Photo By Terrance Bell | Retired Lt. Gen. Arthur J. Gregg poses for photographs in the ballroom of the Lee Club...... read more read more
By Jefferson Wolfe
Fort Gregg-Adams Public Affairs Officer
FORT GREGG-ADAMS, Va. — The Fort Gregg-Adams and the Army sustainment communities are mourning the loss of an inspiring leader for whom the installation was named a little over a year ago.
Retired Lt. Gen. Arthur J. Gregg died Thursday at age 96. The garrison was named for Gregg and Lt. Col. Charity Adams in a ceremony that took place April 27, 2023.
“The entire Fort Gregg-Adams family is deeply saddened by the loss of a great American and our namesake,” said Maj. Gen. Michelle Donahue, the commanding general of the Fort Gregg-Adams and the Combined Arms Support Command. “Lt. Gen. Gregg will continue to inspire all who knew him and those who serve at Fort Gregg-Adams now and in the future. His dedication and leadership will never be forgotten. Our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones during this difficult time.”
Gregg attended events on the installation until his death, attending the most recent garrison change of command ceremony July 31 at the Gregg-Adams Club.
“LTG Gregg’s love and commitment for this installation and for this community is forever part of our identity—part of our character,” said Col. Richard Bendelewski, the garrison commander. “We will proudly carry his legacy forward as Fort Gregg-Adams.”
Gregg was the first African American brigadier general in the U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps when he was promoted October 1, 1972. He subsequently became the first African American lieutenant general in the Army July 1, 1977.
He served in the U.S. Army for over 30 years with his final assignment as the Army's Deputy Chief of Staff (Logistics) and retired on July 24, 1981.
Seventeen years old, frustrated by segregation, and inspired by the service of Black Soldiers in World War II, Arthur J. Gregg enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1946 and deployed soon after to support supply operations in occupied Germany.
As he helped the Army establish and rebuild the devastated region, Gregg excelled in the work and envisioned his rise within it, according to the Fort Gregg-Adams website. He went to Officer Candidate School in 1949, one year after President Truman ordered the desegregation of the armed forces. As a result, it fell to Soldiers and officers like Gregg to put this policy into practice by changing the culture in their commands and desegregating the Army from the ground up.
Gregg did so with great skill, leading by example and embarking on a career of excellence from the moment he graduated OCS, beginning with his first assignment as an officer at Camp Lee in 1950, which was redesignated as Fort Lee later that year. He went on to run a supply depot in Japan and command a supply and support battalion in Vietnam.
Of his many career accomplishments, Gregg told writer T. Anthony Bell of Fort Gregg-Adams he was most proud of his deployment to Vietnam where he commanded the 96th Quartermaster Direct Support Battalion as a newly promoted lieutenant colonel.
“It was a great assignment, and I felt we were doing a great job for the United States of America and for the world,” Gregg said in the story from 2023.
When Gregg took command in late 1965, the battalion lacked personnel and equipment, and thus, was not deployment ready. Through much work, it readied itself in a few months, deployed on time and conducted its mission accordingly.
“We became a battalion of 18 companies, eight detachments, 3,600 officers and men,” he said, earlier noting the unit acquired several other elements. “It was four-times the normal battalion size, and I’ll tell you, those young people worked their fannies off to build a logistical base and provide logistical support to our forces in Vietnam. I was so proud of them.”
Gregg’s success in Vietnam propelled him down a path to further advancement and eventually the Army War College, a qualifier for promotion to general officer.
“I’ve had big jobs, but I still look upon the command of that battalion in Vietnam as the most significant point in my career,” he said.
He also served in several assignments in Germany throughout the Cold War and led the Army and Air Force Exchange System. At the peak of his career, Gregg was the logistics director for the Joint Chiefs of Staff and then Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics for the Army.
In addition to his extensive service around the world, Gregg also promoted equality and excellence at home. As a young officer at Fort Lee in the early 1950s, he experienced first-hand – and never forgot – the challenges of desegregating facilities across the post.
He later became the first Black officer promoted to general officer in the U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps and, upon his retirement in 1981, was the highest-ranking Black officer in the U.S. military.
A week before the rededication ceremony, Gregg was present for the rechristening of the Gregg-Adams Club, which was still reserved exclusively for white officers after he was commissioned and started serving on the post in 1950.
Throughout his career, Gregg mentored numerous younger Soldiers and when the Army established an award for logistics innovation and excellence in 2016, its namesake – and first recipient – was Lt. Gen. Arthur J. Gregg.
Speaking at the rededication ceremony, Gregg said he hoped the name change can serve as an inspiration.
“I hope that this community will look with pride on the name ‘Fort Gregg-Adams,’ and that the name will instill pride in every Soldier entering our mighty gates,” he said.
| Date Taken: | 08.22.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 08.22.2024 19:43 |
| Story ID: | 479281 |
| Location: | FORT GREGG-ADAMS, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 484 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
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