2020 Hall of Fame Inductee
Eastern Kentucky University (1981)
Col. Keith George started his career with U.S. Army Cadet Command when he commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in 1981 through Eastern Kentucky University's Army ROTC program, and along the way he made significant and lasting contributions to Army ROTC while serving in multiple positions ranging from the ROTC Detachment level to HQDA Staff level.
While serving as an Assistant Professor of Military Science at Tennessee Technological University from 1999-2002, then Captain George not only directly impacted the development of hundreds of Cadets with whom he taught, coached and mentored, but while serving as the Detachment Recruiting Officer he promoted ROTC as he interfaced with, and influenced, hundreds of prospects as well as centers of influence about the value of selfless service as an Army officer.
As a ROTC brigade commander, then Colonel George had command over 22 ROTC Detachments spread across seven states. In that position, he directly impacted the development of about 40 PMS during his tenure, who, in-turn, were instrumental in developing thousands of Cadets / future leaders. Those 2nd and 3rd order impact he had on centers of influence and directly on prospects and Cadets, was broad. He made a huge contribution to ROTC by getting college leaders to provide over a $1 million worth of scholarships (tuition or room & board) for deserving Cadets that would not otherwise had received a scholarship. As the brigade commander, Colonel George also directly impacted ROTC by getting those university leaders to commit untold R&M and construction funds on improving the buildings and classrooms where ROTC was being taught. His contributions to Army’s ROTC during this period were second to none.
After completing brigade command, Colonel George moved to Fort Knox to serve as the Deputy ROTC Region commander responsible for oversight over ROTC programs in 27 States and Territories. He later served as Deputy Commander (Forward) for US Army Cadet Command and was responsible for orchestrating the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) directed relocation of Cadet Command headquarters from Fort Monroe, VA to Fort Knox, KY.
In his last assignment while on active duty, Colonel George was selected to serve as the first Director for Officer Accessions Coordination for the Army, working first on the Army Accessions Command staff, and later on HQDA G-1 staff. In this high visibility position on the ARSTAF, he coordinated and synchronized Army’s officer accessions across all components and a dozen different commissioning sources to include ROTC, USMA, OCS (active, USAR, and ARNG), and a multitude of other direct commissioning programs. His efforts directly helped create new partnerships between USACC SROTC and federal and state Officer Candidate School (OCS) programs to support the Army’s Accessions Enterprise. Working for HQDA, he developed the Army’s first draft officer accession strategy that helped lay the groundwork for the way forward on officer accessions during the next 10-20 years.
With candor, personal courage, commitment, and untiring loyalty to the mission, throughout multiple assignments, Keith George has been a strong advocate for the Army, Cadet Command, and Army ROTC. All told, he has dedicated seventeen years to furthering ROTC Cadets and US Army Cadet Command -- both in and out of uniform.
About the Army ROTC Hall of Fame
The ROTC Hall of Fame was established in 2016 as part of the ROTC Centennial celebration. The first class (2016) inducted 326 former ROTC Cadets who had distinguished themselves in their military or civilian career.
The Hall of Fame honors graduates of the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps who have distinguished themselves in military or civilian pursuits. It provides a prestigious and tangible means of recognizing and honoring Army ROTC Alumni who have made lasting, significant contributions to the Nation, the Army and the history and traditions of the Army ROTC Program.
Read more about all 16 of the 2020 Hall of Fame Inductees.
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