Jackson native details Army career as four-star general

The path to becoming a four-star general in the U.S. Army is fraught with difficulty, but Jackson native Louis C. Wagner Jr. said his achievement of the rank came down to three things.

Louis C. Wagner is shown after receiving the General Creighton W. Abrams Award for exceptional service to the U.S. Army. (Submitted photo)

"You have to work hard," Wagner said. "You also have to speak out when necessary; you just can't blindly follow orders. A little bit of luck also helps."

Wagner, 81, retired from the Army in 1989 after 35 years in uniform. His exemplary service to his country was marked by many career highlights, which included two tours of duty in Vietnam and positions in Germany, but Wagner said it all began while growing up in Jackson when he was called "Carson" Wagner.

"I always knew I wanted to go to West Point," he said. "I graduated as the valedictorian from Jackson High School in 1950, and I was able to receive an appointment to West Point from my congressman, Paul Jones."

Wagner said the transition from Jackson teenager to a cadet at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., wasn't easy, but "copping out" was never an option.

"I missed home, but there was no way I was going to leave," he said. "The first year at West Point is tough, tougher than it is now. But I did well."

Top 15 percent

Wagner excelled as a cadet and graduated from the academy in 1954 in the top 15 percent of his class. Commissioned as a second lieutenant, Wagner missed serving in the Korean War, which ended in 1953, but he was sent to Fort Knox, Ky., to be trained in Armor and then to Fort Benning, Ga., for Airborne and Ranger training.

Gen. Louis C. Wagner when he was commanding general of the U.S. Army Materiel Command.

"My first assignment was in Airborne in Germany," he said, "and after that I was at Fort Knox commanding troops in an armored cavalry unit. I was also able to get my master's degree in theoretical and applied mechanics from the University of Illinois."

Wagner's master's degree was a necessary requirement for him to become an instructor and assistant professor in the Department of Mechanics at West Point, where he taught from 1961 to 1964. His tenure as a West Point instructor ended when he was assigned to his first tour of duty in Vietnam from 1964 to 1965.

"I was an infantry adviser with the Military Assistance Command in Vietnam," he said. "But I went from a hot climate to cold when I was sent to Fort Greely, Alaska."

Wagner served as an Armor test officer at Fort Greely's Arctic Test Center for two years, where tanks were tested in temperatures that would sometimes hit 60 degrees below zero. His next assignment was at the more temperate Naval War College in Newport, R.I., followed by another tour of duty in Vietnam from 1971 to 1972 as an infantry and armor adviser.

"They had armor units in Vietnam, but I went to the Infantry because of my Ranger background," he said. "Later I transferred to the only armor brigade in the South Vietnamese Army."

Wagner said that the South Vietnamese Army fought heroically during the time when U.S. troops were being removed as combatants in the war.

"In 1971, during the drawdown, we were equipping the South Vietnamese Army," he said. "Then came the Easter Offensive [an offensive launched by North Vietnam against South Vietnam in March 1972] and in two and a half months we destroyed most of the North Vietnamese Army. When Congress later cut off funding to South Vietnam, I was very disappointed. To me, it was a sin."

After Vietnam, Wagner returned to Germany in 1974 as a colonel in command of the 1st Brigade, 3rd Armored Division. After his promotion to brigadier general in 1976, he was assigned to the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., as deputy director of U.S. Army support systems until 1980.

"I didn't really want to be sent to the Pentagon," Wagner said. "I still wanted to be in Germany commanding troops."

Wagner would command troops again from 1980 to 1983 when he became the commanding general of the U.S. Army Armor Center at Fort Knox. He was promoted to lieutenant general in 1984 and was assigned back to Washington as assistant deputy chief of staff for Army operations and plans. Wagner's Army career culminated in 1987 when he received his fourth star and became the commanding general of the U.S. Army Materiel Command.

'Got what we wanted'

"I was responsible for procuring and developing all of the equipment used by the Army in 65 different installations," he said. "In that job, like in previous Pentagon duties, I would have to testify before House and Senate committees about what the Army needed. We got what we wanted, especially during the Reagan Administration."

After his retirement from the Army in 1989, Wagner remained active in military matters as a consultant and is a senior fellow with Association of the U.S. Army, which is a proponent of the Army on Capitol Hill and in industry. He also recently received the General Creighton W. Abrams award for his exceptional service to the U.S. Army during active duty and in retirement.

"I'm still in the thick of things," he said.

Wagner said his wife Judy, whom he married in 1955, was of great help to him throughout the course of his career and continues to be in his retirement.

"She's gone through a lot with me in a lot of different places," he said.

When asked if the Army had changed during his time as an active-duty officer, Wagner said that it had, particularly when it went to an all-volunteer status in 1973.

"But it's still the finest army I've ever seen," he said. "Our troops have faced a lot of tough times, especially with the combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. But it's full of great soldiers and great leaders. I'm proud of them."

klewis@semissourian.com

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