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First Black Army Lieutenant General Laid to Rest

By Kevin M. Hymel on 9/24/2024

Lt. Gen. Arthur J. Gregg achieved two firsts in U.S. Army history: He was the first Black Army officer to reach the rank of lieutenant general and the first living person to have an Army post named for him. He attended the renaming ceremony at Fort Gregg-Adams, Virginia, formerly Fort Lee, on April 27, 2023.

But the people who attended Gregg’s funeral service at Arlington National Cemetery on Sept. 19, 2024, including Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, remembered him as a mentor, a friend and a father.

U.S. Army Chaplain (Capt.) Brady Feltz presided over the service, which included a riderless horse, a soldier holding high a red flag adorned with three stars and a 15-gun salute by the Presidential Salute Battery. Father Peter St. George said prayers, read from the Bible and led the attendees in a responsorial.

In Feltz’s words, “Lt. Gen. Arthur J. Gregg faithfully and honorably served his nation, including in the Second World War, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.” After the Army color guard folded the flag atop Gregg’s casket, Secretary of Defense Austin presented the flag to Gregg’s daughter, Alicia Collier.

After the service, several officers reflected on Gregg’s leadership. “As an African American, he offered me his advice and guidance,” said retired Maj. Gen. George Alexander. “He was a leader, a statesman, a mentor and a very wonderful man.” Retired Col. Timothy Rainey also remembered Gregg as a mentor and friend. “I was there to see his humbleness at the fort being named for him,” Rainey said. “You just couldn’t find a better gentleman.”

Maj. Gen. Michelle K. Donahue first met retired Lt. Gen. Gregg at the dedication of the U.S. Army Quartermaster Museum wing named for him, when she was serving as the Army’s 56th Quartermaster General. “He broke barriers,” she said. “He had courage, he had grit, and he continued to push the envelope to drive change in the Army. For that, I will always look up to him and consider him a mentor.”

Others remembered Gregg as a family man. “Uncle Arthur was a nurturer,” said Theresa Workman, Gregg’s niece. She spoke about calling Gregg during birthdays and holidays when she was taking care of her ill mother; he would ask if she was taking care of herself. “Not once did he worry about himself,” she explained. “It was always about others.”

Collier thought the service was a fitting tribute to her father. “It wasn’t just about his military service but also about his service to people,” she said, “and the people that were here reinforced that.” She added that the family had no doubt about where her father would be buried. “My mother is here at Arlington National Cemetery, and he always knew that he would be right next to her.”


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