Major General Henry G. "Hank" Skeen (May 26, 1933 – January 12, 2006) was a

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

. A native of

Dale County, Alabama Dale County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census the population was 49,326. Its county seat and largest city is Ozark. Its name is in honor of General Samuel Dale. Dale County compris ...

, Henry Gene Skeen entered the Air Force in 1949 and transferred to the

in 1953, and upon completion of

Officer Candidate School An officer candidate school (OCS) is a military school which trains civilians and Enlisted rank, enlisted personnel in order for them to gain a Commission (document), commission as Commissioned officer, officers in the armed forces of a country. ...

that year was commissioned a second lieutenant in the

Infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...

. After serving as platoon leader in various Infantry and Airborne companies, he was awarded a Regular Army commission as a

Quartermaster Quartermaster is a military term, the meaning of which depends on the country and service. In land armies, a quartermaster is generally a relatively senior soldier who supervises stores or barracks and distributes supplies and provisions. In m ...

First Lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...

in 1958. During most of his career, General Skeen held important Quartermaster mission-related command and staff positions, including Director, Supply and Maintenance in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for

Logistics Logistics is generally the detailed organization and implementation of a complex operation. In a general business sense, logistics manages the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of consumption to meet the requirements of ...

, Secretary of General Staff, U.S. Army Computer Systems Command; and Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics,

U.S. Army Europe United States Army Europe and Africa (USAREUR-AF) is an Army Service Component Command (ASCC) /Theater Army responsible for directing United States Army operations throughout the U.S. European Command (EUCOM) and U.S. Africa Command (AFRICO ...

and Seventh Army; and Secretary to the General Staff, U.S. Army Computer Systems Command,

Fort Belvoir, Virginia A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

. His important commands included Commander, U.S. Army Troop Support Command in St. Louis, Missouri; Commander, Defense Industrial Support Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Commander, Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service in

Battle Creek, Michigan Battle Creek is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, in northwest Calhoun County, Michigan, Calhoun County, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo River, Kalamazoo and Battle Creek River, Battle Creek rivers. It is the principal city of the Battle C ...

; Commander, 88th Supply and Service Battalion in Vietnam; Commander, Regional Support Activity, Military Region II, Vietnam; Commander, U.S. Army Logistic Evaluation Agency at New Cumberland Army Depot; and Commander, Burtonwood Army Depot in England. General Skeen played a pivotal role in launching the

Quartermaster Corps Following is a list of Quartermaster Corps, military units, active and defunct, with logistics duties: * Egyptian Army Quartermaster Corps - see Structure of the Egyptian Army * Hellenic Army Quartermaster Corps (''Σώμα Φροντιστών ...

into the automation era in the 1960s and 1970s, and later lent major support to the establishment of the Army Supply Excellence Award and the Army Supply Master Plan. In 1997, he was inducted into the Quartermaster Hall of Fame. Skeen was married to Pauline; and to Nancy Johnson Skeen at the time of his death. Amongst his grandchildren is

Ryan Seacrest Ryan John Seacrest (born December 24, 1974) is an American media personality and producer. He is the co-host of ''Live with Kelly and Ryan'', as well as the host of multiple media shows including ''American Idol'', ''American Top 40'', and '' ...

. General Skeen was buried in

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

on February 24, 2006, with full military honors.

References

External links

Entry in the U.S. Army Quartermaster Hall of Fame

Family obituary

Genealogy (free registration required)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Skeen, Henry Gene United States Army generals Quartermasters Burials at Arlington National Cemetery United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War 1933 births 2006 deaths