Paul Logasa Bogen
Encyclopedia
Paul Logasa Bogen was a United States Army soldier.
Bogen attended the University of Nebraska from 1933 to 1937, originally majoring in Mechanical Engineering before switching to Speech Communications. He was a member of the Army ROTC program obtaining the rank of Cadet Colonel and being elected President of the University's military honor fraternity. Here he met an Elizabeth Jane Herd who he would marry on May 16, 1942 at Fort Benning
, Georgia in the Post Chapel.
division in Louisiana
. After the Nazi invasion of Poland
, Bogen requested his reserve commission to be activated. Upon activation, he was assigned to the 2nd Armored Division
as an assistant to then Colonel Patton
at Fort Benning
, Georgia.
He served in World War II in the 6th Armored Division first as a tank commander, then as a scout, and finally as the Assistant G-3, I&E, where he co-authored the official unit history. He saw combat from Normandy, Brittany, North France, the Ardennes, the Rhineland, and across Germany . He was among the first American Army soldiers to meet up with the Russians near the Zschopau River
in April 1945.
with research in the nascent fields of educational radio and television. As he neared completion of his degree, the growing tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union led to the Army re-activating him.
When he returned from his tour of duty he was disappointed to find that his faculty adviser at Ohio State had published his dissertation as his own. He decided not to start over so he did not get his master's degree.
he was an instructor at the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth
, Kansas, 1951-1954. In June 1954, he was assigned to Fort Richardson, Alaska as Chief of Staff to the commander of Army forces in Alaska, General James F. Collins
. In June 1957 he was assigned to Fort Knox
, Kentucky where he was a commanding officer of a battalion. In June 1958, then was awarded a Regular Army Commission and promoted to the rank of Colonel and sent to Carlisle, Pennsylvania to the U.S. Army War College
as a student in Strategy and Logistics . Upon graduation he became a professor and the first recipient of the Eisenhower Chair of Strategic Appraisal. When the Defense Intelligence Agency
was established in 1961, Bogen was made the Assistant to the Director. During his time at the DIA, Bogen was assigned to be the chief of security for the visit of Nikita Khrushchev
to the United States.
as the head of the Army Concept Team in Vietnam. During his service in Vietnam, he received the Legion of Merit
twice, a Bronze Star
, and an Air Medal
.
in San Antonio, Texas
where he served as the Chief of Staff of the 4th Army. Upon the merging of the 4th and 5th Armies in 1971, he was offered a promotion to Brigadier General
as commander of Schofield Barracks in Hawaii after being passed by at least four times for a promotion.
from a hornet sting at his home in San Antonio in 1972.
Early life
Paul Logasa Bogen was born on March 15, 1915 to Dr. Louis Isaac or could be [Isaac Louis Bogen] and Jeanie Deanna [Logasa] Bogen in Lincoln, Nebraska. He was originally expected to be born on St. Patrick's day and was to be named Patrick. When he was born two days early his parents decided to name him Paul instead.Bogen attended the University of Nebraska from 1933 to 1937, originally majoring in Mechanical Engineering before switching to Speech Communications. He was a member of the Army ROTC program obtaining the rank of Cadet Colonel and being elected President of the University's military honor fraternity. Here he met an Elizabeth Jane Herd who he would marry on May 16, 1942 at Fort Benning
Fort Benning
Fort Benning is a United States Army post located southeast of the city of Columbus in Muscogee and Chattahoochee counties in Georgia and Russell County, Alabama...
, Georgia in the Post Chapel.
Military service
After graduation, Bogen was commissioned as a reserve office in the Army and assigned the command of a CCCCivilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18–25. A part of the New Deal of President Franklin D...
division in Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. After the Nazi invasion of Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, Bogen requested his reserve commission to be activated. Upon activation, he was assigned to the 2nd Armored Division
U.S. 2nd Armored Division
The 2nd Armored Division was an armored division of the United States Army. The division played an important role during World War II in the invasions of North Africa and Sicily and the liberation of France, Belgium, and Holland and the invasion of Germany...
as an assistant to then Colonel Patton
George S. Patton
George Smith Patton, Jr. was a United States Army officer best known for his leadership while commanding corps and armies as a general during World War II. He was also well known for his eccentricity and controversial outspokenness.Patton was commissioned in the U.S. Army after his graduation from...
at Fort Benning
Fort Benning
Fort Benning is a United States Army post located southeast of the city of Columbus in Muscogee and Chattahoochee counties in Georgia and Russell County, Alabama...
, Georgia.
