2025 SESSION

ENROLLED

HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 783

Celebrating the life of Lieutenant General Arthur J. Gregg, USA, Ret.

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 19, 2025

WHEREAS, Lieutenant General Arthur J. Gregg, USA, Ret., a distinguished expert in military logistics and the first Black American to reach the rank of lieutenant general in the United States Army, died on August 22, 2024; and

WHEREAS, Arthur Gregg spent much of his youth near Florence, South Carolina, and moved to Newport News with his family when he was in high school; and

WHEREAS, Arthur Gregg trained as a medical laboratory technician in Chicago, Illinois, but a lack of opportunities due to segregation led him to return to the Commonwealth and pursue a military career; and

WHEREAS, in 1946, Arthur Gregg's parents signed waivers allowing him to enlist in the United States Army at the age of 17; after basic training, he was assigned to a unit in Germany as a medical laboratory technician, then served as a unit supply clerk for a quartermaster truck company and as the unit supply sergeant for the 510th Military Police Detachment; and

WHEREAS, Arthur Gregg overcame prejudice and racial discrimination to win acceptance to Officer Candidate School at Fort Riley, Kansas, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant on May 19, 1950; he was assigned to an all-Black unit at what was then known as Fort Lee and subsequently witnessed the full racial integration of the United States Army in 1954; and

WHEREAS, during the Vietnam War, Arthur Gregg assumed command of the 96th Quartermaster Direct Support Battalion, which received a Meritorious Unit Citation under his exceptional leadership; and

WHEREAS, after returning home to the United States, Arthur Gregg was assigned to the Joint Petroleum Office in U.S. European Command, where he facilitated communication with allied militaries on petroleum logistics, then led the Army and Air Force Exchange Service in Germany, which provides goods and services to deployed military members and their families; and

WHEREAS, Arthur Gregg was next selected by President Jimmy Carter to serve as director of logistics for the Joint Chiefs of Staff and made history when he was promoted to lieutenant general in 1977; and

WHEREAS, Arthur Gregg accepted his final posting as deputy chief of staff for logistics in 1979, then retired from the United States Army in August 1981; over the course of his 35-year career, he successfully ensured that American soldiers around the world had the supplies and equipment they needed, and he made invaluable contributions to the development of logistics doctrine; and

WHEREAS, among many awards and decorations for his outstanding accomplishments, Arthur Gregg received the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Army Distinguished Service Medal, and the Legion of Merit with two Oak Leaf Clusters; and

WHEREAS, in civilian life, Arthur Gregg held leadership positions in various corporations and gave generously of his time and talents to support nonprofit organizations and civic groups; and

WHEREAS, in April 2023, when Fort Lee was renamed as Fort Gregg-Adams, Arthur Gregg made history again as the only living person at the time to have a United States military installation named in his honor, reflecting not only his esteemed service to the nation, but his dedication to advancing opportunities for Black Americans in the military; and

WHEREAS, predeceased by his wife of 56 years, Charlene, and one daughter, Sandra, Arthur Gregg will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by his daughters, Margy and Alicia, and their families, and numerous other family members, friends, and fellow veterans; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Delegates hereby note with great sadness the loss of Lieutenant General Arthur J. Gregg, USA, Ret., a highly respected member of the United States Army, whose trailblazing achievements inspired future generations of soldiers; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Lieutenant General Arthur J. Gregg, USA, Ret., as an expression of the House of Delegates' respect for his memory.