JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas (Sept. 15, 2021) -- The commanding general of the Mission and Installation Contracting Command is the latest inductee of the Order of St. Maurice following a ceremony Sept. 15 at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas.
Brig. Gen. Douglas Lowrey was inducted into the Order of St. Maurice by Col. Jeffrey Bryson, the U.S. Army South director of operations and fellow Infantryman, on behalf of the National Infantry Association and U.S. Army Infantry Branch during the ceremony that was also broadcast live online.
“The Order of St. Maurice Award recognizes individuals who have contributed significantly to the Infantry in ways that stand out in the eyes of the recipient's seniors, subordinates and peers,” Bryson said. “These individuals must also demonstrate the highest standards of integrity and moral character, an outstanding degree of professional competence, and serve the United States Army Infantry or the Infantry community with distinction.”
Bryson said during the ceremony that induction into the order entails review by an arduous and discriminatory committee of tried and proven Army Infantrymen and Infantry patriots.
Upon receipt of the award, Lowrey reflected on his legacy of service. His grandfather, a World War II recipient of the Silver Star and Purple Heart who had 400-plus days in combat, advised him to “take care of your Soldiers and they’ll take care of you.” His father, a career law enforcement officer and former Army Infantry officer who was awarded the Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts, told him “to take care of your noncommissioned officers and listen to them.”
“I wanted to be part of something bigger than myself,” Lowrey said of their influences in choosing a career path. “I wanted to belong to the best and have a sense of brotherhood. The Infantry did not disappoint.”
The MICC commanding general went on to say that the Infantry has taught him three lessons he continues to put into practice today – an organization that is ready and resourced with a winning attitude, can accomplish anything; people love to compete, whether physical or mental, which reaps benefits; and lead from the front and do what you ask others to do. He added that he applies this same Infantry mentality to the contracting profession.
“This award is not about me, it represents the great Infantry Soldiers who I was granted the opportunity to lead,” Lowrey said. “I will wear this medallion with pride and will always keep a little Infantry inside me. I’ve often told people I’m an Infantryman trapped in a contracting body. That means that when there’s an obstacle, you breach it; when you’re feeling tired, go harder.”
Lowrey earned his commissioned as an Infantry Officer through the Reserve Officer Training Corps in 1994 after graduating from Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. His Infantry assignments have included platoon leader of C Company, 3rd Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment at Fort Stewart, Georgia, during which he deployed to Kuwait in support of Operation Intrinsic Action; support platoon leader and later executive officer for Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd BN; logistics officer for the 2nd Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment in the Republic of Korea; and commander, B Company, later Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2d BN.
After entering the Army Acquisition Corps, Lowrey continued to support the contracting needs of the Infantry during assignments of increasing responsibility at the contracting battalion, brigade and headquarters levels. He was promoted to brigadier general in September 2020. Lowrey assumed command of the MICC during a ceremony in front of the MICC’s Long Barracks headquarters in May 2021.
About the MICC
Headquartered at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas, the Mission and Installation Contracting Command consists of about 1,500 military and civilian members who are responsible for contracting goods and services in support of Soldiers as well as readying trained contracting units for the operating force and contingency environment when called upon. As part of its mission, MICC contracts are vital in feeding more than 200,000 Soldiers every day, providing many daily base operations support services at installations, facilitate training in the preparation of more than 100,000 conventional force members annually, training more than 500,000 students each year, and maintaining more than 14.4 million acres of land and 170,000 structures.
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