John Scully Transcript.pdf 

John Scully, Major General, US Army & Army Reserve

“Infantry wins battles, logistics wins wars.”  How then would one find leaders capable of carrying out logistics such as moving supplies and troops? John Scully’s instructor at ROTC [Reserve Officer Training Corps] Summer Training had all but given up on him until he witnessed Cadet Scully’s organizational abilities during a simulated squad attack on a hill. This was fortunate since it led to Scully’s stellar career in the US Army Reserve for over thirty years.

John was born and raised in the Chicago area. Many of his relatives had served in the US Armed Forces, while others had been football players and students at the University of Notre Dame. John studied English literature, and he participated in ROTC from 1960 to 1964.

After graduation, graduate school, and marriage, Scully went on active duty. The US Army perceived John’s common sense, and “can do” attitude. His first assignment was with the Public Affairs Office at the 5^th Army Headquarters, as part of the planning team for the Armed Forces Parade on State St. in Chicago, in 1967. It was for the new second lieutenant an opportunity to meet political and civic leaders with whom he would reconnect during his business career in future years.

In January of 1967, he was assigned to the 38th Base Post Office at Fort Riley, Kansas which would deploy to Vietnam. He was responsible for moving the entire unit, both equipment, and personnel, from there to Vietnam. This meant, for example, arranging with the transportation office for railroad cars to move equipment from Kansas to Oakland Army Terminal and then signing off on manifests for equipment being shipped from there to the port of Saigon.

In Vietnam, Scully established the postal directory at Tan Son Nhut Air Base. He supervised a unit of ninety soldiers whose job was to sort mail seven days a week. Although John thought that the costs of the Vietnam War were too high, he took his oath to the Constitution seriously, cared for those under his charge, and felt grateful for the benefits of what was considered a “good job” in Vietnam, such as exploring Saigon.

He returned to the US on Thanksgiving in 1967. While John did not face adversity, he did not receive a warm welcome either. There was no awareness of PTSD then but luckily, his wife could calm him when he experienced nocturnal terrors.

John began to work at The Northern Trust Company in January 1968. In August 1968, he received orders to report to the 425th Transportation Brigade in the Army Reserves in Forest Park, Illinois. He was assigned the position of assistant adjutant general. He had personnel and administrative responsibilities.

A few years later, John became a commander for the first time, when he was put in charge of one-hundred and fifty personnel of the 477th Personnel Services Company, which was the personnel record-keeping unit of the 425^th Transportation Brigade’s units. For two weeks of annual training, he was based at either Fort Benjamin in Harrison, Indiana, or at St. Louis Personnel Records Center, in Missouri.

Scully and his wife would bring their children to annual training sites so that the family could be together during the summer. He attributes the support of his wife and family, as well as his employers to his successful Reserve career. Initially, Scully’s time commitment to the Reserves was about two weekends and two days a month but at his highest rank, he dedicated over one hundred per year.

Scully’s next assignment was at the 419th Transportation Battalion at Fort Sheridan, Illinois, where he was responsible for the battalion headquarters and four units. Brigadier General Thomas Crowe tasked him with “shaping up” a unit that had repeatedly failed inspections. John found that working with a talented XO  [executive officer] and a resolute team, was the key to success. They tackled the errant unit’s problems, one by one, until it passed the inspection.

Shortly thereafter, John was chosen to be Inspector General for the 425th Transportation Brigade. Only a person of high integrity could be appointed since the role went beyond mechanical or administrative checks to investigations into charges of sexual harassment or misuse of funds.

In addition to his unit assignment as Inspector General, he also studied at the Army War College.  This two-year distance learning course of study included two weeks in the summers at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania. Scully learned strategy and long-range planning, which prepared him for director-level positions in the Army.

After the War College Colonel Scully commanded the 336th Transportation Group in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This assignment had both trucks and the only railroad units in the U. S. Army

In 1987, Scully was selected to be the Commander of the 425^th Transportation Brigade and he was promoted to Brigadier General.  A major accomplishment in this assignment was Scully’s procurement of two Electro Motor diesel engines. The railroad engine operating company would borrow an engine from the Wisconsin Central Railroad until Scully successfully petitioned Major General Bill Ward, Chief of the Army Reserve for assistance. Ward not only authorized the purchase of the engine for Fort McCoy, Wisconsin but also the purchase of a second engine for the active Army at Fort Eustis, Virginia. John sees his Legion of Merit medal, as well as a miniature of this engine as symbolizing the role that the Reserves play in the total Army.

“Tell us what you need, and we'll figure out a way to get it done.”

 In 1990 Scully was selected for his second general officer assignment as the Deputy Commander of the 86th Army Reserve Command.  During Operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield (1991), the Command activated ten thousand soldiers from Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin, including the early activation of a seven-man etymology detachment!

After eighteen months with the 86^th ARCOM, Scully was selected to be the Commander of the 102nd ARCOM in St. Louis, Missouri, and he was promoted to Major General. He was responsible for the continued activation of troops to combat zones from units in Illinois, Missouri, and Kansas. Major General Scully oversaw eighty units ranging from Black Hawk helicopter detachments to transportation units.

In 1995, Major General Scully brought his wealth of experience to the Army Reserve Forces Policy Committee at the Pentagon. The Committee, comprised of generals from the Army, Army Reserve, and National Guard was tasked with reviewing the policies and procedures ranging from uniform selection to discussion on how best to utilize the various military components for missions.

He retired from the Army in September 1996 but continued to serve as a USAR Ambassador, Illinois State Chair for ESGR and he served for over eleven years as a Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army for Illinois.

In addition to his Reserve career, Scully worked for four Chicago Banks in operations and human resources. He spent over twenty years as the Group Senior Vice President and Director of Human Resources for La Salle Bank.

Major General Scully reflects on the Reserves and its link to the citizen soldier:

“…The citizen soldier realizes that he's going to do a mission or she's going to do a mission and then they're going to go back to their civilian life. The key to the citizen soldier is the citizen.”