Fort Sill gains new Deputy Commanding General

A month after former Deputy to the Commanding General Joe E. Gallagher retired from Fort Sill, another contender filled the spot.

At 9 a.m. on Tuesday at Fort Sill’s Kerwin Auditorium, the Fires Center of Excellence welcomed Dr. (SES) Alvin Peterson as the new Deputy to the Commanding General.

Even when he was three feet tall, Peterson said he always wanted to be in the armed forces. Growing up in Sedro Wooley, Wash., service was always in his house.

“My dad was a Navy Seabee in World War II and then he worked for the National Parks Service,” Peterson said.

Peterson has had a colorful career in the armed forces. He attended Officer Candidate School in 1984, enlisted in the Marines in 1989 and was there for 20 years. In total, he has been in the armed forces for almost 40 years.

“I retired here at Fort Sill, worked as a contractor for a couple of years, but then was blessed with getting hired as a GS civilian,” Peterson said.

Earning an undergraduate in Political Science from Washington State University, a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Oklahoma and a Ph.D in Organizational Leadership from North Central University in Arizona, along with his extensive military experience, it’s best not to mess with him.

The journey to become Deputy to the Commanding General was a lengthy one.

“I first worked in training developments and then one of the gentlemen, Kirby Brown, led me to be the Deputy GA, which is financial management,” Peterson said. “Then I became the director of the GA. Then his successor, Mr. Joe Gallagher, brought me over to be the Deputy Chief of Staff. During that time, I was taught a lot, which enabled me to compete for this position and I was chosen by the Army for this position.”

As Deputy to the Commanding General, Peterson plans to assist and lead Fort Sill in supporting modernization and training. His new role will include assisting Maj. Gen. Winston P. Brooks in the development and execution of organizational goals, objectives and policies to better prepare Army leaders and soldiers to receive world class supplies, training, etc., Brooks said during his remarks at the ceremony.