Photo By Ericka Gillespie | Fort Gregg-Adams Funeral Honors Team escorts the remains of Retired Lt. Gen. Arthur J....... read more read more
FORT GREGG-ADAMS, Va. — Friends and loved ones exchanged tears and memories at a Sept. 16 memorial service to celebrate and honor the life of the late retired Lt. Gen. Arthur J. Gregg at Memorial Chapel.
Gregg passed away August 22, at the age of 96. The memorial honored him for his service to his country and for the legacy he left behind.
He was the first African American Army officer to reach the rank of lieutenant general and he was the namesake of an Army logistics award. On April 27, 2023, he became the first living person in recent memory to have an Army installation bear his name.
As Gregg’s remains were brought onto Fort Gregg-Adams, more than 3,000 Soldiers lined Sisisky Boulevard to render honors to a Soldier who continued to serve his country long after he retired from the Army in 1981.
“As we reflect on his life’s extraordinary journey, we remember not just the man who served his country with honor and distinction, but for the values he embodied, the significant barriers he broke and the legendary path he forged for future generations,” said retired Gen. Dennis L. Via.
About 300 guests attended the service at the Memorial Chapel, which also was rededicated as Fort Gregg-Adams Memorial chapel.
“This morning, as we sit here, we are rededicating this chapel to his memory,” said Chaplain Col. Thomas Allen, the senior installation chaplain.
Attendees included family, current and former Soldiers, and other close friends. The memorial included videos depicting Gregg’s life, a tribute to his service and a tribute from his grandchildren. All three called him by a family nickname, Grady.
“My Grady’s gift to all of us was his ability to make you feel seen no matter who you were - whether you were a fellow Soldier, neighbor or anyone just lucky enough to meet him,” said Alexander Journey Gregg, a grandson.
Throughout the grandchildren’s tributes they each brought up many fond memories sparking laughter from the audience.
“My Grady’s life was deeply rooted in the love he had for his family,” said Avery Collier, Gregg’s youngest granddaughter.
His oldest granddaughter was last to speak.
“My grandfather was many things to many people, but one thing he was to all of us was a listening ear and a confidant,” Sydney Collier said.
“When he walked into a room, he was sure to speak to everyone.”
Following the grandchildren’s tributes, Secretary Craig C. Crenshaw presented Gregg’s daughter Alicia G. Collier with the Virginia flag.
“I envision my dad is up there right now looking down on us all feeling pretty good and very proud with a heart full of love and joy,” she said.
Also, during the ceremony, Karen Vaughn Palmer and Jacyn Gibbs sang hymns, including “Ave Maria" and “Great is Thy Faithfulness.”
Following the memorial, Gregg’s remains are to be transferred to Arlington National Cemetery for a burial service on Sept. 19.
Gregg was born May 11, 1928, near Florence, South Carolina and obtained his elementary education while living there. He then moved to Newport News, Virginia during high school where he first witnessed the military lifestyle.
After graduating high school, Gregg went to Chicago, Illinois to receive training as a medical laboratory technician. Due to segregation laws that were in place at the time, he was not allowed to handle patients who weren’t of color. This led him to return to Virginia and seek out starting a military career.
In 1946, his parents signed waivers allowing Gregg to enlist in the Army as a private at the age of 17. During the time of enlistment, the institution was still segregated and like many others he endured and faced several challenges.
Upon completion of basic training, he was assigned to a unit in Germany as a medical laboratory technician, but due to low demand with jobs not being readily available he transferred to the position of a unit supply clerk in a Quartermaster truck company.
A year later, Gregg now a corporal, was transferred to the 510th Military Police Company to be the units supply sergeant, and he was soon promoted to Staff Sergeant.
Gregg became an officer three years later and overcame the challenges of segregation in doing so.
A short time later he applied to attend Officer Candidate School. He received word in October of 1949 that he had been accepted to attend OCS at Fort Riley, Kansas. He was commissioned Second Lieutenant May 19, 1950, and was assigned to an all-Black service unit at Fort Lee, Virginia. The Army then became fully integrated in 1954.
Gregg graduated in 1965 from Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas while simultaneously obtaining a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Saint Benedict College in Atchison, Kansas.
He then went on to assume command of the 96th Quartermaster Direct Support Battalion in South Vietnam. His battalion was awarded the Meritorious Unit Citation, and he was awarded the Legion of Merit for their outstanding effort.
Returning to the states in 1967, Gregg was assigned to the Joint Petroleum Office, Logistics Directorate, U.S. European Command where he was responsible for the communication between the U.S. and NATO petroleum logistics.
In 1972 he earned his first star prior to taking control of the Army and Air Force Exchange System in Germany. Gregg earned his second star in 1976.
He was selected by President Jimmy Carter to be the Director of Logistics for the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Carter approved his nomination to Lieutenant General in 1977.
As Director of Logistics, Gregg worked hard to improve the readiness of the armed forced. This position led to his acceptance of his last assignment as Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics in 1979.
Before retiring from the Army, Gregg attended the Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government concentrating in the Executive Program of National Security.
Gregg served in the Army for more than thirty-five years and retired in August 1981.
His life and legacy will live on through the lives he touched.
| Date Taken: | 09.17.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 09.17.2024 11:23 |
| Story ID: | 481067 |
| Location: | FORT GREGG-ADAMS, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 147 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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