DVIDS – NEWS – MG Reginald Neal retires after 37 years of service with the Georgia National Guard and the U.S. Army.

Maj. Gen. Reginald Neal, a native of Ludowici, Georgia, retired from the Georgia National Guard and the U.S. Army after 37 years of service, during a ceremony held at the Georgia Military Academy in Milledgeville, Georgia, on August 16, 2024. Maj. Gen. Neal began his 37-year military service as a cadet at Georgia Military Academy in 1987 and returned to his alma mater to conclude his military career.

The ceremony was presided over by Lt. Gen. Thomas Carden Jr., deputy commander of U.S. Northern Command and deputy commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command’s U.S. Forces. Carden and Neal served together for many years in the Georgia National Guard and continued to serve with the U.S. Army both at home and abroad.

Senior military leaders, friends and family gathered at GMC’s New Day Center for Leadership to celebrate Gen. Neal’s 50-year career serving many nations, as well as military leaders who served alongside Gen. Neal in various locations around the world, from the Pentagon to the Pacific Ocean.

Speakers began with Georgia Military Academy Chancellor, retired Army Lt. Gen. William B. Caldwell, who spoke about Neal’s military service and noted how important his accomplishments were to Georgia Military Academy and its students. Maj. Gen. Dwayne Wilson, Georgia Army Chief of Staff, praised Neal’s years of service with the Georgia National Guard. Maj. Gen. Bobby Christine, special assistant to the chief of the Army National Guard in the Office of the Judge Advocate General, gave a speech that focused on the experiences he shared with Neal as a cadet in the Georgia Military Academy’s Class of 1989.

Among other honors, Neal was presented with the Georgia Distinguished Service Medal by Lt. Gen. Carden, who presented Neal with an official retirement certificate and a U.S. flag in recognition of his years of service. Neal’s wife, Kim Neal, was presented with the Georgia State Commendation Medal on behalf of Governor Brian Kemp in recognition of her outstanding support and dedication to the mission, vision and values ​​of the Georgia National Guard. Maj. Gen. Neal’s daughter, Alexandria, was also recognized for her unwavering support of her father’s service to the State of Georgia and the United States.

In keeping with military tradition, Neal’s two-star flag was hoisted by veterans Master Sergeant Brian Sanders and First Sergeant Michael Cromer.

Born and raised in Ludowici, Georgia, Neal began his military career at the Georgia Military Academy in Milledgeville. Neal credits his experience at GMC with broadening his horizons and opening a world of options he had never considered before. He graduated in 1989 and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant. Assigned as a Field Artillery Officer with the 2nd Battalion, 214th Field Artillery Regiment based out of Statesboro, Georgia, Neal served in a variety of staff positions with the Georgia Army National Guard and completed a series of assignments while leading units from the artillery battery to the brigade level. Neal deployed overseas in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. He commanded the Georgia National Guard’s historic 1st Battalion, 118th Field Artillery Regiment in Savannah from 2007-2010, including a combat deployment to Afghanistan in 2009-2010 where the battalion was awarded the Meritorious Unit Commendation by the U.S. Army.

Upon returning from Afghanistan, Neal assumed command of the Georgia National Guard’s Recruiting and Retention Battalion based in Atlanta before embarking on a 10-month program of study at the U.S. Army War College at Carlisle Barracks, Pa. Promoted to the rank of colonel, Neal served as the Georgia Army National Guard’s vice chief of staff for operations before assuming command of the Macon-based 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team in 2015.

Neal was selected as executive officer of the Army National Guard Bureau, a position he held from 2016 to 2017. Promoted to brigadier general in 2018, Neal served as chief of the Georgia National Guard Joint Staff before assuming command of U.S. Northern Command’s Joint Task Force North at Fort Bliss, Texas. Promoted to major general in 2020, Neal served as deputy commander, U.S. Army Pacific, and later as special assistant to the Army National Guard Bureau chief.