Army two

The NTSB is investigating the fatal crash.

By Max Hauptman | Published Jul 31, 2023 10:47 AM EDT

A U.S. Army major general and father of two was killed last week after his airplane crashed in Maryland.

“It is with deep regret that we inform you of the death of Maj. Gen. Anthony W. Potts who passed away on July 25, 2023,” the Army said in a Friday statement. Maj. Gen. Potts completed over 36 years of distinguished service, most recently serving as Program Executive Officer, Command, Control and Communication (Tactical), Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland.”

The command is responsible for developing and deploying communications equipment to support battlefield operations.

Prior to that Potts led the Program Executive Office Soldier, tasked with developing soldier equipment such as uniforms and body armor.

“Our kit has to be of soldiers, designed by soldiers, for soldiers,” Potts said in a 2019 interview. “We have to listen, we want to hear what our soldiers have to say, and then we want to provide them the kit that they want to take into combat.”

“Our mandate is to listen to our soldiers,” Potts said in the video. “These are about America’s sons and daughters. These are about the greatest treasure that our country has to protect go out and defensive our freedom.”

Potts also briefly said he found meaning in his job guiding Army gear decisions when one of his own children was in uniform. “I’ve had a son that served in the army served in the 173rd and those things become very real when your kids are out there serving and you want to just make sure that the very best equipment that we could possibly give them is in their hands.”

According to Harford County first responders, Potts, a father of two, was the only passenger on board a single-engine aircraft that crashed shortly after 7:00 p.m. on July 25 in Havre de Grace, Maryland.

No other injuries were reported in the crash, which is now under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board.

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According to his official Army biography, Potts commissioned in 1986, initially serving as an aviation officer and platoon leader with an AH-64 Apache platoon in Germany along with a deployment to Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm. His service record included multiple deployments to the Balkans, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Enduring Freedom. His decorations included the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, and Air Medal with Valor. Potts assumed his most recent position in 2022.

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Max Hauptman has been covering breaking news at Task & Purpose since December 2021. He previously worked at The Washington Post as a Military Veterans in Journalism Fellow, as well as covering local news in New England. Contact the author here.