Ogdensburg grad Douglas Stitt promoted to lieutenant general in U.S. Army

Matt Curatolo, Watertown Daily Times, N.Y.
·3 min read

Aug. 27—In a ceremony at the Pentagon earlier this month, Ogdensburg Free Academy graduate Douglas F. Stitt was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general.

Gen. James C. McConville, chief of staff of the U.S. Army, hosted the Aug. 5 ceremony during which Lt. Gen. Stitt received his third star. He previously held the rank of major general.

Lt. Gen. Stitt is the son of the late Wesley L. Stitt and Janet A. Stitt, who resides in Canton. The late Mr. Stitt had been a past superintendent of the Ogdensburg City School District.

His mother, Janet, and other family members were in attendance as well as Christine E. Wormuth, secretary of the Army. The ceremony was recorded and can be viewed at www.dvidshub.net.

"This is a special day, it's a special day for the Stitt family, special day for the Army because we are going to promote a great officer to be the G-1 of the Army. As we often talk it's about people first, that's our most important asset in the U.S. Army. It's our greatest strength and so this is wonderful to have right person at the right time in this job as we move forward," Gen. McConville said. "Congratulations to Doug and the Stitt family. Thank you for your commitment to the Army and nation. Thank you for taking care of our people, our soldiers, families and civilians."

The publishing of the orders were as follows:

"The President of the United States has reposed special trust and confidence in the patriotism, valor, fidelity and abilities of Douglas F. Stitt. In view of these qualities and his demonstrated potential for increased responsibility he is, therefore, promoted in the United States Army from major general to lieutenant general by order of the Secretary of the Army."

Lt. Gen. Stitt thanked his family members in attendance and thanked the U.S. Army for the opportunity to continue to serve.

"Madam secretary, thank you for your trust and confidence; Gen. McConville for your leadership. For never having been a personnelist, your active interest over the last nine years has indeed set us on a course, I appreciate that," Lt. Gen. Stitt said. "To the Army, thank you for allowing me to serve each and every day with the greatest people and the greatest soldiers in the greatest known force in the world."

A 1986 graduate of OFA, Lt. Gen. Stitt graduated from Vermont's Norwich University in 1990 as part of the school's Reserve Officers' Training Corps program and was commissioned as a second lieutenant. Following graduation, he was assigned to Fort Knox to be trained as an armor officer and then later sent to Fort Polk, Louisiana.

During his Army career, the Ogdensburg native counts three tours in Afghanistan and one tour in Iraq among his assignments. In 2019, he attained the military rank of brigadier general and later was named major general.

Lt. Gen. Stitt and his wife, Beth, have two daughters who attended the ceremony.

"I am honored every day to put this uniform on and I am very proud to serve as an adjutant general court officer and be a teammate with the greatest human resource professionals in the Army today," Lt. Gen. Stitt said.