Robert R. Ploger

Robert R. Ploger was a U.S. Army major general and military engineer who graduated from Owosso High School in 1932. His career included World War II service with the 29th Infantry Division, senior engineering responsibilities in Vietnam, and command of the Army Engineer Center and Fort Belvoir.^[1][2][3]

Education and World War II

Ploger graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1939. A contemporary Army profile also credits him with master’s degrees in engineering from Cornell University and business administration from George Washington University, along with study at the Army War College and Industrial College of the Armed Forces.^[3]

The Army’s introduction to his Vietnam monograph describes his service in 1943–1945 as staff engineer and commander of the engineer troop contingent for the 29th Infantry Division, one of the American divisions that assaulted Omaha Beach in Normandy. That combination of engineering and command experience later informed his work in Vietnam.^[2]

Engineering command in Vietnam

In 1965, Ploger was selected to command the 18th Engineer Brigade in South Vietnam. The Army’s Engineers at War describes his dual responsibilities as brigade commander and U.S. Army, Vietnam, engineer. Combining those functions reduced duplicate staffing and linked engineering planning with command authority.^[4]

The distinction between his positions matters. The Army’s 1970 appointment notice describes his Vietnam service as U.S. Army engineer and senior adviser to the Republic of Vietnam’s chief of engineers. It separately identifies Director of Military Engineering in the Office of the Chief of Engineers as the assignment preceding his move to Fort Belvoir. These were related but distinct responsibilities.^[3]

Later leadership and historical writing

In 1970, Ploger became commanding general of the Army Engineer Center and Fort Belvoir, succeeding Major General William C. Gribble Jr. The contemporary announcement also records his earlier role as the first commander and organizer of the U.S. Army Topographic Command.^[3]

Ploger authored U.S. Army Engineers, 1965–1970 in the Army’s Vietnam Studies series. Published as CMH Publication 90-22, it surveys engineering activities and contributions during the war. It is both a historical source and an account written by an officer who held major responsibilities in the events described.^[2]

Family and Owosso remembrance

Ploger’s son, Robert Riis Ploger III, and daughter-in-law Zandra were killed aboard American Airlines Flight 77 on September 11, 2001. The family remembrance preserved by Michigan Remembers 9-11 identifies the younger Ploger separately and records the major general’s death in 2002.^[5]

In September 2012, The Argus-Press reported Ploger’s posthumous selection for the Owosso High School Alumni & Friends Association Wall of Honor. The other honorees selected that year were Bill Reichert and Scott Kinsey. The article connects his national military career with his education in Owosso.^[1]