REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. -- Army Materiel Command Hall of Fame inductee Jim Flinn knows what happens when the Army's missile systems are tested under fire.
In the midst of 1991's Operation Desert Storm -- the Army's first major defensive initiative since the Vietnam War -- Flinn witnessed the capabilities of Redstone Arsenal's newest missile systems as they went to war for the first time. As director of the then Missile Command's Logistics Center, he was well aware of what was at stake if those missile systems didn't perform and missile readiness wasn't sustained above 90 percent in theater.
Not only did they perform, those missile systems set the pace for a war that lasted only five weeks. They protected thousands of civilians and military personnel along with hundreds of cities and towns in Southwest Asia from certain destruction. And the missile system that had the most impact on the war was Patriot, a system that Flinn was very familiar with from his prior assignment as assistant project manager for Support in MICOM's Patriot Project Office.
"My entire civilian career up to that point had given me different pieces of experience and expertise with Patriot and the logistics of war," said the Tennessee native and University of Alabama alumnus. "It started with working on the drawdown at the end of Vietnam and continuing in Germany, where I worked for five years in various logistics capacities."
Then came numerous logistics assignments in Washington D.C., St. Louis, Mo., and Rock Island, Ill. His last assignment with the Army Materiel Command in D.C. involved developing a new concept in weapon systems deliveries that included the Patriot system, and his first assignment at MICOM was in the Patriot Project Office at a time when the Army was setting up the first Patriot battalion in Germany.
"Operation Desert Storm was the first time we actually went to war with Patriot," Flinn said. "I had done everything associated with Patriot logistics up to that point. With Operation Desert Storm, it was time to make it all work and it did. It worked really, really well."
Patriot's success, Flinn said, was the result of the dedication of the MICOM team at Redstone Arsenal.
"There were so many people on the ground here who knew their business. They worked round the clock to do whatever it took to provide logistics for Patriot," he said. "I was amazed by the willingness of all the leadership here to encourage and allow employees to do their best work."
When thinking back over his 35-year career as an Army civilian, Flinn is not surprised that his employment experiences built upon themselves, providing him with success as a senior executive service member and then, in 2000, giving him the opportunity to be promoted to deputy to the commanding general of the newly formed Aviation and Missile Command at Redstone Arsenal. Rather than chalking it up to coincidence, he quotes Jeremiah 29:11 -- For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
But Flinn didn't rest on his leadership success in the missile logistics arena during his four years as AMCOM's deputy commander. During that time, he worked steadfastly on providing career opportunities and challenges for the command's employees. His pledge was "To do the best I can to serve …" Soldiers, civil servants, Army leadership, the nation, his family and his savior Jesus Christ.
"As the AMCOM deputy commander, I wanted to be known for strong values and for my love for people," he said. "I had three expectations of our employees. First, they had to be trustworthy. Can I believe what you say and will you do what you say? They had to be ethical. I expected them to do the right thing, whether someone was checking or not. I had to be able to trust their judgment. And, they had to be selfless. There's no position out there that is all about 'ME.'
Others contribute in different ways and to different degrees, others need the help you can give."
Flinn's leadership at AMCOM was challenged from the very beginning when, just a year into the job, the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, changed the political and military landscape. All of a sudden, the nation was at war and so, too, were AMCOM's aviation and missile systems.
"Just the day before, our two-star leadership had changed. During that time, our civilian leadership stepped up to provide continuity regardless of what was happening in the world," Flinn said.
Flinn found ways to reward civilian employees by providing them with on-site college educational opportunities through the Logistics University. He supported women and minorities with training and work assignments to afford them visibility and opportunities for advancement.
"A lot of our workforce had started college, but never completed it, and a majority of these employees were women and many were single moms. They were talented and driven and could take on tough logistics challenges, but they didn't have their degrees," Flinn said.
"We asked: 'Would you got back to college if we bring college to you?' Not having completed college was a frustration for our employees and a barrier to getting promoted. We took the opinion that if it's important to you, then it's important to us. By providing college courses here at AMCOM, we made it possible for our employees to gain the credentials they needed to move on in their careers. That was good for them, and gave AMCOM a better prepared, better qualified employee."
Flinn's commitment to the Army, AMC and AMCOM did not go unnoticed. He received many accolades over the years, including the Department of the Army Senior Executive Service Meritorious Executive, Presidential Rank Award in 1993 and again in 1998. He was selected as one of AMC's Ten Outstanding Personnel of the Year and he was selected as MICOM's Supervisor/Manager of the Year, both in 1991. He was selected in 1990 as the Logistician of the Year by the Society of Logistics Engineers. Flinn has served as chairman of the Tennessee Valley Chapter of the Society of Logistics Engineers; as a member of the Board of Directors of the Association of the United States Army and the Local Government Task Force, Huntsville-Madison County Chamber of Commerce.
"When people ask me what it takes to be successful, I give them the same advice that my wife Nancy and I gave our children -- Go in early, don't be a part of the coffee crowd, volunteer for the tough jobs, do what you can to make your boss successful and don't watch the clock," said Flinn, who retired from AMCOM in July 2004 and now works as a consultant.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Mr. Flinn will be inducted into the AMC Hall of Fame as a member of the class of 2015 on Oct. 27 at 10 a.m. at the Army Materiel Command's headquarters at Redstone Arsenal, Ala.
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