Gregory D. Gadson

Col. Gregory D. Gadson assumed command June 25, 2012, of Fort Belvoir, Va., a 47,000-strong garrison in its 100th year of service. Gadson graduated from West Point in 1989 and holds Masters Degrees in Information Systems and Policy Management from Webster University. He is a graduate of the Command and General Staff College and the Advanced Field Artillery Officers Course and in 2010, he became an Army War College Fellow at the Institute of World Politics in Washington, D.C. Gadson, was returning from a memorial service in Baghdad for two Soldiers from his brigade on May 7, 2007, when his vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device. He lost both legs above the knee and suffered a severe injury to his right arm. He became one of the first Soldiers fitted with a next-generation powered prosthetic knee. It allows amputees to walk with a more natural gait. Rather than taking a medical retirement, Gadson requested to stay on active duty. Gadson returned to active duty to serve almost two years as director of the Army Wounded Warrior program before being selected to command Fort Belvoir.