French retires after 29 years of distinguished service to our Nation

By Tony Lopez (JMC)July 10, 2015

French retires after 29 years of distinguished service to our Nation
1 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – The Honorable Alan F. Estevez, Principal Deputy, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics presents a Certificate of Retirement, signed by President Barack Obama, to Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Kristin K. French during her retirement... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
French retires after 29 years of distinguished service to our Nation
2 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
French retires after 29 years of distinguished service to our Nation
3 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Kristin K. French retired from the Joint Munitions Command after 29 years of service to the U.S. Army, July 9, at Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois. L-R: CSM Walton Jones; the Honorable Alan F. Estevez, Principal Deputy, Under Secretary... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

Brig. Gen. Kristin K. French, relinquished command of the Joint Munitions and Lethality Life Cycle Management Command and Joint Munitions Command after two years as the senior leader and retired during an official ceremony, held here, July 9, at Memorial Park.

The Honorable Alan F. Estevez, Principal Deputy, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, served as the official host, and spoke of French's accomplishments during her service to the Nation.

"I got to know Kristin well when she served as my military assistant, from 2009 to 2011. She was the first in her West Point class to make it to the rank of General Officer and she has been touted as the best logistician in the Army. It's an honor for me to be here to celebrate Kristin's 29 years of service," said Estevez.

Brig. Gen. French assumed her duties of the JM&L and JMC commander on July 2, 2013. She is a native of Glen Rock, New Jersey. She graduated from the United States Military Academy, West Point, in 1986 and was commissioned into the U.S. Army as a lieutenant in the Quartermaster Corps.

During the ceremony, French received multiple awards and decorations to honor her years of service to the country. During her remarks, French reminisced about the many opportunities and experiences during her career that included assignments throughout the United States and overseas. She thanked the many friends, family, co-workers and mentors that supported her. In particular, she thanked her husband, Rick, for his support during her career.

"I am forever grateful for all my assignments and especially all the people I have worked with over these three decades. I would not be standing here today if it weren't for the teammates I have had over the years," said French.

French held several senior leader positions during her career which included assignments in Germany; Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Fort Stewart, Georgia; Fort Carson, Colorado; Fort Hood, Texas; Fort Belvoir, Virginia; Fort Knox, Kentucky and at the Pentagon. She deployed overseas in support of Operation Joint Endeavor in Croatia, Operation Desert Fox in Kuwait, Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. She retired after serving for more than 29 years in the U.S. Army.

While talking about what her next job, as a civilian, will be, French said, "Whatever I do, I will bring with me the attributes of duty, honor and country that I have lived and followed during my entire military career. I will truly miss wearing this uniform, but I am so grateful and so proud to have served my country as a United States Army Soldier!"

JMC produces small-, medium- and large-caliber ammunition items for the Department of Defense. JMC is the logistics integrator for life-cycle management of ammunition and provides a global presence of technical support to U.S. combat units wherever they are stationed or deployed. JMC's logistics operation is unique to the Department of Defense and its industrial base is an important asset in supporting the Warfighter. The primary mission of JMC is to manage the production, storage, issue, and demilitarization of conventional ammunition for all U.S. Military Services.