Stephen M. Bliss

Brig. Gen. Stephen M. Bliss in 1993

Brigadier General Stephen Michael Bliss (born 28 January 1944)[1] is a retired United States Army general who served as the president of the Army and Navy Academy[2] and president of the Association of Military Colleges and Schools of the United States.[3]

Education

Born in Pennsylvania,[1] Bliss was educated at The Hill School and was a 1965 graduate of the United States Military Academy.[4] At West Point, he was on the varsity swimming and track teams.[5]

He also holds an MBA from the University of Texas at Dallas[6] and a master's degree from the Missouri University of Science and Technology in Petroleum Engineering.[5]

Military career

After graduating from West Point, Bliss joined the Quartermaster Corps. In 1967 he was sent to Vietnam, where he commanded various supply companies. He returned to the US for further education, including his degree in petroleum engineering, and then returned to Vietnam, first as an advisor to the South Vietnamese government on petroleum-related issues, and then in control of the United States Army Vietnam's fuel supply. After leaving Vietnam Bliss continued in various foreign and domestic posts, concluding his career with posts as director for energy & troop support, deputy chief of staff for logistics and then vice commander for the Army and Air Force Exchange Service.[7]

He is a recipient of the Ranger tab and Parachutists badge.

Army and Navy Academy

Bliss was the commander at the Army and Navy Academy, a military boarding school for students grade 7-12 located in Carlsbad, California, for twelve years. He retired in January 2014. A sexual molestation scandal involving administrator Jeffrey Barton began in 2013, leading to Bartons arrest and conviction on multiple counts.[8] Bliss had himself ousted the previous chairman, Johnnie Crean, and the board of directors in 2003 after various accusations of misconduct.[9]

The football stadium at the Army and Navy Academy which opened in 2013 is named for Bliss.[10]

References

  1. ^ a b "Class of 1965—Register of Graduates". Official Register of the Officers and Cadets. United States Military Academy. 1969. p. 825. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
  2. ^ Mui, Alexander (8 May 2017). Army & Navy Academy: History of the West Point of the West. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9781439660478 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ "Army and Navy Academy's Stephen Bliss Named President of National Association of Military Schools". 13 July 2012.
  4. ^ "BG Stephen M. Bliss USA (Retired)". www.west-point.org.
  5. ^ a b "OralHistory". www.westpointcoh.org.
  6. ^ "UT Dallas, The LINK - November 2009: Alumni Profiles". www.utdallas.edu. Archived from the original on 2014-03-28. Retrieved 2017-07-27.
  7. ^ http://www.westpointcoh.org/interviews/a-monumental-undertaking-supplying-the-vietnam-war West Point Oral History bio
  8. ^ Garrick, David (18 January 2014). "New leader at Army and Navy Academy". San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on 4 March 2018. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  9. ^ Pasco, Jean O. (19 July 2003). "Military School Skirmish Ends With Settlement". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 8 November 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  10. ^ "Army-Navy sports new facilities". San Diego Union-Tribune. 3 October 2013. Archived from the original on 2 July 2018. Retrieved 8 November 2022.