Photo By Kari Hawkins | Army Materiel Command’s Maj. Gen. Walt Duzzny speaks about military service with...... read more read more
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HUNTSVILLE, Ala. -- Speaking to about 90 JROTC cadets at Huntsville’s Grissom High School, Army Materiel Command’s Maj. Gen. Walt Duzzny helped cadets visualize what it means to young people on the other side of the world to attend a $75 million school complete with a robotics room, advanced manufacturing clean assembly area and computer-aided drafting classroom.
“You don’t know how lucky and fortunate you are to have the opportunity to go to a school like this in a community like this,” Duzzny told the cadets. “There are many places in the world where this just doesn’t exist. We live in a country where something like this can exist, and where education can lead to career success.”
Duzzny’s comments were made during a visit to the south Huntsville high school in support of the Army recruiting. As the Army works to boost recruiting numbers nationwide, it is calling on its officer corps to share their Army stories with young people in their communities.
Duzzny, who serves as AMC’s chief of staff at Redstone Arsenal, also met with recruiters at the Huntsville Recruiting Station to discuss recruiting challenges, including the competitive hiring environment, the lack of commitment to military service, and difficulty meeting the Army’s physical requirements. He discussed similar issues with Grissom’s Ninth Grade Principal Alexander Mercieca, Senior JROTC Instructor Retired Chief Warrant 3 Cytique Davis and retired Command Sgt. Maj. Cedric Moore.
Duzzny emphasized the life-changing opportunity of education and military service.
“Your time here will lead to opportunity,” Duzzny told the Grissom JROTC cadets. “Education opens doors to other things you can do positive in your life. It opens up doors and opportunities to you that will come very quickly after you graduate. A lot of what you do with those opportunities is on you.”
Duzzny commissioned as an Infantry Officer in 1989, deployed to Operation Desert Shield/Storm with the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and served in several leadership positions as an Army Ranger. In 2000, he transferred to the Army Reserve and has served in leadership positions with Army Special Operations, deploying to Operation Enduring Freedom with the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force. He joined AMC as the chief of staff in August 2021.
“You’ve chosen to make JROTC part of your educational journey and that can help open doors of opportunity for you,” he said. “This type of training, the experience, the leadership challenges, it will affect you for the rest of your life.”
JROTC teaches life lessons to cadets, whether or not they choose to pursue military service after high school, he said.
“You chose to be in JROTC. Now, what do you want to get out of it? There are lessons of life learned through JROTC right here at Grissom,” Duzzny said. “Just like a Grissom Tiger is powerful, smart, agile and strong, JROTC cadets represent that. There’s a lot you can get out of this that goes way beyond self. It’s not about you. It’s about the team and about being part of something that’s bigger than yourself.”
Being part of a team, Duzzny said, is what the Army is all about.
“We need people just like you to serve now more than ever,” he said. “We are looking for good folks like you to serve.”
Duzzny recalled for the cadets what led him to join the Army. While attending The Ohio State University, Duzzny needed money to pay his student bills. He happened to walk by an Army recruiting booth and made the decision right then to join.
“I was struggling to stay in school financially and I thought it was a fair trade,” he said. “It paid for my school. Serving with Soldiers is one of the things I’m most proud of. It’s one of the best choices in my life.”
Duzzny said he became a better person for having served.
“The first week in basic training, I was in formation at Fort Benning (Georgia) and I thought there is no way I’m doing this. I’m doing my four years and then moving on with my life,” he said.
“A different path for me all started with showing up there, and in that formation of Soldiers there were people from every way of life, every place in the nation, every background, different beliefs, but we all merged together. At the end of the day, the Army is looking for good folks who are looking for something bigger and that want to live the Army values of duty, honor, personal courage, integrity, selfless service, loyalty, respect. Those values are the backbone of everything we do in the military.”
The Army prepares young people for leadership roles and real-life situations and develops their values and strengths.
“I’ve been on many teams in my life and the greatest team I’ve every played on is the one that wears this uniform, a team that is very important to this country,” Duzzny said, referring to his Army Green Service Uniform.
Duzzny asked the cadets about the reason they are members of Grissom JROTC. One cadet said, “It’s gotten me through so much. I don’t know if I would have gotten this far without JRTOC.” Others said they joined to learn communication skills and leadership and others commented on enjoying the camaraderie and team atmosphere of the program.
While scholarship money led a much younger Duzzny to join the Army nearly 35 years ago, his oldest son, who is now an Army lieutenant, chose a military career because service is something he feels very strong about as a life-style choice.
“What I appreciate the most now is being able to be a Soldier with all those I’ve served with throughout my entire career,” he said. “I’ve proudly served with and led Soldiers, and been part of a great group of folks that care about each other and this nation. I’m grateful for those who put this uniform on each and every day.”
| Date Taken: | 12.15.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 12.15.2022 10:31 |
| Story ID: | 435242 |
| Location: | HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA, US |
| Web Views: | 53 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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