Photo By Sgt. 1st Class P. Behringer | In the company of family, friends, and colleagues, former Col. Kevin Cotman was...... read more read more
On July 12, 2024, in the company of family, friends, and colleagues, former Col. Kevin Cotman was promoted to brigadier general during his thirtieth year in Army service at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wa.
A native of Hampton, Va., now Brig. Gen. Kevin L. Cotman was commissioned in the Quartermaster Corps in 1994 through the United States Military Academy West Point and currently commands the 593rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command.
"The best thing about this promotion is I can continue serving with the great soldiers in this great Army." Cotman said during his remarks. "I pledge this day that I will use this rank for good. I will strive to make a difference, and I will continue to care for our soldiers."
The promotion ceremony included a narrative reading of the brigadier general rank by request of Lt. Gen. Xavier Brunson, America's First Corps commander. In summary, while the roles and responsibilities have expanded and evolved with a changing Army, what has not changed is the expectation and caliber of men and women promoted to this rank.
"What I wanted you to hear is the caliber of people who we promote to flag officer rank." Brunson said. "Kevin Cotman is that caliber of officer for whom we decided to put stars on their shoulders, because we're going to ask them to be generalists, to do a little bit more than they were doing before."
To punctuate the transition to general officer and signify the conclusion of Cotman's 30 years of service as a logistician, Brunson and Cotman's former West Point roommate and longtime friend, Curtis Bush, removed the logistician insignia from his uniform. Cotman's sister, Pamela Baldwin, then pinned the brigadier general rank on his garrison cap while his wife, Keri and their two sons pinned the new rank on his jacket.
Brunson then administered the Oath of Office and presented Cotman with his promotion certificate. Instead of a presentation, a reading of the traditional general officer's pistol, belt, and flag took place before Cotman, Keri, and Command Sgt. Maj. Dawadrain Clark, the 593d ESC senior noncommissioned officer, assisted in uncasing and posting the one-star flag for the first time.
"You won't remember anything that I say, or really anything that Kevin says," Brunson added during his remarks. "What you will remember is that you were here on the day somebody was receiving their first star, and you remember the expectations that you have of those leaders."
The ceremony wrapped up with Cotman's remarks, during which he thanked his mentors and leaders. However, his speech mainly focused on his gratitude toward his family and praise of their accomplishments.
"We all know it takes a supportive family to be successful in the Army," Cotman continued during his remarks. "Whether that's your blood family, your family of friends, your religious family, or your Army family - you cannot be successful in this team sport that we call the Army without the support of those families."
| Date Taken: | 07.12.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 07.15.2024 12:28 |
| Story ID: | 476106 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, WASHINGTON, US |
| Hometown: | HAMPTON, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 63 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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