JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas –
Family, friends and colleagues, past and present, gathered at the Fort Sam Houston Theater at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston Feb. 2 to honor the promotion of the commanding general of U.S. Army Mission and Installation Management Command, Douglas S. Lowrey, from the rank of brigadier general to major general.
Hosted by Lt. Gen. Christopher O. Mohan, deputy commanding general of the U.S. Army Material Command, the ceremony was attended by more than 300 in-person and virtual attendees.
Distinguished attendees included Lt. Gen. John Evans, commanding general of U.S. Army North (Fifth Army), Joe Bray the civilian aide to the secretary of the Army for south Texas, several general officers, senior command sergeants major and Lowrey’s close friends and family, to include his spouse of 26 years, Dena Lowrey, their three sons and his father, Grady Lowrey.
Held at the historic Fort Sam Houston Theater, the event was a formal yet festive celebration in honor of Lowrey, an Oklahoma native with nearly 30 years of service to the Army. The Fort Sam’s Own, 323rd Army Band, led by Chief Warrant Officer 2 Ryan Knight, kicked off the ceremony with the playing of the national anthem followed by the invocation delivered by retired Army Chaplain (Col.) John D. Read.
Before the formal promotion, which included reading the promotion order, the exchange of the old rank for the new rank on Lowrey’s Army green service uniform and beret, reaffirmation of Lowrey’s oath of service and unfurling of a two-star position flag, Mohan addressed the audience.
“A promotion ceremony is about service,” Mohan said. “It’s about some of the things that you have done, but it is really about your potential for future service.”
He highlighted some of Lowrey’s accomplishments over his career, which began as an Infantry officer after earning an ROTC commission in 1994 from Northeastern State University in Oklahoma, before transitioning to the Army Acquisition Corps in 2005.
“He became a contracting officer, and from there Doug has held every critical position, and excelled at all of them, as he has progressed through the ranks,” Mohan said.
Lowrey’s operational assignments over the last three decades include deployments in support of Operation New Dawn, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Unified Response and Operation Intrinsic Action.
Mohan also detailed Lowrey’s notable successes from many years of staff and command positions, to include his service as director of Army contracting, office of the deputy assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology; commander of the 409th Contracting Support Brigade; and commander of the 901st Contracting Battalion.
After his promotion to the rank of brigadier general in 2020, Lowrey was also selected for command of the U.S. Army Security Assistance Command, at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama. Following the success of that command, in May 2021 Lowrey was chosen to command the MICC.
"When you talk about Doug Lowrey, you talk about a humble servant and his investment in people," Mohan emphasized. “He has been at the point of impact of numerous, high visibility, complex operations to include everything from Operation Allies Welcome to his more recent support of the ROTC cadet summer training and The Old Guard.”
Mohan described how Lowrey’s success at the MICC is largely because of his unyielding commitment to invest in his people and workforce through his commitment to innovative recruitment and retention initiatives, setting the MICC and Army contracting up for success well past his tenure.
“Your next chapter is incredibly bright,” Mohan said to Lowrey. He said Lowrey’s past experiences and relationships will continue to shape his journey as a leader and are the formula for continued success. “With this new rank we are going to put on you comes new responsibilities, but you are ready. You know how to do this. You have trained for your entire life to be a major general in the United States Army.”
His wife and sons pinned on his new rank. In turn, Lowrey presented his family with gifts before thanking them for their unwavering support over nearly three decades and most of his 12 moves to new duty stations.
Lowrey also offered advice to his children as they continue to grow and start careers of their own in the future. “Be happy, be kind and be great at whatever you choose to do,” he said.
During brief remarks, Lowrey humbly spoke of several groups of people throughout his career whose support was integral to “pushing or dragging” him toward growth and success.
“At times we are pushed or dragged, and sometimes we are the ones doing the pushing or dragging,” Lowrey said. Though too many to list by name, he described the groups of Soldiers, bosses, Department of the Army Civilians, peers, noncommissioned officers, close friends and his immediate and extended family that he credits with his wins. “This is what makes this Army great.”
He became audibly emotional when he addressed his wife. “I just talked about the groups that have carried me, but no one has carried me, pushed me or drug me more than you have,” Lowrey said. “I cannot wait to see what the future holds for us.”
Headquartered at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas, the Mission and Installation Contracting Command consists of about 1,500 military and civilian members who are responsible for contracting goods and services in support of Soldiers as well as readying trained contracting units for the operating force and contingency environment when called upon.
As part of its mission, MICC contracts are vital in feeding more than 200,000 Soldiers every day, providing many daily base operations support services at installations, facilitate training in the preparation of more than 100,000 conventional force members annually, training more than 500,000 students each year, and maintaining more than 14.4 million acres of land and 170,000 structures.