Commander of U.S Army Forces Command General Charles C. “Hondo†Campbell retired yesterday after 40 years of service. Campbell was leader of the U.S. Army Forces Command for the past 3 years, beginning Jan. 9, 2007.Campbell represents something unique as he is the last continuously serving general officer who served during the Vietnam War to be leaving active duty. During Campbell’s career in active duty he saw many turning points.
“The Army of today is a fundamentally different from the Army of 2001,†Campbell said.
One of the turning points, Campbell explained, was when the Army became an all-volunteer force, in the summer of 1973. The next turning point was when the Berlin Wall collapsed, and the last turning point arrived with the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
As Campbell leaves his post, he shares his optimism about the Army’s future saying, “Our soldiers today are more expert, better educated, better trained, more lethal and more combat-experience than at any time, certainly, in the 40 years I have served in the ranks.â€
While the Army is exhausted from almost nine years of combat, it remains resilient and determined, Campbell said.