Arthur J. Gregg

Lt. Gen. Arthur J. Gregg, USA, Retired, (born May 11, 1928) is the first African American to achieve such a high rank. [1] He served the US Army for over 30 years, received his third star in 1977, served as the Army's deputy chief of staff (logistics) and retired on 31 July 1981.[2] In 2022, the United States Department of Defense announced that Fort Lee in Petersburg, Virginia would be renamed Fort Gregg-Adams, to honor both Gregg and Lt. Col. Charity Adams Earley.[3] Arthur Gregg attended the April 27, 2023 renaming ceremony. He is the only living person in modern history to have an American military installation named in his honor.[4]

Arthur J. Gregg
Gregg in 2023
Born (1928-05-11) May 11, 1928
rural Florence County, South Carolina, US
AllegianceUnited States
Service/branchUnited States Army
Years of service1946–1981
RankLieutenant General
Commands heldDeputy Chief of Staff, Logistics (DCSLOG)
Known forBeing the only living person in the 21st century to have a major army post named after himself
Awards
  • Defense Distinguished Service Medal
  • Army Distinguished Service Medal
  • Legion of Merit w/ 3 Oak Leaf Clusters
Alma materSaint Benedict College (BA)

Early life and education

Gregg was born in Florence, South Carolina in May 1928. He attended grade school near Florence. There were no high schools open to Blacks closer than 10 miles to Gregg's home, so an older brother arranged for Gregg to stay with him in Newport News, Virginia to attend high school there.

After graduation from high school, Gregg briefly served in the US Merchant Marine and studied at the Chicago College of Medical Technology before enlisting in the US Army. He is a 1965 graduate of Saint Benedict College in Atchison, Kansas, where he graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration. He also completed the Executive Program in National Security at the Harvard University.

Military career

General Gregg enlisted in the US Army in 1946; one of his areas of service as a noncommissioned officer was in logistics - specifically as a supply sergeant in Europe. He was accepted into Officer Candidate School in 1950, and subsequently served in Vietnam, other parts of Asia, and at Fort Lee, Virginia - a facility which would later be slated to be named for him. In 1977, Gregg was ultimately promoted to Lieutenant General, serving as deputy chief of staff of logistics. He retired from the Army in 1981.

Honors
Gregg with Maj. Gen. Mark Simerly in front of the newly named Gregg-Adams Club in 2023

The Department of the Army established in 2015 the Arthur J. Gregg Sustainment Leadership Award which is presented annually to recognize leaders in the U.S. Army who have made significant and measurable contributions to the Army’s logistics operations.[5] General Gregg was the eponymous first recipient of the award given in 2016.[6]

Since the early part of the 21st century, Excelsior University annually awards its Arthur J. Gregg Award to a graduating active duty military service member who demonstrates outstanding academic achievement and outstanding career or professional achievement at each commencement ceremony.[7][8]

In 2022, The Naming Commission announced the Fort Lee in Virginia would be renamed Fort Gregg-Adams in honor of General Gregg and Lieutenant Colonel Charity Adams Earley.[9] The military installation was officially redesignated on April 27, 2023.[3][10]

References
  1. Earley, Jeffrey R. (April 7, 1997). Executive Summary: Senior Officer Oral History Program Interview of Lieutenant General (Retired) Arthur J. Gregg (PDF) (Report). United States Army War College.
  2. "Logistics Officer Rose Through the Ranks During 36-Year Career". www.moaa.org. 2021-02-16. Retrieved 2022-06-24.
  3. Best, Paul (March 23, 2023). "Virginia's Fort Lee to become Fort Gregg-Adams next month". WTTG.
  4. Atkinson, Bill (April 27, 2023). "Fort Lee to Fort Gregg-Adams: Name change is a first on several military levels". The Progress-Index.
  5. "General (Retired) Dennis Via Receives the Sixth Annual Lieutenant General Arthur J. Gregg Sustainment Leadership Award". United States Army. November 5, 2021.
  6. "Army Establishes Awards To Honor Lt. Gen. (R) Arthur Gregg, Maj. Gen. Harold Greene". United States Army. March 16, 2016. Retrieved 2022-06-27.
  7. "Arthur Gregg Award". Excelsior University. Retrieved 2022-06-27.
  8. "Student Award Winners" (PDF). Live & Learn. Vol. 10, no. 2. Excelsior University. Fall–Winter 2008. p. 5.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: date format (link)
  9. "Name Recommendations". The Naming Commission. Retrieved 2022-06-24.
  10. Adams, Matthew (April 27, 2023). "Fort Lee renamed Fort Gregg-Adams to honor two pioneering Black officers". Stars and Stripes.
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