U.S. Army Cadet Command recently installed two memorial plaques honoring the "father" of Cadet Command on a section of sidewalk surrounding Brooks Field.
The plaques read," WAGNER WALK: Dedicated to Major General (retired) Robert E. Wagner, the first Commanding General of U.S. Army Cadet Command from April 1986 to April 1990. MG (R) Wagner was the leader in establishing Cadet Command as a premier organization and establishing enduring leader development and citizenship programs."
"Cadet Command owes its very existence to the personal efforts of Maj. Gen. Bob Wagner," said Paul Kotakis, Cadet Command Public Affairs Office. "He championed the cause of establishing it as a separate command, and artfully guided it through its very lean days."
One plaque marks the path behind the viewing stand, the other near the Cadet Command headquarters.
Kotakis is one of the few members of the command who worked with Wagner during the "lean days" in the 1980s when Cadet Command began its existence at Fort Monroe, Virginia.
Though Cadet Command started at Fort Monroe, it has since also become a part of Fort Knox's history. As a part of that shared history, unit officials encouraged the community to remember and recognize not just Wagner, but also members of the command who impacted the installation's past and present.
According to Kotakis, Wagner can be proud of the legacy he left and how the command team at Fort Knox has chosen to remember and honor him.
"Wagner was a student of history," Kotakis said, "and [he] would be deeply proud to know that his efforts on behalf of the [Reserve Officer Training Corps] are being memorialized in this manner."
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