He served in World War II in the 6th Armored Division first as a tank commander, then as a scout, and finally as the Assistant G-3, I&E, where he co-authored the official unit history. He saw combat from Normandy, Brittany, North France, the Ardennes, the Rhineland, and across Germany . He was among the first American Army soldiers to meet up with the Russians near the Zschopau River
Zschopau River
The Zschopau is a river in Saxony, Germany, left tributary of the Freiberger Mulde. Its source is in the Erzgebirge, on the slopes of the Fichtelberg, near the border with the Czech Republic. It flows north through the towns Schlettau, Wolkenstein, Zschopau, Flöha, Frankenberg, Mittweida and...
in April 1945.
Graduate education
After World War II, he left active duty and became an Army reserve Lt. Colonel. During this time he pursued a doctorate in Speech Communications at Ohio State UniversityOhio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
with research in the nascent fields of educational radio and television. As he neared completion of his degree, the growing tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union led to the Army re-activating him.
When he returned from his tour of duty he was disappointed to find that his faculty adviser at Ohio State had published his dissertation as his own. He decided not to start over so he did not get his master's degree.
Korean War
During the Korean WarKorean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
he was an instructor at the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth
Fort Leavenworth
Fort Leavenworth is a United States Army facility located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, immediately north of the city of Leavenworth in the upper northeast portion of the state. It is the oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C. and has been in operation for over 180 years...
, Kansas, 1951-1954. In June 1954, he was assigned to Fort Richardson, Alaska as Chief of Staff to the commander of Army forces in Alaska, General James F. Collins
James F. Collins
General James Francis Collins commanded the U.S. Army, Pacific from April 1961 until his retirement in 1964, and was President of the American Red Cross from 1964 until 1970....
. In June 1957 he was assigned to Fort Knox
Fort Knox
Fort Knox is a United States Army post in Kentucky south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown. The base covers parts of Bullitt, Hardin, and Meade counties. It currently holds the Army Human Resources Center of Excellence to include the Army Human Resources Command, United States Army Cadet...
, Kentucky where he was a commanding officer of a battalion. In June 1958, then was awarded a Regular Army Commission and promoted to the rank of Colonel and sent to Carlisle, Pennsylvania to the U.S. Army War College
U.S. Army War College
The United States Army War College is a United States Army school located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, on the 500 acre campus of the historic Carlisle Barracks...
as a student in Strategy and Logistics . Upon graduation he became a professor and the first recipient of the Eisenhower Chair of Strategic Appraisal. When the Defense Intelligence Agency
Defense Intelligence Agency
The Defense Intelligence Agency is a member of the Intelligence Community of the United States, and is the central producer and manager of military intelligence for the United States Department of Defense, employing over 16,500 U.S. military and civilian employees worldwide...
was established in 1961, Bogen was made the Assistant to the Director. During his time at the DIA, Bogen was assigned to be the chief of security for the visit of Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev led the Soviet Union during part of the Cold War. He served as First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964, and as Chairman of the Council of Ministers, or Premier, from 1958 to 1964...
to the United States.
Vietnam War
From 1964 to 1965, Colonel Bogen served under General William WestmorelandWilliam Westmoreland
William Childs Westmoreland was a United States Army General, who commanded US military operations in the Vietnam War at its peak , during the Tet Offensive. He adopted a strategy of attrition against the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam and the North Vietnamese Army. He later served as...
as the head of the Army Concept Team in Vietnam. During his service in Vietnam, he received the Legion of Merit
Legion of Merit
The Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements...
twice, a Bronze Star
Bronze Star Medal
The Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration that may be awarded for bravery, acts of merit, or meritorious service. As a medal it is awarded for merit, and with the "V" for valor device it is awarded for heroism. It is the fourth-highest combat award of the...
, and an Air Medal
Air Medal
The Air Medal is a military decoration of the United States. The award was created in 1942, and is awarded for meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight.-Criteria:...
.
Return to War College
In the late 1960s after returning from Vietnam, Colonel Bogen was again a faculty member at the U.S. Army War College. During this time, he has been recognized as one of the first professional soldiers to advocate the military as nation-builders.4th Army
In 1969, Colonel Bogen was transferred to Fort Sam HoustonFort Sam Houston
Fort Sam Houston is a U.S. Army post in San Antonio, Texas.Known colloquially as "Fort Sam," it is named for the first President of the Republic of Texas, Sam Houston....
in San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
where he served as the Chief of Staff of the 4th Army. Upon the merging of the 4th and 5th Armies in 1971, he was offered a promotion to Brigadier General
Brigadier general (United States)
A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...
as commander of Schofield Barracks in Hawaii after being passed by at least four times for a promotion.
Retirement
Colonel Bogen, however, decided he did not want to relocate again, particularly since his second oldest son had just started College and his youngest was in the middle of High School. Instead he retired and began to write his memoirs. However, he died of anaphylactic shockAnaphylaxis
Anaphylaxis is defined as "a serious allergic reaction that is rapid in onset and may cause death". It typically results in a number of symptoms including throat swelling, an itchy rash, and low blood pressure...
from a hornet sting at his home in San Antonio in 1972.