REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. -- With every assignment and promotion, Col. Andrew Gignilliat has worked to approach his tasks with the "humble servant leadership" philosophy once spoken to him by his commanding officer.
So, on Aug. 4, as he was promoted to colonel and he officially assumed his new assignment as the Military Deputy for the Aviation and Missile Command Logistics Center, Gignilliat thanked that commanding officer, who also happened to be the officiating officer at his promotion ceremony.
"As I took on my battalion command (of the 603rd Aviation Support Battalion) you spoke to us about the humble servant leadership aspect," Gignilliat said during his promotion in the Bob Jones Auditorium, speaking to Lt. Gen. Kevin Mangum.
"It was an 'Ahah' moment for me and it was what my battalion was about. The Army really is a team sport and the humble servant leadership is right. It is the right idea to follow as I've worked to serve our nation and serve our Soldiers as well as command and lead decisively."
During his career, Gignilliat has worked for Mangum four times beginning in 2001 when Gignilliat joined the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment.
"He has shown his potential at each and every opportunity by doing the hard things well … He's proven over and over again that he can do the tough jobs and do the tough jobs well," Mangum said.
Gignilliat set his own standard high before his career even began, attending The Citadel in South Carolina, graduating in 1993 with a degree in physics. He branched into Army Aviation and became an OH-58D Kiowa Warrior pilot. From 1995 until 1998, he deployed three times to
Bosnia in support of Operation Joint Endeavor, once with the 1-1 Cavalry Squad in Germany and twice with the 1-501st Attack Helicopter Battalion. In 2001, he was assigned to the 160th, participating in multiple combat operations in support of Operations Enduring (Afghanistan) and Iraqi Freedom.
In 2008, he was assigned to the Special Operations Command and again deployed to Iraq in 2009 as the J-3 Air Rotor Wing Operations officer for the Iraqi National Counter-Terrorism Force-Transition Team. He served as battalion commander of the 603rd Aviation Support Battalion from 2011-2013 and deployed to Afghanistan in 2012 as a battalion commander and OH-58D pilot in command/air mission commander.
Gignilliat came to Redstone Arsenal in November 2013 to serve as the liaison officer for Mangum, then the Army Aviation Branch Commanding General, to the Aviation and Missile Command, Program Executive Office for Aviation and the Aviation and Missile Research Development and Engineering Center's Aviation Development Directorate.
"He worked for me in Iraq. When I got to Fort Rucker (Ala.), I obviously need a presence at Redstone Arsenal," Mangum said. "We obviously could do things better. I wanted to establish an office at Huntsville. Maj. Gen. (Tim) Crosby (then the PEO for Aviation) gave us office space and I told Andy 'go to Redstone Arsenal and expand your parameter every day.' He expanded and infiltrated every aviation office."
While at Fort Rucker, Mangum recalled visiting Gignilliat's aviation unit in Afghanistan.
"I visited Kandahar right after a hail storm took out 87 aircraft. I got an email about a hail storm and that 87 aircraft had huge holes in them from the hail. It was so bad that I thought 'hail storm" was code for 'Attack,'" Mangum said.
The three-star said he has been impressed with Gignilliat and his abilities through every assignment they've worked together.
"Andy has certainly proven he's ready for this job and this promotion. With every promotion, an officer gets the opportunity to do more for more Soldiers. It's a special trust," Mangum said.
"Colonels run our Army by translating guidance coming from general officers and operationalizing that guidance."
Gignilliat used his promotion ceremony as an opportunity to thank those who have supported him in his career. He thanked his wife, children, mother-in-law and other family members, and especially his father-in-law, who passed away a week before his promotion.
"He was my biggest fan and a mentor to me. He was a career Army Soldier and a 23-year civil servant," Gignilliat said. "He and my mother-in-law showed me a wonderful example of an Army family and an Army wife supporting her husband in deployments to Vietnam and Korea."
He also thanked his "battle buddies," the several officers, warrant officers and non-commissioned officers in the audience, many who traveled from Fort Campbell, Ky., for the ceremony. He also thanked his administrative assistant Crissy Jean, and the AMCOM Protocol Office and the Army Materiel Command Band for making his promotion ceremony special.
"I want to thank God. He has given me tremendous strength and opportunity, and many blessings," Gignilliat said. "I would not have been successful without his protection in all the things I've done and without his guiding hand and strength."
He said the fundamental element of his success has been the teams and officers like Mangum, who taught him the importance of protecting the integrity of individuals and organizations.
"This is not about me. It's about the team that helped me get here … There's a tremendous amount of teamwork that helped me arrive at this place," Gignilliat said.
His 18 months as a liaison between Fort Rucker and AMCOM further solidified his new role as an aviation maintainer and logistician. He will use those capabilities in his new job with AMCOM.
"Serving as the Military Deputy for ALC allows me to continue doing humble servant leadership in support of the warfighter," he said.
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