THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, November 20, 1994 TAG: 9411200083
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY KERRY DEROCHI, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 93 lines
When Alvin Bryant joined the Army, he knew little of the battles fought by the Buffalo Soldiers.
The son of a poor black sharecropper in Florida, Bryant had his own struggles to overcome. He wanted to serve his time in the military and get out. He wanted to train as a doctor.
Now, as Bryant prepares to leave the Army Reserves, his thoughts often go back to those Civil War soldiers, the famed black cavalrymen who fought their way across western plains and through the prejudice of an all-white military.
Bryant, the highest ranking African-American in the Army Reserves, is inspired by their story.
``It tells me I sit on the shoulders of giants,'' Bryant said in a recent interview. ``All these legendary soldiers who have made such a contribution to this country, but often got very little credit.''
Today, Bryant, 57, will hand over control of the 310th Theater Army Area Command in a ceremony at Fort Myer in Northern Virginia. Taking his place is Maj. Gen. Thomas J. Plewes, an associate commissioner for the Bureau of Labor Statistics, who has held a series of top positions within the 310th command.
For Bryant, the change-over signals an end to a career that has taken him from second lieutenant to a two-star post as major general.
Recent reductions in reserve troop levels have eliminated manyhigh-level command positions. With no new job assignment, Bryant is expected to join the inactive reserves. In two years, he likely will retire.
``It's hard, but my time has come,'' he said from his brick office in Hampton. ``I never thought I'd make it this far.''
It was a long way to go.
Bryant is the oldest of nine children, growing up in a drafty three-room shack in what was once the farmland of south Miami. His father grew tomatoes and okra. His mother was a maid.
As a teenager, Bryant delivered newspapers and helped his father on the farm. He worked for a man who sold cut flowers. He dreamed of going to college.
``I felt that dream Thomas Wolfe wrote about, the American dream,'' Bryant said. ``I felt it applied to me. I was motivated to accomplish what I set out for myself.''
In the 10th grade, Bryant decided to be a doctor. Two years later, he graduated as the top student in his class and earned a four-year scholarship to Florida A&M University.
Once there, he joined the Army ROTC.
After graduating, he was commissioned and sent to Fort Dix, N.J. He left active-duty two years later and returned home. He taught science at his old high school. He served in the Army Reserves.
In 1966, he went to medical school at Howard University in Washington.
``I was not going to change my plans,'' Bryant said. ``I had my own objectives set. That's what I tell young people today. You have to set your own objectives. No matter what, you have to stick to them.''
Bryant, who is married with six children, is now a general surgeon with a practice in a square building on Kecoughtan Road in Hampton. His office is cluttered with medical diplomas and citations for community service.
A ``Do it now'' brass paperweight stands on a bookshelf. Above it is a framed photo of Bryant drinking coffee with Retired Gen. Colin Powell, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Both men are wearing fatigues.
In the last year, Bryant has spent more than half of his days as the commander of the 310th Theater, a Fort Belvoir-based senior logistics headquarters.
He has been responsible for the training and readiness of some 5,000 soldiers assigned to 35 reserve units in Delaware, Maryland and Virginia.
``He was a soldier's general,'' said Reserve Capt. Barbara Jacobsen-Wickham, who worked as his aide. ``He's the type to always have an open-door policy. I just admired him so much.''
Under Bryant's command, the reservists have participated in simulated war games with battalions as far away as England and Germany. This summer, they helped watermen in southern Alabama by dumping old tanks into the Gulf of Mexico, where it is hoped they will form beds used by fish to spawn.
``When I took command, I said I wanted an organization that was technically and tactically proficient, a unit that was combat ready to go anywhere at any time,'' Bryant said. ``I think we were.''
Last May, Bryant spoke at a ceremony commemorating the Buffalo Soldiers. Standing in front of a small, white tombstone at the Arlington National Cemetery, Bryant told the crowd of their inspiration.
``I hope I've been a good role model,'' Bryant said. ``I've accomplished the objectives I set out to do.
``I think my troops will remember me as a soldier who was successful on a lot of fronts.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
MOTOYA NAKAMURA/Staff
Today, Alvin Bryant hands over control of the 310th Theater Army
Area Command. Bryant's career has taken him from second lieutenant
to a two-star post as major general.
by CNB