Twenty nine years after pinning on his 2nd Lt. rank, Brig. Gen. K. Todd Royar, former AMCOM Chief of Staff, now wears the silver star of a General Officer.
The Iowa City, Iowa native will soon report to his new assignment as the Deputy Commanding General for Support, 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell (Air Assault), Kentucky.
Indeed, the home of the 'Screaming Eagles' is close to Royar's heart as he has served there previously in a number of key positions, along with Maj. Gen. Jim Richardson, former AMCOM Commander and Maj. Gen. Doug Gabram, AMCOM Commander, both of whom presided over the Friday ceremony in the Bob Jones Auditorium.
"When that list came out for Brigadier General, I was the happiest man alive," Richardson said. "Today is a great Army day, and we are promoting a great Army family. It's hard to be humble, when you're a Screaming Eagle."
Richardson emphasized the sacrifices that families make when spouses are deployed.
"Mary Lou: congratulations on the milestone with Todd; we ought to be pinning stars on you today," Richardson said.
Royar was commissioned in 1988 with 5,100 Lieutenants. Thirty four officers in that year group have been selected for Brigadier General promotion, or .0006 percent, Richardson said.
"Todd has the heart of a champion," Richardson said. "He is without question, the brightest Colonel in Army aviation, who is a hard-working leader, who truly cares about the mission and doing things right.
"Selecting Todd Royar as my Chief of Staff, was the best decision that I ever made. He is a quiet professional, a warrior, who is forward thinking and understands meeting the Commander's intent."
Maj. Gen. Gabram conducted the Oath of Office, and spoke about the importance of family support to Soldiers.
"Thank you very much for what you've done, and the sacrifices for this great officer," Gabram said of wife Mary Lou and their three sons. "Todd Royar is the quarterback of AMCOM. He keeps the machine running; he synchronizes the whole team. He delivers the winning pass, and gets us over the goal line on readiness."
Brig. Gen. Royar w General Officer rounded out the trio of remarks, thanking Richardson and Gabram as well as many other of his mentors attending.
"I have been uniquely blessed to be able to work for these two commanders here at AMCOM," Royar said. "I am humbled to wear the title, but wearing the title Soldier is what's important to me. I strive to uphold the Army Values and traits everyday.
"My parents set the tone for those values, and I thank them.
"NCOs are the backbone of the Army, and I have had the opportunity to work with the best. It is to your standard that I strive to live everyday."
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