Dennis Reimer
Encyclopedia
Dennis Joe Reimer is a former Chief of Staff of the United States Army
from June 20, 1995 to June 21, 1999.
Reimer grew up in Medford, Oklahoma
. He graduated from the United States Military Academy
(West Point) and commissioned a second lieutenant in June 1962. After commissioning, he attended the field artillery officer orientation course at Fort Sill
. He is also a graduate of Ranger
and Airborne school
. He served as assistant executive officer and executive officer, 20th Artillery, 5th Infantry Division (Mechanized) from 1963 to 1964. He was promoted to temporary first lieutenant, December 1963 followed by an assignment as assistant battalion adviser, Advisory Team 60, U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam
from 1964 to 1965. He was promoted to permanent first lieutenant in June 1965 and temporary captain in November 1965. He then returned to CONUS to attend the artillery officer advanced course at Fort Sill and Fort Bliss
from 1965 to 1966. Reimer next commanded Company C, 11th Battalion, 3d Brigade, U.S. Army Training Center, Fort Benning
from 1966 to 1967. His next assignment was aide-de-camp
to the commandant, Armed Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Virginia
, 1967–1968. He was promoted to temporary major in September 1968 and permanent captain in June 1969. He served as executive officer and S–3, 2d Battalion, 4th Artillery, 9th Infantry Division
, U.S. Army, Vietnam, 1968–1970 and as an instructor at the U.S. Army Field Artillery School at Fort Sill in 1970. Reimer attended the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College
from 1970 to 1971 followed by an assignment as personnel management officer, Assignment Section, Field Artillery Branch, Office of Personnel Operations, Washington, D.C. His next duty was as assistant executive officer and aide to the chief of staff, U.S. Army, General Creighton W. Abrams, Jr. from 1972 to 1974. He served as executive officer and S–3 (Operations and Training), Division Artillery, 4th Infantry Division (Mechanized), Fort Carson, from 1975 to 1976. During this time he was promoted to temporary lieutenant colonel and permanent major, June 1975 and June 1976, respectively. He commanded 1st Battalion, 27th Artillery, 4th Infantry Division (Mechanized), Fort Carson from 1976 to 1978, followed by assignment as commandant, Training Command, 4th Infantry Division (Mechanized). Reimer attended the U.S. Army War College
from 1978 to 1979, and received his Master of Arts degree from Shippensburg State College in 1979. He was promoted to temporary colonel in August 1979 and served as deputy commander and later special assistant to the commander, V Corps
Artillery, U.S. Army, Europe, 1979–1980. Reimer was chosen to command Division Artillery, 8th Infantry Division (Mechanized)
, U.S. Army, Europe, 1980–1982 and was promoted to permanent colonel in March 1982. He moved on to become the division's chief of staff from 1982 to 1983. He returned to Fort Sill as deputy assistant commandant, Field Artillery Center and School from 1983 to 1984. He was promoted to permanent brigadier general in September 1984 and took up assignment as commanding general, III Corps
Artillery, Fort Sill, from 1984 to 1986. He served as chief of staff, U.S. Army Element, Combined Field Army, Republic of Korea 1986 followed by assistant chief of staff, C3/J3, Republic of Korea/U.S. Combined Forces Command, 1986–1988. He received promotion to major general in September 1987 and commanded the 4th Infantry Division (Mechanized) at Fort Carson from 1988 to 1990. This was followed by promotion to permanent lieutenant general in July 1990 and assignment as deputy chief of staff for operations and plans, U.S. Army, and Army senior member, Military Staff Committee, United Nations, Washington, D.C., from 1990 to 1991. He received his fourth star in June 1991, serving as vice chief of staff, U.S. Army from 1991 to 1993. He then served as commanding general, U.S. Army Forces Command, Fort McPherson
, from 1993 to 1995 before being selected as Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army. He has been credited with revamping the Army during a period of high-tempo deployments, including peacekeeping in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo. Reimer retired from active service on August 1999. The Army has named their digital library after him.
