By the Content of Character: The Life and Leadership of Major General Kenneth D. Gray (Ret.) (1966-1997), the First African-American Judge Advocate General Officer

• Author: Lieutenant Colonel George R. Smawley
• Pages: 06

128 MILITARY LAW REVIEW [Vol. 195

BY THE CONTENT OF CHARACTER1: THE LIFE AND LEADERSHIP OF MAJOR GENERAL KENNETH D. GRAY (RET.) (1966-1997), THE FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN JUDGE ADVOCATE GENERAL OFFICER

LIEUTENANT COLONEL GEORGE R. SMAWLEY2

"At this crucial time in our history, we must look back to the generations of Soldiers who came before us and know that they were led by visionary and principled leaders; that their service was based on a foundation of values; that they are the epitome of commitment, competence, candor, courage, and compassion; and that they shared a willingness to persevere and never, never, ever gave up."3

- Major General Kenneth D. Gray

1. Introduction

   In his 2001 book, Good to Great-Why Some Companies Make the Leap . . . and Others Don't, author and former Stanford University Business School faculty member Jim Collins explores the leadership qualities of business leaders able to move their organizations from

   merely good to simply great.4 According to Collins, leaders who consistently demonstrate a "paradoxical blend of personal humility and professional will . . . modest and willful, humble and fearless"5 are most likely to move their organizations to greatness-"the highest level in a hierarchy of executive capabilities."6 Collins's leadership studies carry important lessons for any organization, including the military, and find expression in the individual leaderships styles and philosophies of great leaders who demonstrate an unrestricted focus on institutional gain (vice personal gain), individual values, and a personal humility driven in large measure by apportioned credit for success.

   Major General (MG) Kenneth D. Gray, former The Assistant Judge Advocate General of the Army (TAJAG),7 is one such leader. During an extraordinarily successful Army career, this remarkable Soldier-lawyer was driven by a broad range of personal and organizational values, dedicated to the institutional Army and the quality of Army legal services, and focused on moving Judge Advocates and the Judge Advocate General's Corps8 forward-from good to great-with understated but highly effective and principled leadership for individual and institutional success.

   He is perhaps most celebrated as the highest ranking African-American jurist to serve in the U.S. military and the first to serve as a Judge Advocate general officer. But his race, while historically noteworthy, is a remarkably small part of the story. Major General Gray's leadership and service, which continue today in his capacity as the Vice President of Student Affairs for West Virginia University, are simply bigger than that.

   This article does not attempt to place a controlling narrative upon MG Gray's life; instead, it is a modest effort to offer the current generation of military and civilian leaders a model for moving themselves, their subordinates, and their organizations forward through value-driven leadership. The biography makes particular note of MG Gray's demonstrated moral compass, recently defined by executive leadership coaches Doug Lennick and Fred Kiel, Ph.D. as:

   a set of deeply held beliefs and values-that drives [leaders'] personal and professional lives. They revealed beliefs such as being honest no matter what; standing up for what is right; being responsible and accountable for their actions; caring about the welfare of those who work for them; and owning up to mistakes and failures.9

   What follows is a lesson of one man's heartfelt journey from rural West Virginia to the highest echelons of America's Army and back, and the character he displayed throughout. It surveys MG Gray's life from Excelsior, West Virginia, and tells the story of his journey from segregated schools, his service in Vietnam, the Pentagon, myriad leadership positions and related military milestones highlighted by his selection and promotion as the first African-American Judge Advocate to serve as a general officer. The concluding section addresses his personal leadership philosophy and principles that are, collectively, a valuable guidepost for just about any professional-military or civilian.

   Emphasis is given here to the value-driven approach engrained in MG Gray from childhood, and which helped him flourish as a black military lawyer serving in the post-Vietnam era until his retirement in May 1997 as the second highest ranking Army Judge Advocate. This article provides a chronological perspective on MG Kenneth Gray's personal

   and professional life, from his childhood in West Virginia coal country through his remarkable career in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General's Corps.

