Michael Spiglemire Michael Spigelmire ( born November 12 , 1938 , in Frederick , Maryland ) is a retired American Lieutenant General . The youngest child of the late Charles Edgar Spigelmire and Josephine Spigelmire , née Kaminski , he was raised in Baltimore , Maryland and educated at Loyola High School and Loyola College in Maryland , both Jesuit institutions . He was in ROTC during college , and upon graduation from Loyola College with a bachelor ' s degree in political science , received a commission as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army . His military education includes completion of the Infantry School , United States Army Command and General Staff College , and U . S . Army War College . He earned a masters degree in international relations from Georgetown University . Spigelmire ' s distinguished military career includes an initial tour of duty in Germany , where he served in company and division level positions with the 24th Infantry Division and as an A - Team detachment executive officer and commander with the 10th Special Forces Group . He was then assigned to Vietnam , where he commanded a company and later served as a battalion adjutant with the 1st Cavalry Division . A stateside tour as an instructor with the Infantry School at Fort Benning , Georgia ensued , followed by another combat tour as a district senior advisor in Vietnam . In 1972 , Spigelmire was assigned to the Pentagon , where he served as an Operation Staff Officer in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Military Operations . Thereafter , he served as an Assistant Secretary to the General Staff , Office of the Chief of Staff , Army . Returning to duty with troops , he was a brigade executive officer and later commanded a battalion in the 1st Cavalry Division . He returned to Fort Benning in 1978 as Deputy Director for Combat Developments , United States Army Infantry School and later , as Commander , 197th Infantry Brigade . Subsequently , he had another tour in Europe as Assistant Chief of Staff ( Operations ) , G - 3 , VII Corps . In 1984 , he assumed duties at Fort McPherson as Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations ( Plans , Operations , and Mobilization ) , United States Forces Command . In August 1985 , Spigelmire was named as the Assistant Division Commander , 24th Infantry Division ( Mechanized ) , Fort Stewart , Georgia . He served as Division Commander until September 1988 . Returning again to Fort Benning , Georgia Spigelmire commanded the United States Army Infantry Center and served simultaneously as the Commandant , United States Army Infantry School . In June 1990 , he assumed command of the United States Army Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg , North Carolina where he served until August , 1991 . In September 1991 , he assumed command of the VII Corps in Stuttgart , Germany with the mission to inactivate the Corps , withdraw 80 , 000 troops from Germany and return the VII Corps colors to the United States . Spigelmire retired from the Army in July 1992 . In August 1992 , he assumed the position of Deputy Director , Operations for The Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games . In 1994 he became the Director of Outlying Site and Department of Defense Relations , working with municipal , state and federal officials . He currently is an independent consultant in Leadership , Management and Defense issues , with offices in Destin , Florida . Additionally , he is the Senior Mentor for the Air Force Special Operations School Terrorist Response Senior Seminar and a member of the National Research Council Committee on Army Science and Technology for Homeland Defense . Spigelmire is a member of The Association of the U . S . Army , The Air Force Association and a Life Member of The National Infantry Association , The Army War College Foundation and The Special Operations Forces Association . He is also a trustee of the National Infantry Foundation . Spigelmire ' s awards and decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal , Legion of Merit , the Bronze Star Medal with " V " Device ( with three Oak Leaf Clusters ) , the Purple Heart , the Meritorious Service Medal ( with Oak Leaf Cluster ) , Air Medal s , the Army Commendation Medal with " V " Device ( with Oak Leaf Cluster ) , the Combat Infantryman Badge , the Master Parachutist Badge , and Ranger Tab , the Special Forces Tab , and the Army Staff Identification Badge . Spigelmire , previously married to Cecelia Malloy with one son , now grown , has been married for many years to the former Diane Cast , of Columbus , Georgia . Their son , Christopher , is a Lt . Col in the U . S . Air Force . References . National Infantry Foundation