He attained the rank of lieutenant general, and his command assignments included First United States Army and the 8th Infantry Division.

[3] After his 1964 graduation from West Point, Otjen completed the Infantry Officer Basic Course and Ranger School.

[9] Otjen completed the Infantry Officer Advanced Course, and also graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1971 with a Master of Business Administration.

[4] He was promoted to major in 1974, and graduated from the United States Army Command and General Staff College in 1976.

[10] He commanded the division from 1990 to 1992, and began the process of mobilizing the organization to take part in Operation Desert Storm.

[14] During his time in this post, Otjen was co-chairman of a working group which provided advice to the Secretary of Defense on the issue of lifting the government's ban on homosexuals being allowed to serve in the military.

[16] After his retirement from the military, Otjen was deputy director of the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies.