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Army bids farewell to White

by Staff Sgt. Marcia Triggs

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, May 12, 2003) - A farewell ceremony marked the end of Thomas White's term as the 18th secretary of the Army May 9 at Fort Myer, Va.

The Department of Defense announced April 25 that White submitted his resignation to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. The reason for White's sudden decision to step down was not given.

The White House announced May 7 that James Roche, who is currently the secretary of the Air Force, was nominated as White's replacement. Roche now must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate to be the 19th Secretary of the Army.

It was Spring 2001 when White made his first speech as the secretary of the Army. In front of a group of senior noncommissioned officers, he first introduced the Army to his ideas of transformation and better business practices.

As a former Enron executive who specialized in getting companies to outsource services, one of White's goals was to get the Army out of non-war-related business.

"The last two years have been a period of enormous importance for our Army and the country. The Installation Management Agency, Network Enterprise Technology Command and the Army Contracting Agency are examples of improvements to our business practices," White said during an intimate ceremony that was hosted by Army Chief of Staff Gen. Eric K. Shinseki.

As a tag team White and Shinseki have both awarded countless soldiers for heroic acts and accomplishments, but this time White stood still while Shinseki pinned the Decoration for Distinguished Civilian Service Medal on him.

White received the highest award for civilian service in an auditorium filled with his family members, close friends, members of Congress and Pentagon personnel. In formation stood units from the 3rd U.S. Infantry (Old Guard), and the Army Band, "Pershing's Own," representing soldiers Armywide.

The soldier and his family is why White said he joined the Army team again after retiring as a brigadier general in 1990.

"We came back to the Army two years ago for only one reason, to give something back to the institution that changed my life and gave so much to me," White said.

The Residential Communities Initiative, which uses commercial contractors to improve family housing, was one accomplishment White listed. "By 2007 we will have contracts in place to provide over 72,000 new or refurbished homes to Army families stationed in the United States," he said.

"We are transforming concurrently with winning the global War on Terrorism. It ain't the 'shock and awe' of the operational plan that wins wars, it's all about having the best soldiers," White said, which was followed by thunderous applause from the audience.

When White came on board, the Army was in the process of transforming under the vision of Shinseki. But the chief told the audience members that White reinforced his efforts to bridge the operational gap between the rapidly deployable lighter forces and the later arriving heavier forces.

"He [White] fought to increase the Army's momentum in its advance toward the objective force and the future combat system, and he worked tirelessly with Congress to improve housing, pay, and education for soldiers and their family members," Shinseki said.

Two tours in Vietnam and the War on Terrorism are bookends to a career that spans over 36 years and makes White a veteran of three wars, Shinseki said at the end of his 15-minute tribute to White.

White graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1967 and joined the ranks of the Army's officer corps.

The former cavalry officer closed out his Army career holding his grandson, Thomas E. White IV, and watching the Army Band march away playing "The Army Goes Rolling Along."