By Jefferson Wolfe
Fort Gregg-Adams Public Affairs Officer
FORT GREGG-ADAMS, Va. — The commanding general of United States Army Installation Management Command brought a message of thanks to the garrison during a Tuesday visit to the installation.
Lt. Gen. Omar Jones, along with Command Sgt. Maj. Jason Copeland, spoke to dozens of leaders, Soldiers and employees as they visited various facilities, including the garrison headquarters; a fire station; building 1109, the newly renovated home of Fort Gregg-Adams Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security; the Gregg-Adams Club; the Directorate of Public Works; and the Yorktown Child Development Center.
“When we travel, we have a message, and that message is ‘Thank you,’” Jones said, echoing that message with every group he addressed.
He cited the challenging work by installation personnel during Operation Allies Refuge/Operation Allies Welcome in 2021, during which more than 42,000 Afghans arrived at Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C., and over 3,000 of them were temporarily housed on the installation.
Jones also praised the garrison’s efforts during last year’s redesignation, during which the facility’s name was changed from Fort Lee to Fort Gregg-Adams.
The change was commemorated during a redesignation ceremony at the Gregg-Adams Club April 27, and it was the first Army installation named for Black military members.
The new name honors retired Lt. Gen. Arthur J. Gregg and the late Lt. Col. Charity Adams. Gregg is the Army’s first Black three-star general and namesake of an Army logistics award. Adams – as she was known before leaving military service and taking the married name Earley – led the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion beyond mission accomplishment in the European Theater of Operations during World War II.
“It wasn’t easy, but you all made it look easy,” Jones said.
This was the first visit for Jones’ to Fort Gregg-Adams in his entire Army career, and only Copeland’s second ever.
The IMCOM leaders also met with members of the garrison’s first Emerging Leaders class and gave them his thoughts on leadership and other topics.
“You’ve got an opportunity to serve and make an impact,” Jones said.
The IMCOM commanding general’s advice was to be passionate, thank subordinates for what they do and be positive. A sincerely positive leader can change a bad command climate quickly, he told the class.
Copeland said he always takes an optimistic outlook to whatever he does.
“Don’t dwell on the things that you can’t control,” he said. “Influence what you can. Concentrate on making a difference with what you are doing right now.”
At various locations during the visit, Jones also took the opportunity to present commander’s coins to five employees who had special achievements. They included:
• Kevin Hamel, a firefighter who was recognized for single-handily training more than 500 Fort Gregg-Adams personnel in vital lifesaving CPR and Automated External Defibrillation operations.
• Sonya Price, an employee of Fort Gregg-Adams Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security, who was awarded for her efforts in providing logistical support for the renovation of building 1109, which is to be the future office for DPTMS operations. The relocation will also support the S6/Information Management Office and TRADOC continuity of operation functions. This was a major move for these directorates to relocate and Price played a key role throughout the process.
• Kisha Peat, who during the recent holiday break, oversaw the Outreach Services team on behalf of the CYS Coordinator. During that time, Peat excelled in providing required documentation and data for a Multi-Disciplinary Team Inspection.
• Dan Wright, chief of the Fort Gregg-Adams Casualty Assistance Office, who was recognized for his support to the Directorate of Human Resources team as well as other directorates. In addition to supporting every division as Government Purchase Card holders transition, he also helped teach a new GPC holder what documents to upload and how to do it properly. Wright also assisted with the directorates inventory, going above and beyond by preparing ensuring laptops for turn-in. He also has helped multiple new employees to learn a range of tasks from Defense Travel System to purchasing items and property book maintenance.
• Cheryl Revels, the Housing Services Division manager at Fort-Gregg-Adams Directorate of Public Works, who received a commander’s coin for her efforts in providing documentation leading to an increase of greater than eight percent in Basic Allowance for Housing for Soldiers in the central Virginia area. She led a team of six personnel who conducted extensive surveys over a four-month period, expanding the research area to 60-minute drives in all directions to ensure the most accurate data was acquired.
Date Taken: | 01.10.2024 |
Date Posted: | 01.10.2024 08:20 |
Story ID: | 461572 |
Location: | FORT GREGG-ADAMS, VIRGINIA, US |
Web Views: | 110 |
Downloads: | 0 |
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