“We Don’t Do Anything Alone, We Do It Together”: Service On Active Duty And In The Army Reserve

Robert Williamson was born in 1951 and grew up in Bristol, Virginia, and Memphis, Tennessee. His father was a B-24 mechanic during World War II, and became a commercial artist after. He started the Southern Watercolor Society, and was a signature member of the American Watercolor Society and National Watercolor Society. Jason also discovered the color concept of “Black Azure,” and was the featured artist in the 1984 World’s Fair. He painted landscapes and en plein air paintings as well as abstract watercolors. His mother was an organist in the Methodist church, following in her mother’s footsteps, and later Robert’s wife Darlene was an organist. He grew up with a brother and sister, and the Methodist church was an important part of their lives. As a boy, he was interested in Boy Scouts, later earning his Eagle Scout rank, the God and Country award, and serving as an Assistant Scoutmaster. He was also in the “Boy’s Safety Patrol,” sponsored by the Kiwanis Club at school. He describes this as his first leadership experience and notes that he learned discipline and wore a uniform. Darlene was in the “Girl’s Safety Patrol,” and she and Robert met in the 4th Grade. Although they were friends all through grade school and high school, they did not start dating until his Cow year and they married a year after he graduated from West Point. He was very academically focused in high school and was involved in the Key Club and National Honor Society. He also played football and put the shot on the track team. He was a company commander in JROTC at East high school and became interested in West Point in 11th grade after his father mentioned it. He really enjoyed JROTC, which was mandatory for two years, but he signed up for the third year. During his senior year, he was the Battalion Commander and Corps Commander for Memphis. Today, 20 schools still have JROTC detachments in the Memphis area and their focus is on developing better citizens. He remembers flying from Memphis to New York City and catching a bus to West Point, arriving at Arvin Gym on July 1, 1969. His most vivid memories of R-Day focus on “the Man in the Red Sash,” getting his head shaved, the heat of the day, and marching in White over Grey for the swearing-in ceremony. Starting in 1969, he expected to go to Vietnam, and the Class of 1973 was the largest class to date. Everything was focused on preparing them for Vietnam. He remembers announcements in the mess hall of the West Point grads who were killed in Vietnam and that one of the earlier classes had suffered 20% casualties in killed and wounded. During Beast, he remembers meeting a classmate, Ed Quinn, on the ski slope while completing an exercise to get to the top of the hill. That event emphasized teamwork and equality to him. Another vivid memory is that his squad leader offered them a gallon of ice cream if they all qualified as expert marksmen. The squad performed well, and he remembers the squad leader following through with his promise. Years later, he did something similar as a tank company commander. Beast was a learning experience where he learned his capabilities and how to engage with and depend on others. He went to Airborne School during the summer before Cow year and was injured during his 3rd jump, but was able to recycle to the next class. Before his Firstie year, he completed AOT (Army Orientation Training) at Ft. Carson, where he worked with a tank platoon. That inspired him and he was the only Armor officer to graduate from D-4 that year. He “survived” academically, although advanced calculus was a challenge (he describes the “Green Death” calculus books and remembers burning them at a bonfire). He enjoyed his chemistry and military courses. He enjoyed the military aspects of the Academy, and was a Cadet Lieutenant as a Firstie. He became a better runner at West Point, but remembers sweating profusely and fearing the obstacle course. He enjoyed being part of the orienteering team and the sportsman’s club. He recalls Major Albert Rushton, USMA ’59, who later served as the Director of Admissions was a great mentor and took them grouse hunting. He was in Company D-4 which did not have a “flamer culture,” although there were some intense upper-classmen in the Class of ’70. Bill Carpenter was the Tac, and he shared some great leadership concepts. Overall, it was a good company that focused on “leadership and development” and offered an “opportunity to grow.” When he graduated, he commissioned as an Armor officer, based on his AOT experience, and when he transitioned to the Army Reserve he became an Engineer Officer, attending the Engineer Advanced Course and serving in an Engineer unit in the Memphis area. He recalls on Reserve Brigade Commander talking