Johnnie E . Wilson General Johnnie Edward Wilson ( born February 4 , 1944 ) is a retired United States Army four - star general who served as Commanding General , United States Army Materiel Command ( CG AMC ) from 1996 to 1999 . Military career . Wilson was born on February 4 , 1944 in Baton Rouge , Louisiana . He was raised in Lorain , Ohio and entered the Army in August 1961 as an enlisted soldier , attaining the rank of staff sergeant before attending Officer Candidate School ( OCS ) . On completion of OCS in 1967 , he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Ordnance Corps . He was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Nebraska at Omaha . He also holds a Master of Science degree in Logistics Management from the Florida Institute of Technology . His military education includes completion of the Ordnance Officer Basic and Advanced Courses , the Army Command and General Staff College , and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces . General Wilson has held a wide variety of important command and staff positions culminating in his assignment as the Commanding General , U . S . Army Materiel Command . Other key assignments include : Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics , Department of the Army , Pentagon ; Chief of Staff , U . S . Army Materiel Command ; Commanding General , Ordnance Center and School , Aberdeen Proving Ground , Maryland ; Deputy Commanding General , 21st Area Theater Command , U . S . Army Europe and 7th Army ; Commander , 13th Support Command , Fort Hood , Texas ; and Commander , Division Support Command , 1st Armored Division , U . S . Army Europe . General Wilson has served at every level of command . He commanded three times at the company level ; a maintenance company in the 82nd Airborne Division as a First Lieutenant , followed by command of a supply and services company in Vietnam with the 173rd Airborne Brigade , and B Company 123rd Maintenance Battalion 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 commanded twice at the Colonel level , serving as the DISCOM Commander of the 1st Armored Division followed by command of the 13th Support Command at Fort Hood , Texas . General Wilson next 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 served as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics , Department of the Army , where he was responsible for worldwide logistics . Decorations . General Wilson ’ s awards and decorations include the Army Distinguished Service Medal ( with Oak Leaf Cluster ) , Legion of Merit ( with Oak Leaf Cluster ) , Bronze Star ( with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters ) , Meritorious Service Medal ( with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters ) , Army Commendation Medal , Good Conduct Medal , Special Forces Tab , Master Parachutist Badge and the Army Staff Identification Badge . General Wilson retired from the U . S . Army on 26 April 1999 . Post military career . After retirement , Wilson became President and Chief Operating Officer of Dimensions International , Inc . He has also served on the board of the Truman Library Institute , after being nominated by Colin Powell , and serves on the Army Scholarship Foundation as a member of the Foundation ' s Honorary Advisory Committee . Wilson is married to the former Helen McGhee of Elyria , Ohio . They have three children and seven grandchildren . Wilson is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity .