Major General
Leon E. Salomon

Leon Edward Salomon was born on April 27, 1936, in Chicago, Illinois. He attended public and parochial schools in the Chicago area, graduating from Calumet High School in 1954. While in high school, he lettered in football, track, and wrestling. His family later moved to Florida, where he attended Florida Southern University, St. Petersburg Junior College, and the University of Florida. He majored in chemistry and biology and considered attending medical school, but was drafted into the Army upon graduation from college in June 1958. For one year he served as an enlisted man, half of this period having been spent at Infantry Officer Candidate School, Fort Benning, Georgia. On completion of this program in June 1959, Lieutenant Salomon was assigned as Piatoon leader and later Company Commander with the 3rd Training Regiment at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.

In 1962, as a first lieutenant, Salomon transferred to the Chemical Corps and attended the Chemical School at Fort McClellan, Alabama. He was later an instructor there, and in the summer of 1964, as a captain, was stationed with the 3rd Logistics Command as a Chemical Supply and Maintenance Officer in Orleans, France. There he first had responsibility for an inventory control point. He subsequently served as Operations Officer and Executive Officer for the 3rd Logistics Command's G-3 Branch. Later there were brief assignments as Communications Zone Liaison Officer, Aide to General Robert Kyser, and Assistant Secretary to the General Staff. Promoted to major in July 1967, Salomon was made Chief, Automated Logistics Tests for the Division Logistics Systems at Fort Hood, Texas.

In 1968-69, he attended the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, following which he was detailed to the Chemical Operations Division, J3, HQ Military Assistance Command, Vietnam. In 1970, he undertook graduate study at the Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright­Patterson Field, Ohio, earning a Master of Science Degree in Logistics Management in 1971. From 1971 until l974 he was assigned to the Information Systems Director's Office within the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, where he was involved with the automation of ammunition, munitions, and supply. In 1974, he transferred from the Chemical Corps to the Ordnance Corps and became Commander of the 19th Maintenance Battalion, 3rd Support Command in Giesen, Germany.

From 1976 to 1977, by then a lieutenant colonel, he was serving as Assistant Chief of Staff for Logistics for the 3rd Armored Division, with Headquarters in Frankfurt. He returned to Washington as a student at the Industrial College of the Armed Forces in 1977-78, and then served for 2 1/2 years as Logistics Staff Officer and later Chief of the Commercial Industrial Type Activity Team in the Management Directorate, Office of the Chief of Staff. From 1980 to 1982, he was Director of Combat Service Support Systems with the Army Training and Doctrine Command at Fort Monroe, Virginia. In this position he helped draft the new proponency regulation that lead to the recreation of the branch chief concept for Combat Service Support Branches.

While at Fort Monroe, he was promoted to colonel in March, 1981. Following a two year tour as Commander, Division Support Command, for the 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, Texas, Brigadier General Salomon became Deputy Commanding General, 21st Support Command, U.S. Army Europe and Seventh Army in Kaiserslautern, Germany.

He was promoted to Brigadier General in March 1986 and in June 1986 was named Commandant of the U.S. Army Ordnance Center and School and Chief of Ordnance at Aberdeen Proving Ground Maryland During his two year tenure. he worked to improve the training, doctrine, and evaluation programs at the Ordnance School. He encouraged faculty and staff to take a teacher-mentor-counselor approach in the training process, to stress proficiency at all levels, and to place more emphasis on "hands-on" activity in the training process. General Salomon stressed improvements in competence for all officers, warrant officers, and enlisted personnel and improved the quality and extent of career development guidance given to officers. encouraging them to include both wholesale and retail assignments in their career progression wherever possible. Efforts were made to improve the integration of diagnostician training within the NCO training process. The Ordnance School also made great strides in developing new reserve component training initiatives. General Salomon also directed a wide-ranging leader development study at the request of the Chief of Staff of the Army.

General Salomon was promoted to Major General in 1988 and to Lieutenant General in October 1989. In September 1989. he was appointed Deputy Commanding General U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command for Combined Arms Support and Commanding General Combined Arms. Support Command and Fort Gregg-Adams. Virginia In October 1991. General Salomon became Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics at the Pentagon.

In February 1994, General Salomon became only the second Ordnance officer in the US Army history to earn his fourth star. He has been a tireless, dynamic advocate of leveraging technology, and has adapted business practices to the Army's research and development, acquisition, and sustainment programs. While noting that technology will not replace the soldier, he has insisted that technology is "a means to give soldiers the extra edge they need and so rightfully deserve."

As an early advocate of the power of microprocessing; as a strong exponent of mentoring and nurturing the Ordnance officer, warrant officer, enlisted personnel, and civilian employees; of leveraging technology, whatever the source; and of adopting, adapting, and accepting sound, common-sense business practices; General Salomon has been the role model in the Army's continuing search for a better-equipped, better-prepared, and better-trained Army.