REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. -- Army Materiel Command's top leader inducted a new AMC Hall of Fame class and had the opportunity to meet with several of his predecessors.
During a Feb. 6 ceremony, Gen. Gus Perna recognized the scientific and logistics excellence of six Hall of Fame inductees. The ceremony capped a Former Commanders Conference that brought six past commanders to the headquarters.
"We can't move forward if we don't reflect on those who brought us where we are," Perna said.
The Army Materiel Command Hall of Fame Class of 2017 includes the following: retired Gen. Johnnie Wilson, retired Lt. Gen. Emmett Paige Jr., retired Maj. Gen. Joseph Arbuckle, Dr. Stanley Kronenberg, Dr. G. Richard Price and John Dugan.
"They set the foundation for us to move forward," Perna said of the inductees. "They lived it, they set the conditions, they challenged status quo."
As the Army Materiel Command's 19th commanding general, Perna also took the time to pay homage to the former commanders, six of whom were in attendance.
"At one time or another, I worked for one of these individuals as a captain or as a brand-new one star or as a battalion commander," he said to a room of staff principals and major subordinate command leaders.
"We spent the morning talking about Army Materiel Command's mission," said Perna, recapping the conference. "We talked about our ability to operationalize our efforts and our ability to synchronize and integrate materiel readiness, which aligns with the chief of staff of the Army's priorities and the combatant commanders' requirements. We laid out all the things we are doing from this headquarters and throughout the 120,000-person workforce, all the way down to the person who sweeps the floors in one of our depots."
Perna noted the event also provided today's leaders an opportunity to be coached and mentored by the former leaders who have experienced similar challenges.
"We received some guidance and some coaching. That's why we bring in the former commanders who have experienced this," he said. "We also demonstrated to them how we are taking things from the building blocks they set and moving it to the next level. That's what is powerful."
The following former commanders, all of whom are retired, attended the ceremony: Gen. Ann Dunwoody; Gen. Benjamin Griffin; Gen. Paul Kern; Gen. Johnnie Wilson; Gen. William Tuttle Jr.; and Gen. Louis Wagner Jr.
Wilson was one of the six Hall of Fame inductees. He received his plaque and expressed gratitude to Perna and the AMC Hall of Fame selection board.
"I humbly accept this gift on behalf of the thousands of dedicated professionals who served within the command during my assignment -- all tremendous professionals just like all of you assembled here today," Wilson said.
"Those individuals during my time here as the chief of staff and again as the commanding general, fully understand that readiness is the key to ensuring our young people are properly equipped and have the materiel they need. Thank you to each of you for what the Army Materiel Command represents."
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