. 7th Army in Europe. “It hardly seems like the same Army” from the post-Vietnam War disarray, he told The Washington Post.

“Racial tensions today are as low as I’ve ever seen them in the Army since it was integrated in 1951,” he added. “The potential, however, is there. We do have an occasional flareup . . . like a barroom brawl . . . but these are very limited, and we’ve developed programs to prevent this and keep each other aware.”

After retirement in 1978, General Ott worked for Teledyne Systems and, later, served as a consultant for a wide range of military equipment and development programs.

He was active in volunteer work, supporting his late wife with her work organizing the first Army Family Symposium. He also helped form the Field Artillery Association chapter in the Washington area, the Capital Cannoneers. He was the chapter’s first president and served on the board and as an adviser.

General Ott was a former president and board chairman of the U.S. Field Artillery Association. In 1986, the association honored him with a musical tattoo.

His military decorations included three awards of the Distinguished Service Medal for his service in Thailand, at the Pentagon and in VII Corps; four awards of the Legion of Merit; the Distinguished Flying Cross; two awards of the Bronze Star; six awards of the Air Medal; and the Army Commendation Medal.

His wife of 54 years, Joyce Helmick Ott, died April 2, 2004.

Survivors include four children, David E. Ott Jr. of Vicenza, Italy, Judy Griebling of Golden, Colorado, Nancy Leah Dunn of Panama City, Florida, and Leiza Johnson of Anchorage; and 13 grandchildren.

OTT, DAVID E., LIEUTENANT GENERAL, USA (Ret.) (Age 81)

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On June 21, 2004, of Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Beloved husband of the late Joyce H. Ott. Loving father of David Ott, Jr. of Italy, Judy Griebling of Colorado, Nancy Leah Dunn of Florida, and Leiza Johnson of Alaska. Also survived by 13 grandchildren; Serena, Teo, Tino, Isabella, Lisa, Ellen, Scott, Amy, Alex, Patrick, David, Zach and Cassie.

A Funeral Service will be held on Wednesday, August 25, at Fort Myer Old Post Chapel at 1 p.m. Interment will follow at Arlington National Cemetery.

From a contemporary press report:

Joyce H. Ott, 80, a lifelong advocate for improving the quality of life for Army families, died of multiple myeloma April 4, 2004, at her home in Fairfax, Virginia.

Mrs. Ott, the daughter, granddaughter and wife of Army generals, created and helped organize the first Army Family Symposium, which led to major improvements in how the Army and the rest of the military dealt with families of its soldiers. Many of the enlisted soldiers’ spouses at the time had few ways to learn about their rights and benefits.

Her first effort to improve access to that information was at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, in the early 1970s, when she brought together many groups of spouses, primarily wives. When her husband took over the command of VII Corps in Stuttgart, Germany, Mrs. Ott organized more meetings to press for change.

But it wasn’t until after her husband retired from the military in 1978 that she created and helped organize the first Army Family Symposium. It coincided with the Association of the U.S. Army’s annual meeting. General Edward C. Myer, the Chief of Staff of the Army, attended some of the sessions and directed the staff to address the issues raised, which included increasing information and support available to the families of enlisted soldiers.

“She certainly was able to give us a voice and show us we had alternatives, which was significant,” said Nancy Alsheimer, a board member and former president of the National Military Family Association. “She was very conscious of so many of the different issues. . . . She seemed to have a feel for how to make community and let people be heard and set up support systems for them.”

Mrs. Ott, a native Washingtonian, graduated from Alice Deal Junior High School before her father’s military career took her elsewhere for high school. She received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and a master’s degree in human relations from the University of Oklahoma in 1975.

Mrs. Ott taught a class on the military family for the Industrial College of the Armed Forces at Fort McNair. She won the Molly Pitcher Award from the U.S. Field Artillery Association and the Margaret Hallgren Award from the National Military Family Association for her leadership.

She was a gardener and gourmet cook and enjoyed tennis, horseback riding, snow- and water-skiing, swimming and diving. She formed a book club that has lasted for 17 years. She was a member of Christ Episcopal Church in Alexandria.

Survivors include her husband of 54 years, Lieutenant General David E. Ott of Fort Belvoir, Virginia; and four children, David E. Ott Jr. of Vincenza, Italy, Judy Griebling of Golden, Colorado., Nancy Leah Dunn of Panama City, Florida, and Lisa Johnson of Anchorage.

OTT, JOYCE

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On Friday, April 2, 2004 of Northern VA. Beloved wife of Lieutenant General David Ott, USA (Ret.); devoted mother of David Ott, Jr., Judy Griebling, Nancy Leah Dunn and Lisa Johnson; dear grandmother of Serena, Teo, Tino, Isabella, Lisa, Ellen, Scott, Amy, Alex, Patrick, Davy, Zach and Cassie; loving sister of Judy Settle and Charles Helmick. Family will be receiving friends at DEMAINE FUNERAL HOME, 520 S. Washington St., Alexandria, VA 22314 on Monday, April 19 from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, April 20, 10:30 a.m. at Christ Church, 118 N. Washington St., Alexandria, VA, 22314. Interment will follow at Arlington National Cemetery.

OTT, DAVID E

  • LTG   US ARMY
  • WORLD WAR II, KOREA, VIETNAM
  • DATE OF BIRTH: 07/31/1922
  • DATE OF DEATH: 06/21/2004
  • BURIED AT: SECTION 66  SITE 2941-A
  • ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY

OTT, JOYCE H

  • DATE OF BIRTH: 10/05/1923
  • DATE OF DEATH: 04/02/2004
  • DATE OF INTERMENT: 04/20/2004
  • BURIED AT: SECTION 66  SITE 2941-A
  • ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY

 WIFE OF OTT, DAVID EWING LTG US ARMY

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