Dennis Reimer Dennis Joe Reimer ( born July 12 , 1939 ) is a former Chief of Staff of the United States Army from June 20 , 1995 to June 21 , 1999 . Biography . Reimer grew up in Medford , Oklahoma . He graduated from the United States Military Academy ( West Point ) and commissioned as 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 is married to Mary Jo Powers Reimer . They have two children and three grandchildren . Awards and decorations . During his military service he was awarded : Defense Distinguished Service Medal , Distinguished Service Medal , two Legions of Merit , Distinguished Flying Cross , six awards of the Bronze Star Medal ( one with " V " device for valor ) , Purple Heart , Combat Infantryman Badge , Parachutist Badge , Aircraft Crewman Badge , and Ranger Tab .