with him about the importance of life-balance between the family, the job, the Reserves, and extracurriculars. His first Active Duty assignment was with C Company, 2nd Battalion, 37th Armor at Ferris Barracks in Erlangen, Germany. In 1978 he completed the Armor Advanced Course at Ft. Knox. Later, in 1978, he took command of C Company, 2nd Battalion, 69th Armor at Ft. Benning, Georgia. His company operated M60A3 Patton tanks and as the “ready reaction” force for Siberia during a period of heightened tensions with the Soviet Union, they trained at Ft. Drum, New York. He was proud that his company achieved the rating of “Best Company,” during tank qualification. In 1980, he left active duty as a captain and transitioned to the Reserves where he had a full and vibrant military career as well as a career working as a Navy civilian. In 1984, he attended the Command and General Staff College before becoming a CGSC instructor from 1988 to 1991. In 1991, he attended the Marine Command and General Staff College before taking command of the 467th Combat Engineer Battalion. He took command immediately after Desert Storm, and his engineers remained busy, deploying to El Salvador after their civil war ended to build schools and community centers. He describes developing a vision for leadership that focused on two tenets, “be prepared for war,” and “improve discipline.” In 1995, he joined the 81st Regional Support Command, serving as the Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and then as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations. He held this position until 1997, when he attended the Army War College before taking command of the 926th Engineer Group, which was headquartered in Montgomery, Alabama. The group boasted five battalions, and after Hurricane Mitch struck. Hurricane Mitch became the second-deadliest Atlantic Hurricane on record, and Robert’s 926th Engineer Group deployed to help restore and recover Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. He describes deploying to an austere environment with a staff of 40 AGR (Active Guard and Reserve) Soldiers on his staff and commanding over 2000 Reserve and National Guard Soldiers. They restored bridges and built low-water concrete crossing sites. They rebuilt 20 km of road and built 5 schools, dug 3 wells, and built a medical center and community center. They worked hand-in-hand with the Salvadoran military. In 1999, you returned to the 81st Regional Support Command, this time as Chief of Staff. In 2004, he became the Deputy Commanding General of the 416th Engineer Command in Darien, Illinois. Shortly after, he became the Commanding General of the 412th Engineer Command in Vicksburg, Mississippi. He was soon called to Active Duty to deploy to Iraq as the Deputy Chief of Staff For Engineering in Multi-National Forces – Iraq, and Deputy Director of the Iraq Reconstruction Management Office in Baghdad from 2004 to 2005. While he was deployed, his classmate BG Paul Hamm took command of the 412th Engineer Command. He found Iraq to be a “very fluid environment.” In 2002, he had planned the engineering annex for the invasion of Iraqi with COL Charles Smithers, USMA ’79, and now he was responsible for building roads, schools, and discussing reconstruction efforts with the Deputy Prime Minister. He is proud of how “we, ‘big we,’ set conditions” for success in the country and he describes the importance of the Iraqis voting in free elections. In 2008, he became the Deputy Commanding General for Support in the 8th Army, and was dual hatted as member of the Army Reserve Forces Policy Committee for the Secretary of the Army (both Pete Geren and John M. McHugh) from 2007 to 2010. In 2009 he was again called to Active Duty for an assignment at the Eighth U.S. Army Deputy Commanding General for Transformation in the Republic of Korea, where he was recognized with the Order of National Security Merit Cheonsu Medal by the President of the Republic of Korea. In 2010, he earned the Army Staff Identification Badge and in 2011 he retired as a Major General. While he was serving as an Officer in the Army Reserve, he also worked as a safety engineer in the Tennessee OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) and as a Safety and Health specialist and manager for the Navy. He later became an Environmental Protection Specialist at the Naval Facilities Engineering Command Midwest and Naval Support Activity Mid-South. As a senior Reserve Officer, he was away about 200 days a year. Reflecting on his service to the nation, he stated, “I had a gift from God to attend West Point,” and throughout his career he was “supported by a wonderful family” and great friendships. Overall, it was a very rich environment. He described the importance of West Point as a “beacon of hope” in the greatest country in the world.