Donald Arthur Vogt

Brigadier General Donald A. Vogt, USAF, retired, passed away March 12, 2021 in Alexandria Virginia. 

Don was born April 28, 1930, in Chicago, Illinois, the only child of Vincent and Elna Vogt.  He attended Purdue University as an undergraduate studying engineering, and entered the U. S. Naval Academy in 1949.  He met the love of his life, Norma Reeser in 1949.  On June 5, 1953, he graduated from the Naval Academy in the morning and married Norma in the afternoon.

Don joined the U.S. Air Force and reported to Jet Flying School at Goodfellow AFB in San Angelo, Texas and loved being a pilot.  In 1960, Don earned a Masters Degree in Astronautical Engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology in Dayton, Ohio.  During his 30 year career in the Air Force, among other things, he had an isolated tour at Keflavik AFB Iceland, worked at the Arnold Engineering Development Center in Tullahoma, Tennessee, flew RC47 aircraft in Vietnam, worked several years in the Space Defense Center in Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado Springs, CO, served as Commander of the 13th Missile Warning Squadron in Clear AFS Alaska, served as the Officer in Charge of Outer Space Affairs at the Department of State in Washington, DC, and served as the Military Assistant to the Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Strategic Programs at the Pentagon.  He retired from the Air Force in August 1983 and lived in Alexandria, Virginia.  In September 1985, he accepted a position as a Project Manager at SPC Technologies, and permanently retired in June 1987.

Don had a great love for the outdoors and took advantage of opportunities to learn new outdoor sports available at his various duty stations.  While in Tullahoma, Tennessee, he and his family enjoyed fishing and water skiing.  In Colorado, he and his family spent many days in the mountains, hiking, fishing, skiing and camping, and also learned to ride and bought their first of many horses.  During his retirement, he and Norma enjoyed sailing and were active members of the Mount Vernon Yacht Club.  They also enjoyed riding their horses and spending time with their grandchildren. 

Don is survived by his children, Vince (Nancy), Vicky Rosener (Tim), and Anna Cochrane (Ed), grandchildren Tracy Hucke (Sam), Sarah Vogt (Einar Fridjonsson), Andrew Vogt, (Catherine Atwood) Steve Cochrane (Nazgol Bagheri), and 6 great-grandchildren. He is predeceased by his wife Norma and grandson Brian Cochrane.

Don will be interred at Arlington National Cemetery.