WARREN, Mich. - Brigadier General R. David Ogg, Jr. of Murfreesboro, Tenn., retired from the U.S. Army June 18 after 32 years of honorable service to our country.
The ceremony was officiated by the Honorable Malcolm Ross O'Neill, Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition, Logistics and Technology) and Army Acquisition executive, and Lieutenant General William N. Phillips, principal military deputy, Secretary of the Army (AL&T) and director, Acquisition Career Management.
As Ogg addressed the audience during a farewell speech, he reminisced about some of the changes he has seen during his time in service
"After 32 years, imagine all the 'stuff' that has happened," said Ogg.
"I've seen cotton fatigues turned into permanent pressed fatigues that turned into NATO woodland camouflage battle dress utility to desert BDUs to digitized Army Camouflage Uniforms.
I went from starch to no starch, from pressed to fluff dried, only to get back to starch, and now, no starch. I've gone from skinny black ties to fat black ties to not-so-fat black ties... from white t-shirts to brown t-shirts to beige t-shirts; from sew-on rank to pin-on rank to Velcro rank; from a green windbreaker to a black windbreaker to a Gortex windbreaker."
A lot of stuff has happened in 32 years," said Ogg. "But a lot has stayed the same, like integrity, honor, self-service, dedication and for me, attitude. In 32 years, our core value as an Army has been renamed, rearranged, but never removed."
As the Program Executive Officer Ground Combat Systems, Ogg retained responsibility for developing, acquiring, fielding and sustaining the Army Ground Combat Systems, to include the Abrams tank and Bradley Fighting Vehicle systems, the Stryker Brigade Combat Team vehicles, and the Joint Lightweight Howitzer and Robotic Systems.
Ogg entered the Army upon commission as a Second Lieutenant in the branch of Infantry and graduation from Middle Tennessee State University in 1978.
He is the son of Lt. Col. Robert D. Ogg, Sr., U.S. Army retired, and the late Fay Parsons Ogg. He and his wife, Pam, of Nashville, have two sons, Jason and Stuart.
"A lot of stuff has happened over 32 years," said Ogg. "As this part comes to an end, a new journey starts today."
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