General
Johnnie E. Wilson

General Johnnie Edward Wilson was born on February 4, 1944. He was raised in Loraine, 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.

General Wilson held a variety of important command staff positions culminating in his current assignment as the Commanding General, U.S. Army Materiel Command. Other assignments include: Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, Pentagon; Chief of Staff, U.S. Army Materiel Command; Commanding General, Ordnance Center and School; Deputy Commanding General, 21st Theater Army Area Command, U.S. Army Europe; Commander, 13th Corps 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 82nd Airborne Division as a 1st Lieutenant, followed by command of a supply and services company in Vietnam with the 173rd 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 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 the Army, where he was responsible for worldwide logistics.

His numerous contributions to the Ordnance Corps while serving in these distinguished positions earned him the right to be inducted into the Ordnance Corps Hall of Fame.

His leadership and vision for the Ordnance Corps of the future will help us carry the flame into the 21st Century. General Wilson retired from active duty in April 1999 after 39 years of selfless service to the nation.