HUNTSVILLE, Al. -- Culminating a weeklong celebration of the armed forces, one of the nation’s highest ranking Army officers turned the tables on a group of more than 600 business and community leaders to thank them for their continued support of the nation’s military services.
“Thank you for providing many of the services and equipment that our military depends on,” Gen. Charles Hamilton, commander of the Army Materiel Command, said. “Thank you for taking care of our families when we are away, for taking care of our injured when they return home, and for giving our veterans a shot at the American dream when they leave the service.”
Hamilton was the keynote speaker Friday during the annual Armed Forces Celebration Luncheon, the final event of Huntsville/Madison County’s Chamber-hosted activities celebrating the nation’s military and the local community’s connection to the Department of Defense through Redstone Arsenal.
He highlighted the vital role the community plays in supporting Redstone including the work done by the Defense Industrial Base, which he said is critical to maintaining military readiness and ensuring the security of the nation.
“I have never deployed, not one time, without your help,” he said. “The equipment sent forward, some of the services provided at the tactical point of contact, that played a huge role in any success we have had. We don’t take that for granted.”
Hamilton said that as the Army modernizes and prepares itself for any future potential large scale combat operations, it is the collective responsibility of both the military and industry to close the gap between the Defense Industrial Base and the Organic Industrial Base.
“We have to be in the position where I have the capacity to get our service members what they need and where they need it,” he said, drawing comparisons from World War II and how the years of planning before the U.S. entered the war set up the country for success. “We’ve got to help you make the right investments so we can close that gap, and either we will be very ready, or we will deter our adversary.”
The U.S. produced more than two-thirds of the equipment used by the Allies in WWII, including 2.6 million machine guns, 86,000 tanks and 286,000 warplanes.
“I’m very confident that the Defense Industrial Base will come through; I’m confident, because you always have,” he said.
Hamilton concluded his speech by calling on the community members to use their influence to help inspire the next generation of service members, saying that while the Army will teach Soldiers to ‘shoot, move and communicate,’ the values that make a Soldier come from their families and community.
“That courage, those values and the commitment to serve something bigger than themselves, that comes right from the people in this room,” he said. “That’s what makes our Army great. We have great equipment and great processes, but I’ve watched young men and women grow in my formation and they have the will and determination that comes right here from you.”
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