BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY : AFRICAN AMERICAN GENERAL JOHNNIE EDWARD WILSON (Ret) UNITED STATES ARMY GENERAL : GOES INTO THE " HALL OF BLACK GENIUS "

General Johnnie Edward

Wilson (Ret.)
Former Commander, U.S. Army Materiel Command


General Johnnie Edward Wilson was born on February 4, 1944. He was raised in Lorain, Ohio and entered the Army in August 1961 as an enlisted soldier, attaining the rank of SSG before attending Officer Candidate School (OCS). On completion of OCS in 1967, he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Ordnance Corps. He was awarded a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. He also holds a Master of Science degree in Logistics Management from the Florida Institute of Technology. His military education includes completion of the Ordnance Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, the Army Command and General Staff College, and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces.

General Wilson held a wide variety of important command and staff positions culminating in his current assignment as the Commanding General, U.S. Army Materiel Command. Other key assignments include: Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, Department of the Army, Pentagon; Chief of Staff, U.S. Army Materiel Command; Commanding General, Ordnance Center and School, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland; Deputy Commanding General, 21st Theater Army Area Command, U. S. Army Europe and 7th Army; Commander, 13th Support Command, Fort Hood, Texas; and Commander, Division Support Command, 1st Armored Division, U.S. Army Europe.

General Wilson served with distinction at every level of command. He commanded three times at the company level; a maintenance company in the 82d Airborne Division as a First Lieutenant, followed by command of a supply and services company in Vietnam with the 173d Airborne Brigade, and a maintenance company with the 1st Armored Division in Europe. At the Lieutenant Colonel level, General Wilson commanded the 709th Maintenance Battalion, 9th Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, which converted and became the Army's first Main Support Battalion. General Wilson commanded twice at the Colonel level serving as the DISCOM Commander of the 1st Armored Division followed by command of the 13th Support Command at Fort Hood, Texas.

General Wilson next served as the Deputy Commanding General, 21st TAACOM, the Army's largest and most diverse logistics unit. Based on his wide experience with leading soldiers, General Wilson was selected to command the Ordnance Center and School responsible for the training and professional development of thousands of soldiers, NCOs and officers every year. Following this successful assignment, General Wilson served as the Chief of Staff, AMC, where he was responsible for resource and personnel management for a workforce with over 80,000 military and civilian members. From 1994 to 1996, General Wilson served as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, Department of Army, where he was responsible for worldwide logistics.

General Wilson's awards and decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal (with Oak Leaf Cluster), Legion of Merit (with Oak Leaf Cluster), Bronze Star Medal (with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters), Meritorious Service Medal (with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters), Army Commendation Medal, Good Conduct Medal, Special Forces Tab, Master Parachutist Badge and the Army Staff Identification Badge