Otto C. Doerflinger

West Point, 1951

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by J. A. "Andy" Chacon on December 9, 2010:

Otto Carl Doerflinger, Jr. Born September 18, 1928 -- Died December 5, 2010 Otto Carl Doerflinger, Jr. was born in Dunkirk, New York on 18 September 1928 and was appointed to West Point from the 45th Congressional District. His West Point classmates recall: "As fast with the slide rule as he was on the track, this natural hive's future lies with the Engineers. A former Artillery GI in Occupied Japan, Otto's constant grin evidences his likeable, easygoing personality that combines with his Dixieland records and lively sports lingo to make him a popular, all-around fun-loving individual. Intelligent yet interesting; honest yet tactful, that's Otto." (The photo, l-r, shows Otto, Nancy Thorsen, Holley Vellella, and Martha Doerflinger.) During his cadet days Otto was with the Handball Club plebe, yearling and cow years, with the Spanish Club cow year and was a Cadet Sergeant his first class year. On graduation Otto surprised his classmates and went in the Artillery and after completing the Basic Artillery Course at Fort Sill, Oklahoma reported to the 519th Field Artillery Battalion and the 36th Field Artillery Group in Europe where he served until 1955. Next Otto went back to school and earned an MS in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Virginia in 1961. Next he was assigned to Office Special Weapons Development from 1961 to 1964 and was awarded the Commendation Medal for distinguished service. Otto's next assignment was to Headquarters, 8th Army from 1964 to 1965 and on completion of his tour he was awarded a second Commendation Medal for distinguished service. Otto attended the Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas in 1966. Next he was assigned to the Atomic Energy Commission from 1966 to 1969 and on completion of his tour was awarded a third Commendation Medal for distinguished service. Next he Commanded the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Artillery from 1969 to 1970. Otto was appointed Chief of the Nuclear Division, Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff for Force Development, Department of the Army. Otto's last military assignment was to the Office, The Inspector General where he served from 1974 until 1977 when he retired as a Colonel and was awarded the Legion of Merit for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services. Otto became associated with the BDM Corporation in 1977 and in 1987 became a Consultant for BDM. Otto and his wife Martha made their home in McLean, Virginia. The September/October 1997 Assembly noted, "Norm Jorstad, Otto Doerflinger, and Sam Dickens assisted by the representatives from each company, are gathering information for the 50th Reunion Book. A punctual and conscientious response to their request for biographical info would be most helpful." On 10-7-2004 Otto reported: Best wishes to all. Today is my assigned day and I'm delighted to be able to report that the Doerflinger clan is in good health. After graduation I had an enjoyable career that included great artillery and nuclear weapons assignments. In 1954, I met Martha in Germany and we were married in Chapel Hill, North Carolina the following year. Since then we have acquired 4 kids (Carl - a senior computer specialist, Sara - a nurse, Lynn - a school teacher and Joan - a family doctor), 4 spouses and 8 grandchildren. What a crew! For many years the gang was spread from Florida to Texas to Illinois and south-eastern Virginia. Now we are blessed many times over by having all four children and their families in the area and are able to see them frequently. The oldest granddaughter is a sophomore in college and the youngest has just entered first year of pre-school. At that rate, some of them will still be in school for many, many years to come. We hope to live that long. After I retired, Martha and I decided to see more of the world. Since then we have toured most of Europe and a great share of the US. This year's tour of Spain, Morocco and Portugal was really enjoyable. Who knows where or when we will be on our next tour. In addition, we've stayed active with our church, do volunteer work with Habitat for Humanity and support neighborhood functions. We try to stay in shape by walking, gardening and spending time changing the decor. All in all, the years have been very kind to us. Best wishes to you all. Otto and Martha

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