Frank J. Grass
Frank J. Grass (born May 19, 1951 in Arnold , Missouri ) is a former general in the United States Army . He served from September 7, 2012 to August 2016 as Commander of the National Guard of the United States ( English Chief of the National Guard Bureau , CNGB ).
Education and career
Grass joined the Missouri National Guard immediately after graduating from high school in 1969, where he initially served as a noncommissioned officer .
In 1975 he received an associate degree in environmental technology from St. Louis Community College , Missouri, and pursued a career in the United States Army Corps of Engineers . From 1981 he served there in various posts , including as a platoon leader ; 1985 followed a Bachelor of Science in Liberal Arts at the Metropolitan State University , Minnesota , 1997 a Master in Resource Planning at the Missouri State University .
Service in the rank of general
Promoted to brigadier general on April 2, 2004 , Grass served as assistant director at the Army National Guard Readiness Center in Arlington , Virginia for two years . In 2006 he was promoted to major general as Director of Mobilization and Reserve Component Affairs in the US European Command in Stuttgart , Baden-Württemberg , then from September 2008 to September 2010 as Director of Operations in the US Northern Command at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado . It was there that, from September 2010 onwards, Grass served in the rank of lieutenant general for two years as deputy commander.
On June 29, 2012, US President Barack Obama nominated Grass to succeed Craig R. McKinley ( USAF ) as Chief of the National Guard Bureau . The Senate confirmed the nomination on July 26th, and the transfer of command and associated promotion to General followed on September 7th.
In August 2016, Grass handed over command of the National Guard to his deputy Joseph L. Lengyel ( USAF ) and retired.
Grass was the 27th officer in the CNGB's position since its inception in 1911; He was also a member of the United General Staff of the United States Armed Forces .
Awards
Selection of decorations, sorted based on the Order of Precedence of Military Awards :
- Defense Distinguished Service Medal
- Defense Superior Service Medal (2 ×)
- Legion of Merit
- Meritorious Service Medal (4 ×)
- Army Commendation Medal (3 ×)
- Army Achievement Medal (3 ×)
- National Defense Service Medal
- Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
- Armed Forces Service Medal
- Humanitarian Service Medal
Promotions
rank | date |
---|---|
Second lieutenant | September 12, 1981 |
First lieutenant | April 19, 1983 |
Captain | July 1, 1985 |
major | 4th August 1990 |
Lieutenant Colonel | February 7, 1995 |
Colonel | May 31, 2000 |
Brigadier General | April 2, 2004 |
Major General | June 22, 2006 |
Lieutenant General | September 30, 2010 |
general | September 7, 2012 |
See also
- Army National Guard
- Air National Guard
- List of active generals and admirals in the United States Armed Forces
Web links
- US National Guard website (English)
References and comments
- ↑ a b Official Biography of the US National Guard (last accessed February 26, 2016).
- ↑ Press release of the Ministry of Defense of June 29, 2012 (last accessed on July 16, 2013).
- ↑ Press release of the Ministry of Defense of July 27, 2012 (last accessed on July 16, 2013)
- ↑ The position of the CNGB has only been linked to promotion to the rank of general since 2008, so the regulation so far only affected Grass and his direct predecessor McKinley; earlier CNGBs held lower ranks across the board.
- ↑ The official census excludes some officers who were only temporarily in charge of the authorities.
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Grass, Frank J. |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American General (US Army); Chief of the National Guard Bureau |
DATE OF BIRTH | May 19, 1951 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Arnold (Missouri) , Missouri |