GORDON RUSSELL SULLIVAN was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on 25 September 1937; was commissioned a second lieutenant through the Reserve Officers Training Corps at Norwich University, where he graduated in 1959; entered active duty and attended the officer basic course at the U.S. Army Armor School, Fort Knox, Kentucky; served with the 1st Battalion, 66th Armor, 2d Armored Division, 1960–1961; was promoted to temporary and permanent first lieutenant, May 1961 and November 1962, respectively; served with 3d Battalion, 40th Armor, in Korea, 1961–1962; was assistant Civil Guard/Self-Defense Corps adviser, 21st Infantry Division, Military Assistance Advisory Group, Vietnam, 1962–1963; was promoted to temporary captain, November 1963; was executive assistant to the assistant chief of staff, J–2 (Intelligence), Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, 1963–1964; graduated from armor officer advanced course, 1965; married Miriam Gay Loftus, 1965; was promoted to permanent captain, November 1966; served with 3d Battalion, 32d Armor, 3d Armored Division, United States Army, Europe, 1965–1966; served with the Military Personnel Division, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel, United States Army, Europe, 1966–1967; was promoted to temporary major, September 1967; graduated from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, 1969; was personnel services officer, Plans and Operations Division, G–1 (Personnel), Headquarters, I Field Force, Vietnam, 1969–1970; was personnel management officer, Personnel Actions Section, Armor Branch, Office of Personnel Operations, 1970–1973; was promoted to permanent major, November 1973; attended University of New Hampshire to earn a Master of Arts in political science, 1973–1974; was promoted to temporary lieutenant colonel, May 1974; commanded 4th Battalion, 73d Armor, 1st Infantry Division (Forward), United States Army, Europe, 1975–1976; was chief of staff, 1st Infantry Division (Forward), 1976–1977; graduated from the Army War College, 1978; was assistant chief of staff, G–3 (Operations), VII Corps, United States Army, Europe, 1980–1981; was promoted to temporary colonel, July 1980, and permanent lieutenant colonel, November 1980; was commander, 1st Brigade, 3d Armored Division, United States Army, Europe, 1981–1983; was promoted to permanent colonel, March 1982; was chief of staff, 3d Armored Division, United States Army, Europe, 1983; was assistant commandant, United States Army Armor School, 1983–1985; was promoted to permanent brigadier general, October 1984; was deputy chief of staff for support, Central Army Group, Europe, 1985–1987; was deputy commandant, United States Army Command and General Staff College, 1987–1988; commanded the 1st Infantry Division (Mechanized), 1988–1989; was promoted to temporary lieutenant general, July 1989; was deputy chief of staff for operations and plans, United States Army, 1989–1990; was promoted to temporary general, June 1990; was vice chief of staff of the United States Army, 1990–1991; was chief of staff of the United States Army, 21 June 1991–20 June 1995; led the Army through fundamental transformation after the liberation of Kuwait, which included force reductions and base closures accompanied by doctrinal change, successes in peacekeeping, emphasis on new ways of war, and experiments that moved the Army into the information age; retired from active service, June 1995.


The Artist

Ned Bittinger (1951– ), a native Washingtonian, is an award-winning portrait painter whose alla prima technique gives his paintings energy and immediacy. Also to his credit, he was commissioned by Scholastic, Inc., to paint the illustrations for two of its books-one for children on the Passover seder, the other on the Civil War. He has painted the portraits of prominent figures, including James A. Baker, Shirley MacLaine, Nancy M. Kissinger, and many others. His portrait of General Gordon R. Sullivan is reproduced from the Army Art Collection.

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Painting:  Gordon Russell Sullivan.  By Ned Bittinger.
Gordon Russell Sullivan
By Ned Bittinger
Oil on canvas, 40" x 32", 1995

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