Gordon sullivan biography

Gordon Russell Sullivan
General, U.S. Army

Gordon Russell Sullivan was born on 25 September 1937 in Boston, MA, and raised in Quincy. He was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Norwich University in 1959. As a member of the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC), he was also commissioned as a Second Lieutenant of Armor. He also earned a Master of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of New Hampshire.

His professional military education includes the U.S. Army Armor School Basic and Advanced Courses; the Command and General Staff College; and the Army War College.

During his Army career, Sullivan's key assignments included: Assistant Commandant, U.S. Army Armor School, Fort Knox, KY (November 1983-July 1985); Deputy Commandant, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, KS (March 1987-June 1988); Commanding General, 1st Infantry Division (Mechanized), Fort Riley, KS (June 1988-July 1989); Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Plans; and Vice Chief of Staff of the Army. His overseas assignments included four tours in Europe, two in Vietnam, and one in Korea.

He culminated his service in uniform as the 32nd Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army-the senior general officer in the Army-and a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. As the Chief of Staff of the Army, he created the vision and led the team that transitioned the Army from its Cold War posture. In August 1993, President Bill Clinton assigned the duties and responsibility of Acting Secretary of the Army to General Sullivan who continued to serve as Chief of Staff.

General Gordon Sullivan retired from the Army on 31 July 1995 after more than 36 years of active service.

Medals and Awards

Defense Distinguished Service Medal

Distinguished Service Medal with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster

Defense Superior Service Medal

Legion of Merit

Bronze Star Medal

Purple Heart

Meritorious Service Medal with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster

Joint Service Commendation Medal

Army Commendatio

Inducted July 2016

General Gordon R. Sullivan is recognized for the innovative use of simulation to design, equip and train the United Sates Army. Patterned after George C. Marshall’s Louisiana Maneuvers of the 1940s that prepared the Army for World War II, General Sullivan recognized the need to reset our Army post-cold war and Desert Storm. The 1990’s Louisiana Maneuvers provided the vision and leadership needed for the next century. As the architect of the America’s 21st Century Army, he turned to simulations as the power-resource that led the transition from a forward deployed Cold War Army to CONUS-based Force Projection Army. His policies and leadership redesigned and delivered, through the use of simulations, a new Army with new force structure, new tactics, new equipment and new training that impacted the Army’s focus from foxhole to the industrial base.

Biography

General Gordon Russell Sullivan was the 32nd Army Chief of Staff and the visionary and force that made the increased Army Force XXI effort on simulation possible.

Sullivan was born September 25, 1937, in Boston, Massachusetts, and grew up in nearby Quincy. He was commissioned a second lieutenant of Armor and awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Norwich University in 1959. He holds a Master of Arts degree in political science from the University of New Hampshire. His professional military education includes the U.S. Army Armor School Basic and Advanced Courses, the Command and General Staff College, and the Army War College.

Before retiring as a United States general, Sullivan served as the 32nd Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and also served as Acting Secretary of the Army.

After retiring from the Army he served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) for 18 years, from 1998 thru June 30, 2016. He is currently the Chairman of the Board o

American general (1937–2024)

Gordon Russell Sullivan (25 September 1937 – 2 January 2024) was a United States Armygeneral, who served as the 32nd Chief of Staff of the Army and as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Sullivan also served as acting Secretary of the Army.

After retiring from the Army, Sullivan served as the president and chief executive of the Association of the United States Army for 18 years, from 1998 through 30 June 2016. He also served as the chairman of the board of trustees of Norwich University until 2016. He served as chairman of the boards of The Army Historical Foundation and the Marshall Legacy Institute.

Early life and education

Sullivan was born in Boston, Massachusetts on 25 September 1937, the son of Russell E. Sullivan and Penuel E. (Gordon) Sullivan. He was raised in nearby Quincy, and he graduated from Braintree's Thayer Academy in 1955. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Norwich University in 1959. Sullivan took part in the Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps while at Norwich and at graduation he received his commission as a second lieutenant of Armor.

Sullivan held a Master of Arts degree in political science from the University of New Hampshire. His professional military education included the United States Army Armor School Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, the United States Army Command and General Staff College, and the United States Army War College.

Military career

During his army career, Sullivan served as: Assistant Commandant, United States Army Armor School at Fort Knox, Kentucky from November 1983 to July 1985; Deputy Commandant, United States Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas from March 1987 to June 1988; Commanding General, 1st Infantry Division (Mechanized) at Fort Riley, Kansas from June 1988

By Dallas Looney

General Gordon R. Sullivan was a man of action and a soldier devoted to serving his country. Amongst many different assignments, General Sullivan was most prominently the thirty-second Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army. His life reflected the values of the American soldier, and he left a significant legacy with the U.S. Army after thirty-six years of service. 

Gordon R. Sullivan was born on 25 September 1937 in Boston, Massachusetts, to Russell E. and Penuel E. Sullivan. While he was born in Boston, it was nearby Quincy that Sullivan called home for much of his childhood, and it was there where he felt his first connections to the military through local military parades, personal family connection to the armed forces, and meeting veterans of World War II through his grandfather. 

After graduating from Thayer Academy in 1955, Sullivan went on a weekend visit to Norwich University in Vermont. It was there that he set eyes upon the cadets of Norwich, falling in love with the atmosphere and the idea of joining the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC). Sullivan, however, felt he was not the ideal cadet candidate upon his entry as a freshman into Norwich’s ROTC program, but as time went on his performance in academics so improved that he made the dean’s list in his senior year. Leaning upon his previous work in blue-collar positions during his teen years, Sullivan had a respect for the noncommissioned officers who served as instructors in the ROTC program who he felt were less “artificial” during his education. Of particular adoration were the veterans in the program who served in World War II, Korea, and even World War I. 

Upon graduating from Norwich in 1959 with a B.A. in History, Sullivan was commissioned a second lieutenant of Armor and sent to the U.S. Army Armor School at Fort Knox, Kentucky, to attend the officer basic course. After completing the officer basic course, he was assigned to 1