REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. -- What started as a "vague calling to serve" led to a 35-year journey for the Army Materiel Command's senior civilian leader.
John B. Nerger, AMC's executive deputy to the commanding general, will end his Department of the Army civilian career in a retirement ceremony here, April 24.
With no military background in his near family, Nerger was first exposed to Soldiers through an Army internship following graduate school.
"After spending time with them, it began a love affair with the Army," he said. "I decided if I'm not wearing a uniform serving, the next best thing is to serve them, and that has been one of my touchstones throughout my entire career."
Nerger rose quickly through the ranks, excelling in positions early on in his career, including chief of Financial Management for the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
"That was a great opportunity to get a leadership role in a high level of the organization while at a fairly junior level professionally," said Nerger. "It was also my first exposure to the joint military environment."
Over the next 20 years, he broadened his experience, accepting various positions on the Department of the Army staff, including one of his most challenging assignments as the deputy chief of Base Realignment and Closure for the Assistant Chief of Staff for Installation Management. He assembled the office and team from the ground up and managed every aspect of the BRAC.
"I cut my teeth in that assignment," Nerger said. "I had to grow rapidly -- personally and professionally. It was a lot of work, but a lot of satisfaction, as well."
In July 2000, Nerger was selected for the Senior Executive Service, joining the elite ranks of the Department of Defense's top civilians. Of more than 700,000 DOD civilians, fewer than 1,500 are members of the Senior Executive Service.
"SES manifested itself along the way. It is part luck, part timing, and part doing all the right things to prepare yourself," said Nerger.
For him, the selection was a "wake-up call" of the responsibilities entrusted to him. It was the Army recognizing and affirming his potential as a leader.
"Once you realize that, you realize what an enormous privilege it is to lead and it causes you to rededicate yourself to work that much harder. It's a privilege you can't just dismiss," Nerger said. "The term Senior Executive Service…it's really about that last part -- service. Once you realize that SES is more about service than about anything else, then you won't lose sight of why you're in the position."
One of the defining moments of Nerger's career, a moment that solidified the role civilians play in the nation's defense, came shortly after his selection to SES. Assigned to the Pentagon, Nerger personally experienced the terrorist attacks of 9/11.
"I lost colleagues that day, and it was then that I realized that even civilians could be on the front lines," he noted. "We're in a different kind of war now where anyone who serves our country can be in harm's way. Realizing that reinforced the feeling I felt for the Army."
Nerger went on to assume positions of greater responsibility, including deputy chief of staff for personnel and logistics, G1/4, for U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, and executive director of U.S. Army Installation Management Command.
He became AMC's fifth civilian executive deputy, a trusted advisor to the command's four-star leader, in 2011. In this role, Nerger, who is the equivalent of a three-star general, is responsible for materiel life cycle management, acquisition support, personnel and resource management, industrial base operations, enterprise integration, and provision of research and development, and science and technology. He also leads about a dozen other SESs at AMC headquarters across all staff sections.
"John Nerger represents the absolute very best of the best in our Senior Executive Service and in our DOD and Army civilian corps," said Gen. Dennis L. Via, AMC commanding general. "He is an extraordinarily gifted leader and accomplished executive. We at AMC have been very fortunate to serve alongside John and his wonderful wife, Kathy, and I could not have asked to serve with a better civilian executive as my deputy."
A 1994 graduate of the U.S. Army War College, Nerger has been a strong advocate for civil service throughout his career.
"Everyone should be a champion of having qualified, capable public servants managing the programs that exist that are being funded with tax dollars," he said. "I continue to say the best Army in the world needs the best possible support, and that's what Army civilians bring to the equation. We do that every day, and I'm proud to do that. It takes Army civilians and Soldiers to make a great Army."
Three and a half-decades after joining the ranks of the Army civilian corps at one of the lowest levels, Nerger said he is taking his cue from the little voice inside and winding down a storied career at one of the most senior levels.
"I want to leave in time to ensure good continuity through the next commanding general's transition," he explained. "We only get a short period of time to make a difference. The position I'm in is a privilege, not a right. You can't claim this job as yours; you need to understand what your role is. I feel that it's a good time for the organization, the right time for me personally, to make the transition."
But he notes it won't be easy.
"You can't spend 35 years doing something without it tugging at your heart strings," Nerger said. "With each passing day, you reminisce about the people you've worked with."
Knowing that he did his part to support Soldiers is what gives him peace and what he hopes will be his lasting legacy.
"I believe strongly that being a citizen of the U.S. is a gift. Having served for 35 years, I've been able to pay down the debt a little bit and I feel good about being able to do that," Nerger explained. "Especially being an Army civilian, making a difference supporting the Soldiers, I'll be proud of that until the day I die. I'll walk out the door holding my head up high and feeling good about that even if I get a little misty-eyed as I do so."
Nerger said he's in no hurry to decide what's next for him. He and his wife, Kathy, will stay in Huntsville for the time being where he said he looks forward to more travel and time for hobbies, and eventually finding new and different ways to serve.
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