The history of the General officers belt dates back to World War II with an order by the Army Chief of Staff that the belt be issued to all General officers. The thick black leather belt with an 18-karat gold-plated buckle and imprint of an eagle was first produced in 1944. Today, the occasion and uniform with which the belt is worn are at the discretion of the General Officer.
Sgt. 1st Class Marty A. Collins
Brig. Gen. Edwards paid tribute to his grandmother, Mrs. Betty Hale (seated with blanket) and said “I have to recognize one very special person who has honored me with their presence; this person is the co-winner of the distance award today having come over 800 miles to be here, a person that has literally given their life in service to others, someone who has witnessed World War II from the vantage point of an Army spouse and someone who had no idea I was going to say any of these things.”
Mallory and Drew Edwards then presented his father with his general officer flag and his other son Dylan presented his father with his general officer’s pistol. After the presentations Edwards addressed friends, colleagues, and the Soldiers in attendance.
“What is most rewarding to me are the people I have worked withÉall the people who have worked with me, people who have helped me in some large or small way and above all friends and family who have given their unquestioning support,” said Edwards.
Edwards enlisted in the Arkansas Army National Guard in 1978 just after beginning his senior year of high school. He shipped to Ft. Leonard Wood, Mo. for basic training in the summer of 1979 and to Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md. in the summer of 1980 and was trained as a machinist and awarded the MOS 44E. He was selected to attend the Arkansas Military Academy in 1981 and was commissioned a 2nd Lt. of Infantry in March 1982, graduating from Fort Benning’s Infantry Officer Course that summer.
“If you knew the numbers and did the arithmetic you might calculate that in the Army Reserve about one person in two thousand is a general officer. Well today the reason for that is clear to me, it takes about two thousand people, and in my case probably a little bit more, to make a general officer. All of you today are among those two thousand; all of you will always have my gratitude. This ceremony is really not about me, it’s just a way that I can bring you all together and say thank you, to all of you.”
Edwards is a graduate of the Infantry Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, the Psychological Operations Officer Course, the Combined Arms and Service Staff School, the US Army Command and General Staff Course and the US Army War College, from which he was awarded a Masters degree in Strategic Studies. His awards include the Meritorious Service medal with four oak leaf clusters, the Army Commendation medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster and the Army Achievement Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters.
Sgt. 1st Class Marty A. Collins
Maj. Gen. James B. Mallory III and Col. Dwayne Edwards arrive as part of the offi cial party in Edwards’s promotion ceremony. In 1775, the Continental Congress commissioned George Washington as General and Commander-in-Chief. In June 1780, General Washington issued an order that Brigadier Generals were to wear gold epaulettes, each with a single silver star. Today, the General Offi cer’s star remains the oldest rank insignia worn by offi cers of our armed forces.