WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Aug. 6, 2015) -- The Senate confirmed Gen. Mark A. Milley, Aug. 5, to become the 39th chief of staff of the Army.
He will succeed Gen. Ray Odierno in a change of responsibility ceremony scheduled for Aug. 14, at 10 a.m., on Summerall Field, Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Virginia.
Also on Aug. 5, President Barack Obama nominated Patrick J. Murphy to be the next under secretary of the Army, a post currently held by Acting Under Secretary Eric Fanning. The office was assumed by Fanning, July 6, after Brad Carson became the acting under secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness.
No date has yet been set for Murphy's confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate is currently scheduled to be on recess until Sept. 7.
MURPHY'S LAW CAREER
Murphy was the first Iraq War veteran elected to the U.S. Congress, according to an Aug. 5, White House press release. Murphy represented the 8th District of Pennsylvania in the House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011.
As a lawmaker, he served on the House Armed Services Committee, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Appropriations Committee.
Murphy received his law degree in 1999 from Widener University School of Law in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, after earning a bachelor of arts degree from Pennsylvania's King's College in 1996.
While in college, he attended ROTC at nearby Scranton University and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Army Reserve upon graduation. He went on active duty in 2000 as a staff judge advocate and then became a faculty member at West Point.
From 2003 to 2004, he was deployed to Iraq, where he earned a Bronze Star Medal with the 82nd Airborne Division.
MILLEY: 'WINNING FUNDAMENTAL'
At his Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing, July 21, Milley told lawmakers, "Our fundamental task is to win, to win in the unforgiving crucible" of combat.
Milley currently is commander of U.S. Forces Command, headquartered at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Besides combat, there are many other tasks the Army does every day and does very well, he said. It provides humanitarian assistance, shapes outcomes, builds partner capacity and deters the nation's adversaries.
"But our very reason for being, the very core of what it means to have an Army, it's to win and to win decisively in ground combat against the enemies of our country so that the American citizens can enjoy life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," he continued.
"I have huge confidence in our Army today," he said, calling it "the most skilled and combat experienced Army in the nation's history."
CHILDHOOD HERO
Milley told some 300 ROTC and U.S. Military Academy Cadets at the George C. Marshall Award and Leadership Conference at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, March 31, that his childhood hero was Green Bay Packers' winning football coach, Vince Lombardi.
When Lombardi was younger, he looked up to World War II heroes like Gen. George Patton and Gen. Douglas MacArthur and tried to pattern himself after them and their leadership techniques, Milley said.
The two points Lombardi took away from those heroes was, first, "you're in it to win, so winning matters and your team matters." The second was, "We don't break the rules," Milley said.
Milley promised the lawmakers that if confirmed, he would work to keep the Army the best in the world and take on the "significant challenges" it faces "in manpower, readiness and modernization."
The general also told the senators he'd ensure upholding Army values and ethics would continue to be a top priority.
During his visit with the cadets, he exhorted them: "Playing by the rules involves internalizing the warrior code of ethics. It is something you have to practice at 24 hours a day. Unethical actions not only can get you or your Soldiers killed, they can also hurt the Army."
HERITAGE OF SERVICE
Milley told the senators he comes from a family who proudly served. His mother treated wounded service members in a military hospital near Seattle and his father served in the 4th Marine Division in the Central Pacific seeing combat in Kwajalein, Saipan, Tinian, and Iwo Jima.
Unfortunately, both of his parents passed away, but he said he still feels their presence.
He noted he's lucky to have been married for the last 30 years to the "most dedicated and strongest woman in the world," his wife Hollyanne. "She's a constant source of inspiration and love."
She represents all the Army spouses "for their resilience and sacrifice," he continued, having raised their two children while he was away on seven deployments and thousands of days of training.
Milley's operational deployments include Iraq, Afghanistan, Panama, Haiti and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Most of his 35-year career has been spent leading infantry and Special Forces Soldiers.
Finally, Milley thanked Odierno and his wife Linda for their "selfless service." He added that the nation and the Army have been well served by them.
Related Links:
Gen. Milley tells cadets what it takes to win
Gen. Milley's confirmation hearing
Army.mil: Inside the Army News
YouTube: General Mark A. Milley - Nomination hearing for CSA
Social Sharing