After retirement, Reimer served as director of the Oklahoma City National Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism
, testifying before the Congressional Subcommitee on National Security, Emergency Threats and International Relations on April 29, 2003. He has also served on the boards of Microvision, DRS Technologies
, Plato Learning and Mutual of America Life Insurance. He wrote the foreword to Thomas P. Odom's 2005 book Journey Into Darkness: Genocide In Rwanda. General Dennis Reimer is currently on the Board of Directors for the Arlington, VA based consulting firm Detica
, formerly DeticaDFI and DFI International. General Dennis Reimer is also currently serving as the Chairman of the Board for VirtualAgility, Inc., a software development firm that provides browser-based environments that support interoperation among disparate groups and organizations. VA systems resolve several of the most urgent challenges currently facing emergency, disaster and business continuity planners. See Press Release.
Reimer married Mary Jo Powers on December 28, 1962.
Chief of Staff of the United States Army
The Chief of Staff of the Army is a statutory office held by a four-star general in the United States Army, and is the most senior uniformed officer assigned to serve in the Department of the Army, and as such is the principal military advisor and a deputy to the Secretary of the Army; and is in...
from June 20, 1995 to June 21, 1999.
Reimer grew up in Medford, Oklahoma
Medford, Oklahoma
Medford is a city in and the county seat of Grant County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 1,172 at the 2000 census.-History:Medford was founded by Hobart Johnstone Whitley, a land developer, banker, farmer and Rock Island Railroad executive....
. He graduated from the United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
(West Point) and commissioned a second lieutenant in June 1962. After commissioning, he attended the field artillery officer orientation course at Fort Sill
Fort Sill
Fort Sill is a United States Army post near Lawton, Oklahoma, about 85 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.Today, Fort Sill remains the only active Army installation of all the forts on the South Plains built during the Indian Wars...
. He is also a graduate of Ranger
Ranger School
The United States Army Ranger School is an intense 61-day combat leadership course oriented towards small-unit tactics. It has been called the "toughest combat course in the world" and "is the most physically and mentally demanding leadership school the Army has to offer". The course is conducted...
and Airborne school
United States Army Airborne School
The United States Army Airborne School — widely known as Jump School — conducts the basic paratrooper training for the United States armed forces. It is operated by the 1st Battalion , 507th Infantry, United States Army Infantry School, Fort Benning, Georgia...
. He served as assistant executive officer and executive officer, 20th Artillery, 5th Infantry Division (Mechanized) from 1963 to 1964. He was promoted to temporary first lieutenant, December 1963 followed by an assignment as assistant battalion adviser, Advisory Team 60, U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam
Military Assistance Command, Vietnam
The U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, MACV, , was the United States' unified command structure for all of its military forces in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War.-History:...
from 1964 to 1965. He was promoted to permanent first lieutenant in June 1965 and temporary captain in November 1965. He then returned to CONUS to attend the artillery officer advanced course at Fort Sill and Fort Bliss
Fort Bliss
Fort Bliss is a United States Army post in the U.S. states of New Mexico and Texas. With an area of about , it is the Army's second-largest installation behind the adjacent White Sands Missile Range. It is FORSCOM's largest installation, and has the Army's largest Maneuver Area behind the...
from 1965 to 1966. Reimer next commanded Company C, 11th Battalion, 3d Brigade, U.S. Army Training Center, Fort Benning
Fort Benning
Fort Benning is a United States Army post located southeast of the city of Columbus in Muscogee and Chattahoochee counties in Georgia and Russell County, Alabama...
from 1966 to 1967. His next assignment was aide-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to the commandant, Armed Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
, 1967–1968. He was promoted to temporary major in September 1968 and permanent captain in June 1969. He served as executive officer and S–3, 2d Battalion, 4th Artillery, 9th Infantry Division
U.S. 9th Infantry Division
The 9th Infantry Division was created as the 9th Division during World War I, but never deployed overseas. Later, the division was an important unit of the United States Army in World War II and the Vietnam War...
, U.S. Army, Vietnam, 1968–1970 and as an instructor at the U.S. Army Field Artillery School at Fort Sill in 1970. Reimer attended the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College
Command and General Staff College
The United States Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military officers. The college was established in 1881 by William Tecumseh Sherman as a...
from 1970 to 1971 followed by an assignment as personnel management officer, Assignment Section, Field Artillery Branch, Office of Personnel Operations, Washington, D.C. His next duty was as assistant executive officer and aide to the chief of staff, U.S. Army, General Creighton W. Abrams, Jr. from 1972 to 1974. He served as executive officer and S–3 (Operations and Training), Division Artillery, 4th Infantry Division (Mechanized), Fort Carson, from 1975 to 1976. During this time he was promoted to temporary lieutenant colonel and permanent major, June 1975 and June 1976, respectively. He commanded 1st Battalion, 27th Artillery, 4th Infantry Division (Mechanized), Fort Carson from 1976 to 1978, followed by assignment as commandant, Training Command, 4th Infantry Division (Mechanized). Reimer attended the U.S. Army War College
U.S. Army War College
The United States Army War College is a United States Army school located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, on the 500 acre campus of the historic Carlisle Barracks...
