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AMC top civilian honored for legacy in logistics

By Alyssa CrockettOctober 8, 2024

AMC top civilian honored for legacy in logistics
Marion Whicker, Army Materiel Command executive deputy to the commanding general, is presented with the certificate of retirement during a retirement ceremony in her honor, Oct. 4, 2024, at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama. Whicker retired after 40 years of government service. (Photo Credit: Courtesy) VIEW ORIGINAL

REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. – After an impressive 40-year career, Marion Whicker will leave behind a legacy as one of the Army’s most talented and trusted senior logisticians.

“The Army was her calling, her purpose,” said Lt. Gen. Chris Mohan, Army Materiel Command deputy commanding general and acting commander, during her retirement ceremony Oct. 4 at AMC headquarters.

The Army is comprised of 286,000 civilians but only 24 individuals, just 0.0008%, are Tier-III members of the Senior Executive Service, underscoring Whicker’s caliber of expertise that she has brought to the Army workforce over the past four decades.

At the beginning of Whicker’s career, her leadership and expertise were quickly noticed – earning the respect and admiration of her peers and superiors alike.

“She demonstrated an eagerness to learn, to accept challenges and always raise her hand and volunteer for a task,” Mohan said. “At the same time, she also demonstrated exceptional leadership and expertise.”

Whicker started working in the AMC enterprise as an intern at Tank-automotive and Armaments Command in Detroit, Michigan. After serving in multiple management and director positions at TACOM, she advanced to executive director of TACOM’s Integrated Logistics Support Center.

The experience of overseeing most of the Army maintenance, fielding, new equipment training, supply chain management and system readiness gave her the credentials to be an ideal candidate to serve as the executive deputy to the commanding general at AMC.

In 2022 she was named AMC’s executive deputy to the commanding general, which manages the enterprises business operations, the Organic Industrial Base, the contracting efforts and acts the interface to industry partners.

“Such an assignment requires a leader with competence, commitment, and character – and in Marion, we’ve got it all,” said Mohan. “Before the ink could dry on her promotion, Marion got busy on enhancing the command’s readiness.”

Her achievements as the AMC EDCG include prioritizing direct engagement with AMC’s lifecycle management commands to boost the supply chain and OIB health, developing a depot maintenance roadshow informing both congress and senior Army leaders to improve understanding of maintenance requirements and risks involved in the industrial base and spearheading the Army’s 15-year Modernization Implementation Plan.

“In every step of the way, Marion Whicker has left an indelible mark – not only on the organization but primarily and particularly the people of the organization. The work she’s accomplished and the foundation she’s helped lay will continue to make a lasting impact on our Army, Americas Army for years and even decades to come,” said Mohan.

During her remarks, Whicker acknowledged the support of her family, friends, mentors and those who impacted her journey. She noted that her accomplishments couldn’t have been possible without the collective support of so many others.

“Whether they wore a uniform, suit, coveralls, or a hard hat, I learned that these teammates, these patriots, all share a common set of values...the same level of commitment, and same intense dedication to the mission protecting our nation,” she said.

As she reflected on her journey, she remembered the slogan that had inspired her when she first joined civilian service. To Whicker, it seems particularly meaningful now, as the Army has returned to that motto almost 40 years later.

“The slogan was ‘Be All You Can Be’ and it’s fitting that we’ve returned to that slogan because with the help of those who I mentioned today and many more, I been able to fill that slogans promise in more ways than I could’ve imagined,” she said.