"General Holmes represents excellence in the spirit
and tradition of the citizen-soldiers who have long served Commonwealth
and country.
"He has had a distinguished career in the National
Guard.
His promotion to general and appointment to a senior
leadership position in the Department of Military Affairs assures that
he will continue to serve the best interests of the citizens of the Commonwealth
and the men and women of the National Guard."
These were the words spoken in February 2001 by then
Virginia Governor James Gilmore, when he appointed Bert W. Holmes, Jr.
as the first African-American brigadier general in the history of the
Virginia National Guard.
Along with his promotion, Governor Gilmore appointed Holmes
the assistant adjutant general in the Virginia Department of Military Affairs,
which commands the state's Army and Air National Guard.
Holmes oversees equal opportunity, the Guard's tuition assistance
program and state and federal legislative issues.
Before this appointment, Holmes was the first African-American
state surgeon in the Virginia National Guard, a position he held for five years.
He also was senior flight surgeon for the Virginia National Guard.
"How wisely time
is used
will most often determine the
level of success one will achieve in life."
In addition to his military career, Holmes
simultaneously maintained a private medical practice as a urological surgeon
in his hometown of Norfolk, Virginia.
Holmes' military career began when he was
commissioned a second lieutenant infantry through the Reserve Officers Training
Corps (ROTC) Program at Virginia State University, where he earned bachelor's
and master's degrees. After serving on active duty with the Fourth Infantry
Division, he returned to the Hampton Roads area, where he taught high school
for two years.
In 1970, he entered the Howard University
School of Medicine, receiving his medical degree in 1974. Continuing at
Howard University, he completed his specialty training in urology in 1980.
During his career, Holmes has received a variety of commendations
and awards, including the Legion of Merit, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement
Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal and the Army National Guard Legion of Merit.
"Everyone is allotted the same amount of time in a day,"
Holmes says to America's youth. "How wisely this time is used will most
often determine the level of success one will achieve in life."
