Remembering U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Arthur Gregg: 'He was a great mentor'

RICHMOND, Va. -- Those who knew U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Arthur Gregg are sharing their memories of a man they said was a good friend and mentor.

Gregg passed away last week at the age of 96. He is the Gregg in the name Fort Gregg-Adams in Prince George County, Va.

"I have the fondest memories of General Gregg," said Dr. Steven Anders. "He was a soldier's soldier."

Anders met Gregg in 1984 when Anders was hired as the command historian for what was then Fort Lee.

Gregg had already retired from the Army, but returned to the base for a number of reasons, including being the regiment's honorary colonel.

"I would see him all those times and I went up and interviewed him," said Anders. "We became very good friends."

"I just had tremendous admiration for him. I've met all these people, generals, all of whom I respect for the various accomplishments, but some are just in the top, top tier and that was General Gregg."

Gregg enlisted in the Army in 1946, at a time when it was still segregated.

His first posting to Fort Lee was in 1950 when he was a logistics officer and helped implement President Harry Truman's 1948 desegregation order.

"As an example, when I arrived, I could not enter the officer's club. But by the end of 1950, I was able to go into the officer's club and other facilities on base," Gregg recalled in an interview to CBS 6 last year.

Fort Gregg-Adams: Retired Lt. Gen. Arthur Gregg reflects on historic military career

"He always saw that in the Army that there's, there is an opportunity," said Anders. "He was one of those guys that, for whom, soldiering was an affair of the heart. He loved it."

Gregg would served for several more decades, including another stint at Fort Lee, and became the first African-American to reach the rank of Lieutenant General.

Anders said among Gregg's visits back to the fort after retirement was to pass along that love and his command philosophy to young officers -- lead by example -- which he summed up in a General Dwight Eisenhower anecdote.

"You put a string on the table, you know. You pull it, it's going to go. If you push it, it's not going anywhere, right?"

And when the U.S. military began renaming bases previously named for Confederate generals -- Anders was among those advocating for Gregg to become its namesake.

"This is now the home of U.S. Army logistics," said Anders. "It should be named after a logistician."

Gregg was eventually picked, along with Colonel Charity Adams -- who led an all-Black female postal battalion in World War Two.

When the renaming ceremony took place last year -- Gregg became the first living person in modern U.S. history to have a base named for them.

Watch: Who are Lt. Gen. Arthur Gregg and Lt. Col. Charity Adams?

Who are Lt. Gen. Arthur Gregg and Lt. Col. Charity Adams?

"That makes the honor even more special," Gregg said last year.

Among those on-hand for the rededication was Col. Rich Bendelewski. While he only met Gregg briefly that day, the two had more time together less than a month ago when Bendelewski became the new garrison commander, with Gregg calling him over when it was finished.

"To see this man, 96-year-old, stand up and then shake my hand. All he said was, 'Go get 'em', right? And you know, it was a cool moment for me, obviously cool moment for my family," Bendelewski recalled. "One of the last things he said, 'My phone's always on, right? And I expect you to call, and I expect you to ask for advice and guidance if that's what you need.' So just a complete open book."

While Gregg has now passed, Anders and Bendelewski his impact will continue to be felt at the fort now bearing his name and in the officers that will walk through those gates.

"I will remember him as one, whom I said, was dedicated his life to the Army," said Anders. "He was a great mentor to me, indirectly, but to scores of soldiers."

"It's not just a legacy that is evident today, but it's a legacy that's going to carry on for what will be, clearly, generations to come," added Bendelewski.

Bendelewski added Gregg did leave guidance that he would like a memorial service to be held at the fort -- but the date and time for that has not been finalized.

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