George Raymond Stotser (April 21, 1935 – July 1, 2022) was a retired

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

.Army executive biographies - United States. Dept. of the Army - Google Books
/ref> Commands he held include the

Fifth United States Army Fifth is the ordinal form of the number five. Fifth or The Fifth may refer to: * Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, as in the expression "pleading the Fifth" * Fifth column, a political term * Fifth disease, a contagious rash that ...

and Fort Sam Houston, the 3rd Infantry Division, the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Armored Division (Forward), Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, United States Army Europe, and Deputy Commander in Chief,

United States Army Europe United States Army Europe and Africa (USAREUR-AF) is an Army Service Component Command (ASCC) /Theater Army responsible for directing United States Army operations throughout the U.S. European Command (EUCOM) and U.S. Africa Command (AFRICO ...

. Stotser was born in

Lawrenceburg, Tennessee The city of Lawrenceburg is the county seat of Lawrence County, Tennessee, United States, The largest city on the state's southern border between Chattanooga and Memphis, it lies on the banks of Shoal Creek. The population was 11,633 at the 20 ...

and attended

Middle Tennessee State University Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU or MT) is a public university in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Founded in 1911 as a normal school, the university consists of eight undergraduate colleges as well as a college of graduate studies, together off ...

, where he participated in the

Army ROTC The Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps (AROTC) is the United States Army component of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps. It is the largest Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) program which is a group of college and university-based offic ...

program. He enlisted in the Army on January 25, 1955 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant of infantry in 1956 upon graduation with a B.S. degree in biology. Stotser completed the Basic Infantry Officer Course at the

Army Infantry School An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

in February 1957 and the Advanced Course in May 1963. He then completed the Naval Command and Staff Course at the

Naval War College The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associat ...

in June 1966. Stotser earned an M.S. degree in education from Middle Tennessee State in June 1971 and graduated from the

United States Army War College The United States Army War College (USAWC) is a U.S. Army educational institution in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, on the 500-acre (2 km2) campus of the historic Carlisle Barracks. It provides graduate-level instruction to senior military offic ...

in June 1972. Stotser was deployed to Europe multiple times during his career. He also served two combat tours in

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

with the

1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...

, the second as commander of the 1st Battalion,

12th Cavalry Regiment The 12th Cavalry is a cavalry regiment of the United States Army. History On 2 February 1901, Congress authorized the organization of the Twelfth Regiment of Cavalry, Army of the United States. Under this authority, the regiment was formed at ...

in 1969. Stotser retired from active duty on July 31, 1991. After his death, Stotser was buried at the

Fort Benning Main Post Cemetery Fort Benning Main Post Cemetery is a military cemetery at Fort Benning in Georgia. Over 10,000 United States Army soldiers and their dependents have been interred at the 8.38-acre facility since it was established in 1922. The first recorded inte ...

on July 15, 2022.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stotser, George R. 1935 births 2022 deaths People from Lawrenceburg, Tennessee Middle Tennessee State University alumni Military personnel from Tennessee United States Army Rangers Naval War College alumni United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War Recipients of the Air Medal Recipients of the Silver Star United States Army War College alumni Recipients of the Meritorious Service Medal (United States) Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Defense Superior Service Medal United States Army generals Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army)