from 1978 to 1979, and received his Master of Arts degree from Shippensburg State College in 1979. He was promoted to temporary colonel in August 1979 and served as deputy commander and later special assistant to the commander, V Corps
United States V Corps
The V Corps, also known as the Victory Corps, is a corps-level formation of the United States Army and the main land component of United States Army Europe. The corps headquarters is located at the Wiesbaden Army Airfield in Wiesbaden, Germany...
Artillery, U.S. Army, Europe, 1979–1980. Reimer was chosen to command Division Artillery, 8th Infantry Division (Mechanized)
U.S. 8th Infantry Division
The 8th Infantry Division, was an infantry division of the United States Army during the 20th Century. The division served in World War I, World War II, and Operation Desert Storm. Initially activated in January 1918, the unit did not see combat during World War I and returned to the United States...
, U.S. Army, Europe, 1980–1982 and was promoted to permanent colonel in March 1982. He moved on to become the division's chief of staff from 1982 to 1983. He returned to Fort Sill as deputy assistant commandant, Field Artillery Center and School from 1983 to 1984. He was promoted to permanent brigadier general in September 1984 and took up assignment as commanding general, III Corps
U.S. III Corps
III Corps is a corps of the United States Army headquartered at Fort Hood, Texas. It is a major formation of the United States Army Forces Command....
Artillery, Fort Sill, from 1984 to 1986. He served as chief of staff, U.S. Army Element, Combined Field Army, Republic of Korea 1986 followed by assistant chief of staff, C3/J3, Republic of Korea/U.S. Combined Forces Command, 1986–1988. He received promotion to major general in September 1987 and commanded the 4th Infantry Division (Mechanized) at Fort Carson from 1988 to 1990. This was followed by promotion to permanent lieutenant general in July 1990 and assignment as deputy chief of staff for operations and plans, U.S. Army, and Army senior member, Military Staff Committee, United Nations, Washington, D.C., from 1990 to 1991. He received his fourth star in June 1991, serving as vice chief of staff, U.S. Army from 1991 to 1993. He then served as commanding general, U.S. Army Forces Command, Fort McPherson
Fort McPherson
Fort McPherson was a U.S. Army military base located in East Point, Georgia, on the southwest edge of the City of Atlanta, Ga. It was the headquarters for the U.S. Army Installation Management Command, Southeast Region; the U.S. Army Forces Command; the U.S. Army Reserve Command; the U.S...
, from 1993 to 1995 before being selected as Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army. He has been credited with revamping the Army during a period of high-tempo deployments, including peacekeeping in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo. Reimer retired from active service on August 1999. The Army has named their digital library after him.
After retirement, Reimer served as director of the Oklahoma City National Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism
National Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism
The National Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism is a United States-based non-profit training and professional development center dedicated to improving the skills of police officers.-Role and focus:...
, testifying before the Congressional Subcommitee on National Security, Emergency Threats and International Relations on April 29, 2003. He has also served on the boards of Microvision, DRS Technologies
DRS Technologies
DRS Technologies, Inc. is a US-based defense contractor. Previously traded on the NYSE, the company was purchased by the Italian firm Finmeccanica in October 2008.-History:...
, Plato Learning and Mutual of America Life Insurance. He wrote the foreword to Thomas P. Odom's 2005 book Journey Into Darkness: Genocide In Rwanda. General Dennis Reimer is currently on the Board of Directors for the Arlington, VA based consulting firm Detica
Detica
Detica is an international business and technology consulting firm owned by BAE Systems. It specialises in collecting, managing and exploiting information to reveal actionable intelligence...
, formerly DeticaDFI and DFI International. General Dennis Reimer is also currently serving as the Chairman of the Board for VirtualAgility, Inc., a software development firm that provides browser-based environments that support interoperation among disparate groups and organizations. VA systems resolve several of the most urgent challenges currently facing emergency, disaster and business continuity planners. See Press Release.
Reimer married Mary Jo Powers on December 28, 1962.