Lieutenant General Gary H. Cheek, U.S. Army 

Lieutenant General Gary H. Cheek 

U.S. Army, Retired

Inducted 2024

Gary H. Cheek began his career in the Field Artillery in 1980 after he graduated from the US Military Academy. His first few assignments were to Fort Stewart where he served as a Battery FDO, XO, Battalion FDO and Plans Officer in the 1st-13th FA, 24th Infantry Division (Mechanized). In 1985, he attended the Advanced Course and was later assigned to 2nd BN, 28th FA, later redesignated to 3rd BN, 17th FA, VII Corps, US Army Europe and Seventh Army Europe. While in Europe, he served as the Battalion FDO, Alpha Battery Commander, and Assistant S3. Next, he was assigned as an instructor/exchange officer to the Canadian Field Artillery School in New Brunswick. He was later selected for CGSC and followed up with the School for Advanced Military Studies at Fort Leavenworth. He was then assigned back to Fort Stewart, where he first served as a plans officer for the 24th Infantry Division and later XO for 1st BN, 41st FA, and deployed as part of OPERATION VIGILANT WARRIOR, Kuwait. In 1995, he was assigned back to his alma mater as the FA Branch Representative, Department of Military Instruction, US Military Academy. Cheek took command of 1st BN, 9th FA, 3rd Infantry Division in his third trip back to Fort Stewart. He excelled and was subsequently sent to the National Training Center as Wolf 7 in 1999. After two years at Fort Irwin, he was sent to the Army War College and selected to take command of the 25th Infantry DIVARTY, Schofield Barracks. His ability to lead in a very tumultuous time with just the right balance of confidence and humility is something rarely replicated. As the war in Afghanistan expanded, the 25th DIVARTY was given the mission of owning ground. As the commander of Task Force Thunder he was the first FA Maneuver commander in OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM. After his time in DIVARTY command he was sent to Washington, D.C. where he held a number of assignments on the Joint Staff and Army Staff. He was then put into a job where his skills as a warrior and compassion as a leader were put on full display as the Assistant Surgeon General for Warrior Care and Transition and Commanding General, Warrior Transition Command. After a successful command, he was once again put in charge of taking care of people, but this time for the Army as the Director of Military Personnel Management, G1, US Army. Soon his experience as a warfighter was once again called for as he became an integral leader in the drawdown of our presence in Iraq as the Deputy Commanding General, US Army Central, Kuwait. Next, he was selected to serve as the Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff, G-3/5/7, where he served for two years until his culminating assignment as the Director of the Army Staff. LTG Cheek retired in 2018 after giving 38 years of dedicated service to his country. LTG (R) Gary Cheek was elected to the Board of Directors of USFAA in 2020. He is a tried and true Red Leg Professional. His legacy of service and commitment to the branch is unmatched and is still pervasive in today’s Field Artillery Corps. His years of leadership, mentorship, and guidance played a role in many of the FA senior leaders still serving and they are passing on those lessons to future generations of young FA officers.