2. 1944-1970

   1. Rural West Virginia, 1944-1962

      William J. Bennett describes moral education as a process of "rules and precepts-the dos and don'ts of life with others-as well as explicit instruction, exhortation, and training."10 That process, Bennett wrote, "must affirm the central importance of moral example."11 For Kenneth Gray, that example started with his family. By observing and absorbing the smallest details of life and community near the West Virginia coal mines, he was able to acquire an interior attitude defined by core values, ideas, and practices.

      That experience began in the late 1940s and early 1950s in Excelsior, West Virginia-a small town with "two rows of houses between two roads near a railroad track"-surrounded by a large, close-knit family that lived within easy walking distance of one another.12 Major General Gray grew up in a generally segregated community while his father worked in the coal mines in nearby Caretta, West Virginia.13 His father, Raymond Gray, provided the family a solid working-class living as a miner during a period of relative prosperity.14 His grandfather, Reverend Thomas E. Woody, was the minister of the local Rosebud Baptist Church, which played a significant and active role in the family's life,

      especially that of Gray's mother, who took him to Missionary Society meetings, chorus practices, and related church activities.15

      Although MG Gray was an only child, he nevertheless grew up amidst a wealth of family that remains an enduring impression of his childhood-of the presence and influence of aunts, uncles, cousins, his grandmother, and the church.16 They collectively played an instrumental role in the man he would become, instilling in him all the tools necessary for challenges he would face and overcome.

      My family instilled in me that I could be anything I wanted to be, and to never let anything or anyone stop you. They also grew in me the idea that one should never use color as an excuse or for blame . . . you never really know the reason things happen, and you should never jump to conclusions or reasons for something not going well. You are responsible for yourself.17

      That sense of responsibility was cast in the inescapable atmosphere of segregation that existed in rural West Virginia. While the town of Excelsior itself was not uniformly segregated,18 the ugly hue of racism was certainly a part of Gray's childhood and included schools and public accommodations such as restaurants and movies. He recalls, for example, the segregated movie theater, where "we always sat up in the balcony, while the white folks sat on the main level."19

      The family also had its economic struggles. After eighteen years of working in the mines his father, a veteran who had fought in the Philippines and served as a local American Legion Commander, was laid off with little compensation during a down-turn in the industry coinciding with expanded use of machinery and mechanized extraction methods.20 Like many other families, this changed a crucial dynamic between MG Gray's parents. He recalls:

      So, the roles reversed in my household. My dad stayed home and my mother went back to college and got her degree from Bluefield State College and became a teacher. She really became the breadwinner in the family, and my dad would stay home and do the cooking and take care of the house. That was really tough; it was a tough thing for them and later led to their divorce . . . when I was a sophomore in college.21

      Finally, it is worth noting that Gray's segregated high school had a record of producing serious students who went on to be successful in life and in post-secondary education. The faculty at Excelsior High School was universally African American, and most had Master's degrees or equivalent higher education. Gray remembers that they were highly qualified teachers who prepared willing students for success in higher education.22 "They were dedicated professionals, lived in the community where they worked, and genuinely cared for the children."23

   2. West Virginia State College, 1962-1966

      There had never been a serious discussion about MG Gray following his father into the coal mines; his parents didn't want it, and neither did he. The Grays' dream for their son was that he would go to college and into a professional career. Accordingly, upon graduation from Excelsior High School in 1962, Gray and seven of his classmates entered the freshman class of West Virginia State College, a historically black college located in Institute, West Virginia. 24

      The quality faculty at Excelsior inspired its students toward excellence and provided a marvelous basis for further education. That foundation paid great dividends for Gray, and he found undergraduate college to be a tremendous experience. His long relationship with the military began there as a Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) cadet. He was also active in a variety of organizations, including the Pershing Rifles,25 Scabbard and Blade,26 student government (as treasurer of his class), and Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity (as president of the local chapter).27 During this period the college required all male college freshmen and sophomores to participate in ROTC, beyond which students competed to remain in the program.28 College was also where he met his future wife, Carolyn Jane Trice. They were married upon his graduation in...