Photo By Amy Perry | Newly promoted Brig. Gen. Michel M. Russell Sr., chief of transportation, recites the...... read more read more
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FORT LEE, Va. - On the heels of a week that included ceremonies and activities celebrating the Transportation Corps’ 73rd birthday, transporters gathered for yet another momentous occasion Tuesday – their chief’s promotion to brigadier general.
Michel M. Russell Sr. received his first star in the auditorium of Wylie Hall with his family, friends and fellow Soldiers in attendance. Gen. Dennis L. Via, commanding general, Army Materiel Command, was on hand to help him attach his new rank and administer Russell’s oath of office.
To a packed, standing-room-only auditorium, Via said it is obvious Russell is a beloved leader.
“The presence of so many senior leaders, family members and friends is a testament to the kind of Soldier and Army leader we are promoting to brigadier general today,” he said.
Russell’s promotion to brigadier general wasn’t always a given, said Via, especially since he considered leaving the Army when he was a major. But Russell’s wife, Sieglinde, convinced him to stay in.
“When he became a major, he thought about getting out, but she convinced him to stay in; to stay the course,” he said. “It’s because of that great advice, Michel, that you’re sitting on this stage today.”
During Russell’s speech after pinning on his new rank, he expanded on the story.
“She convinced me I would be a terrible civilian,” he said. “It was not a polite conversation we had … (she said) ‘Are you crazy? You would be a terrible civilian. You would go out there and screw it totally up.’”
Russell said he got off the phone following the conversation with his wife, and said afterward, he never looked back.
“She knew I loved it,” he said. “She saw what I couldn’t see.”
Via recognized the family and friends who attended the ceremony, and said, “I know it means a great deal to Michel and Sieglinde to have you here, because it’s the presence of family and friends that truly make promotion ceremonies special.”
Earning one’s first star is a difficult endeavor, said Via.
“Of the more than 80,000 officers serving in our Army, only 137 are brigadier generals,” he said. “In fact, the Army only selected 36 officers out of more than 3,000 colonels considered during the last promotion board. Clearly, it’s a competitive process ... it’s less than 1.2 percent. So (these officers) are the eye of the needle of what you must accomplish. It’s a tremendous accomplishment to be selected for promotion to brigadier general.”
Via said he would be challenged to condense Russell’s entire military career in the few minutes allotted for his speech, but wanted to point out some pivotal points in his career.
“I’m not sure what you were doing at 16 years old, but if you were like me, jumping out of airplanes wasn’t on your mind,” he said.”But after watching one of those ‘be all you can be’ commercials on television, a young Michel Russell couldn’t stop thinking about joining the United States Army. He said those ads worked on him, and he was hooked.”
After Russell spent a lot of time convincing his mother to let him join, he enlisted in the reserves at 16. When he was 17, he went to basic training where he would eventually go on to become a field artilleryman. During his time in the Reserves, Russell completed his bachelor’s degree from John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, and received a commission to second lieutenant from the Fordham University Reserve Officer Training Corps.
The education received in five key assignments best prepared Russell for his first star, said Via.
The first – platoon leader with Delta Battery, 1st Battalion, 1st Air Defense Artillery in Germany – was where “Russell learned to appreciate Soldiers and what they can do for the Army if you take care of them,” Via said.
The next – commander of Bravo Company, 4th Forward Support Battalion, Fort Hood, Texas – was where “Russell learned to appreciate the noncommissioned officer and what they can do for the Army if you take care of them.”
During his command of the 47th Forward Support Battalion in Iraq, Russell learned the true meaning of tactical logistics and how to take care of his Soldiers and civilians assigned to him. Via continued and said that “Russell took 602 Soldiers into Iraq and brought 602 Soldiers out of Iraq, all safe and back to their families.”
Another instrumental assignment was another deployment, this time as the commander of the 401st Army Field Support Brigade in Bagram, Afghanistan.
“It taught Russell about operational logistics at the highest levels and under the most extreme conditions,” Via said.
It was during that assignment Via first met Russell in 2012. As the deputy CG of AMC and commander of the Responsible Reset Task Force in Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, the task force was beginning efforts to move equipment out of Afghanistan. Russell was instrumental to the success of the drawdown of equipment, said Via.
“While many organizations and units contributed to that mission, Col. Russell set the foundation and established the processes for this enormously successful mission,” he said.
And the last assignment that had a major impact on Russell was his time as the chief of force development logistics division in the Army G-8.
“It taught him how the Army works, and that’s one thing you must know as a general officer,” he said. “There’s no place to learn that greater than in the Army G-8.
“Simply said, Col. Russell’s past leadership and performance on each of these assignments has been exemplary,” continued Via. “However, in the Army, we select officers and NCOs for promotion not based on their past performance, but on their future potential. And colonel promotable Russell has clearly demonstrated his potential for even greater accomplishments in the future. I cannot think of a more qualified officer, a more qualified Army leader, to be promoted to brigadier general today.”
After pinning on his star, Russell thanked his family for their support and recognized Via for his mentorship the last few years.
“Your mentorship, coaching, teaching and guidance have allowed me to grow into the officer you have pinned today,” he said. “We’ve known each other a few years, but it feels like a few decades. Your reputation as a teaching leader always precedes you, while you are equally well known for your sense of humility. I understand this day is not a gift, but a great opportunity to continue leading Soldiers, our Corps and our regiment in support of the Army’s march to 2025 and beyond.”
Russell said he learned to appreciate Soldiers at a young age.
“As a young 16 year old in field artillery, I did every dirty job a Soldier does,” he said. “I stood guard duty, even in the rain, peeled potatoes, dug fighting positions, stood guard mount, pulled [charge of quarters duty] and did anything and everything else I was told by my section chief.
“But – and I’ve always said this, even as a young private – this is where you learn humility,” he said. “And when I reflect on it, it meant a lot as a young Soldier – a private – to have somebody shake my hand when they walk by me, look me in the eye, occasionally pat me on back, put a boot on my rear if I wasn’t doing what I needed to, and just tell me sometimes that I was making a difference in a very, very small job that I thought only I cared about.”
Russell said it means a lot to him that so many people came to support him at his promotion ceremony.
“I want to thank you all for sharing in a moment in time that may not ever come back to me and my family again,” he said. “With every promotion, it does not come with a guarantee for the next, and I understand that. This is a very special day. To all those who helped us get to this point, or will help us progress, and will be there when I take my final ceremony in retirement, thank you all.”
| Date Taken: | 08.06.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 08.06.2015 09:25 |
| Story ID: | 172317 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 675 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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