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Army vice chief of staff visits Fort Gregg-Adams MEPS

By Jefferson WolfeMarch 28, 2024

Army vice chief of staff visits Fort Gregg-Adams MEPS
1 / 9 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Gen. James J. Mingus, the vice chief of staff of the Army, swears in seven new applicants March 28, 2024, at the Military Entrance Processing Station on Fort Gregg-Adams. (Photo Credit: Jefferson Wolfe) VIEW ORIGINAL
2 / 9 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Army vice chief of staff visits Fort Gregg-Adams MEPS
3 / 9 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Gen. James J. Mingus, the vice chief of staff of the Army, shakes hands with seven new applicants for military service just before administering the oath of office March 28, 2024, at the Military Entrance Processing Station on Fort Gregg-Adams. (Photo Credit: Jefferson Wolfe) VIEW ORIGINAL
Army vice chief of staff visits Fort Gregg-Adams MEPS
4 / 9 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Gen. James J. Mingus, the vice chief of staff of the Army speaks to leaders from United States Military Entrance Processing Command leaders and Army Recruiting Command Thursday, March 28, 2024, at the Military Entrance Processing Station on Fort Gregg-Adams. (Photo Credit: Jefferson Wolfe) VIEW ORIGINAL
Army vice chief of staff visits Fort Gregg-Adams MEPS
5 / 9 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Marine Sgt. Diane Sanchez, right, receives a handshake and a coin from Gen. James J. Mingus, the vice chief of staff of the Army Thursday, March 28, 2024, at the Military Entrance Processing Station on Fort Gregg-Adams. (Photo Credit: Jefferson Wolfe) VIEW ORIGINAL
Army vice chief of staff visits Fort Gregg-Adams MEPS
6 / 9 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Lt. Col. Bowe Averill, Richmond Recruiting Battalion commander, shakes hands with Gen. James J. Mingus, the vice chief of staff of the Army, March 28, 2024, at the Military Entrance Processing Station on Fort Gregg-Adams. (Photo Credit: Jefferson Wolfe) VIEW ORIGINAL
Army vice chief of staff visits Fort Gregg-Adams MEPS
7 / 9 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Maj. Tanisha L. Smith, right, Fort Gregg-Adams Military Entrance Processing Station commander, shows MEPS medical forms to Gen. James J. Mingus, the vice chief of staff of the Army, during a March 28, 2024, tour of the Military Entrance Processing Station on Fort Gregg-Adams. (Photo Credit: Jefferson Wolfe) VIEW ORIGINAL
Army vice chief of staff visits Fort Gregg-Adams MEPS
8 / 9 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Gen. James J. Mingus, left, the vice chief of staff of the Army, speaks to Andrew Bennett, right, a new applicant for Army service, March 28, 2024, at the Military Entrance Processing Station on Fort Gregg-Adams, as Maj. Tanisha L. Smith, center, Fort Gregg-Adams MEPS commander, looks on. (Photo Credit: Jefferson Wolfe) VIEW ORIGINAL
Army vice chief of staff visits Fort Gregg-Adams MEPS
9 / 9 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Gen. James J. Mingus, the vice chief of staff of the Army, shakes hands with Col. Megan Stallings, commander of United States Military Entrance Processing Command, March 28, 2024, at the Military Entrance Processing Station on Fort Gregg-Adams. (Photo Credit: Jefferson Wolfe) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT GREGG-ADAMS, Va. — The vice chief of staff of the Army visited the Fort Gregg-Adams Military Entrance Processing Station Thursday morning learning about its operations and taking part in an enlistment ceremony.

Gen. James Mingus received a tour of the facility, a briefing on various issues facing the United States Military Entrance Processing Command and administered the oath to seven Army applicants.

“You are taking an oath to an idea that we are willing to lay down our life for, and that’s a very, very serious thing," Mingus told the applicants. "And so, my personal thanks for what you are about ready to do here and for the service you are about ready to do for our country.”

This was Mingus’ first visit to a MEPS, said Col. Megan Stallings, the commander of USMEPCOM. He wanted a chance to see what the facility was like and to assess what the station’s applicants do.

Maj. Tanisha L. Smith, Fort Gregg-Adams MEPS commander, led the tour through the various activities in the building.

“He was looking at challenges for recruiters and MEPS and finding ways to enable solutions,” Stallings said.

One of the items discussed was the MHS Genesis, the Military Health System's modern electronic health record that provides a single health record for service members, veterans, and their families, she said.

The electronic record starts at a MEPS during a service members’ day one initial exam and stays with them throughout their careers and beyond, Stallings said.

MEPS assesses applicants based on three pillars, she said. The first, aptitude, is measured by the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery test. The second, moral, is accomplished through a background check. MHS Genesis will make the third, health, easier to assess and track.

Also included in the visit were leaders from the Richmond Recruiting Battalion, including the commander, Lt. Col. Bowe Averill. Mingus also visited a local recruiting station after leaving Fort Gregg-Adams.

Mingus was sworn in Jan. 4 as the 39th vice chief of staff of the Army.