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History

AG Corps & AGCRA History

AG Corps & AGCRA History
On June 17, 1775, Horatio Gates was commissioned as a Brigadier General and Adjutant General of the Continental Army. He is the first Adjutant General of the United States Army and the first officer of the U.S. Army's Adjutant General's Corps.

The Adjutant General’s Corps was created in 1775 before the United States declared its independence from Great Britain in 1776 and became a thriving nation.  The AG Corps is rich in history from our early predecessors like MG Horatio Gates (first AG of the Army), COL Timothy Pickering (sixth AG of the Army) and Pickering’s successor, COL Alexander Scammel (seventh AG of the Army), all who served with George Washington; to our modern day heroes like LTG Timothy Maude and SGM Larry Strickland, both killed in action on September 11, 2001, when terrorists crashed American Airlines Flight 77 into The Pentagon.

And AGCRA serving as the professional nonprofit organization to support the AG Corps, the only organization with this primary mission, has a history of its own with the Association’s founding in 1987.  AGCRA will continue to provide information on the AG Corps’ and its own history, prestige, culture, and relevance to the Army, Nation, and Association members.

Hence, this portion of the Association’s website captures articles and historical events that walk us through our Corp’s and AGCRA’s history, prestige, culture, and relevance to the Army, Nation, and Association members.  We also request that our prominent “Grey Beard” population contribute their stories when they were in uniform to provide a more personal perspective of our Corps’ distinguished past from those who walked before us.  Grey Beards can tell their story by submitting their article to History@agcra.com or Newsletter@agcra.com.

The historical AG Corps and AGCRA articles posted at the bottom of this webpage should resonate with all Army HR professionals and Army Bands, both Soldiers and Civilians, whether you serve (or served) in a support role of maintaining personnel readiness, preparing units to deploy, executing direct HR support across the force either in garrison or in combat, or served in an Army Band.  The AG Corps is unique in that we must not only serve as the human resources expert for our organization or unit or execute the Army-wide Band mission, but we must also be equally proficient and fully capable of placing ourselves in harm’s way and fighting to defend the Nation. The articles posted below will amplify the significance of our Corps’ impact on the Army and its readiness to protect our great country since the Revolutionary War to the battlefields of Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Middle East today.

Defend and Serve!

HISTORICAL BLOGS FOLLOW:

250th Birthday in 2025 – Get Ready to Celebrate the AG Corps and the AGCRA!

AG Corps History

The American Revolution - the Army AG at Work

U.S. Army Band History

Adjutant General’s Corps Regimental Association - The Origins Story

The Tragic Irony of Closing Fort Leonard Wood’s 399th Army Band

AG Corps Reflections - "Those were the Days, 1961 - 1965"

AG Corps Reflections - "We Wrote Letters Then"

Army Bands during the 1926 150th Celebration of the United States

AG Corps History Snippet – LTG Timothy J. Maude in Vietnam

COL (Ret) Hal Gibson at 100 Years Old - AGCRA Member & Horatio Gates Bronze Medal Awardee