REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. -- More than 50 summer hires from the Army Materiel Command got a glimpse into the life of a four-star general as part of their professional development while interning at Redstone Arsenal.
AMC Commander Gen. Dennis L. Via recalled his first jobs, his first car, and falling in love with his wife, Linda, as he spoke to the group here July 30. The summer hires are part of AMC 1,000 -- a new initiative to provide 1,000 intern and outreach opportunities throughout the command each year for the next five years.
After summarizing his 30-plus year career, from his college days at Virginia State University to becoming the Army's first Signal Corps officer to achieve the rank of general, Via told the interns he couldn't have foreseen his future.
"The only part of that I ever planned -- was to graduate from college," Via said. "I never had any idea I was going to be where I am today."
But as a young officer, he received some advice to begin setting goals and mapping out his career, and he suggested the interns do the same.
Via also recalled the sudden death of his father, who passed away just after Via had returned home to work with him during spring break of his freshman year in college.
"He didn't leave us a lot of money, but he left us with good values," Via said. "He had a fifth-grade education and a Ph.D. in commonsense. I learned a little bit about everything from my dad."
Via and his brother finished painting the house his father had been working on when he died. From there, they earned a solid reputation and more painting jobs. Via stressed the importance of a good reputation to the interns.
"You get your first job with your resume," Via said. "Every job after that is earned from your reputation."
Via also encouraged the interns to reach outside their comfort zones, to be participants, identify a mentor and commit to being good team members.
"People who are about themselves finish the sprint, but this is a marathon," he advised.
He also emphasized the importance of character and integrity and challenged them to be truthful in deed and word.
"Trust is the bedrock of any successful organization and of any successful relationship," Via said.
Intern Charles Weirick is a Clemson University student working with the Commander's Initiative Group at AMC headquarters.
"General Via's speech inspired me to be the best that I can be; it made us feel like we are an integral part of AMC and motivated us to be the leaders of tomorrow," Weirick said. "I know that all the interns present would like to express immense gratitude to General Via for sharing his journey and allocating some of his valuable time to speak with us."
Gloria Adhami is attending the University of Alabama in Huntsville and interning with AMC's resource management division.
"I really appreciated that General Via wanted each summer intern to introduce themselves," Adhami said. "I also enjoyed him sharing helpful advice pertaining not only to our future careers, but life in general. Taking the time to hear about our background in addition to passing along personal experiences and knowledge truly highlighted his humble and caring approach to leadership."
Whether the interns worked only the summer or continue their careers, Via noted they were the future of the nation. "You are the future leaders of our nation and our nation needs leaders."
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