Photo By Staff Sgt. Shawn Morris | Brig. Gen. Dwayne R. Edwards, deputy commanding general of the Army Reserve’s 99th...... read more read more
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JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. - The Army Reserve said goodbye to one of its senior leaders as Brig. Gen. Dwayne R. Edwards retired after 36 years of military service during a ceremony Sept. 20 at the Maj. John P. Pryor Army Reserve Center on Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey.
“Wow, 36 years – where did it go?” said Edwards, whose final assignment was as the deputy commanding general of the Army Reserve’s 99th Regional Support Command. “There comes that day where you’re putting on that uniform and you realize it’s the last day.”
Edwards' first days in uniform took place after he joined the Arkansas Army National Guard on Sept. 12, 1978, just after beginning his senior year of high school. He attended basic combat training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, in the summer of 1979 and advanced individual training at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, in the summer of 1980.
“Regardless of when you came in the Army, it gives you the opportunity to meet and learn from and influence some of the best people in the world, and that’s what I’m thinking of as I stand here,” Edwards said to the family, friends and fellow service members gathered at his ceremony. “This is not about me - his is about the people who helped me stand here today and survive 36 years.”
Edwards did more than survive, joining the Arkansas Military Academy in 1981 and commissioning as an infantry lieutenant in March 1982. His command assignments include an Initial Entry Training company in the 95th Division (Training), the 362nd Psychological Operations Company in Fayetteville, Arkansas, the 4th Battalion, 399th Regiment, 100th Division (Institutional Training) at Fort Knox, Kentucky, and the 80th Division’s 7th Brigade located at Salem, Virginia.
The advice that I would give is to never forget that it’s not just you who serves,” Edwards explained. “Your family, your friends, your loved ones serve. My children have served for all of their lives. Their brother has served. Their mother served. My wife has served. And so, I’ll ask you not to forget that.”
Edwards’ service also included continuing his military education to include the Infantry Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, Psychological Operations Officer Course, Combined Arms and Services Staff School, U.S. Army Command and General Staff Course and the U.S. Army War College, from which he was awarded a Masters degree in Strategic Studies.
“I think that as long as we say the names of the people who have influenced us - as long as we remember what they did and what they said - then they’re still in the service,” he said. “They’re still influencing us and we still benefit from their experiences and their insights.”
Edwards’ awards include the Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters, the Army Commendation Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster and the Army Achievement Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters.
“I’m not one of these people that thinks the generation that comes after me is going to let things go,” he said. “You younger guys - you’re better than me. This service is in great hands.”
| Date Taken: | 09.21.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 09.21.2014 15:33 |
| Story ID: | 142819 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, NJ, US |
| Web Views: | 202 |
| Downloads: | 3 |
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