Center, Texas, Native Col. Vernon Lister Retires from U.S. Army
Submitted by Mary Moses, Public Affairs Intern

Brig. Gen. Don MacWillie, commanding general, U.S. Army Operational Test Command (USAOTC), left, presents Col. Vernon Lister, USAOTC Chief of Staff, with a Certificate of Retirement as wife Mamie (Johnson) Lister, and sons Michael and Vernon, Jr. watch proudly during Lister’s retirement ceremony last Friday at Fort Hood, Texas. (Photo by Chris Hodge, USAOTC)

Lister, a Center, Texas, native, celebrated his retirement ceremony on August 20, with family, friends and colleagues, at Fort Hood, TX. He is the son of Vinnie, who died in 2009, and Limmie, who died last week, Lister, longtime Center residents.

“Lister is a driven man, and he has a sense of purpose,” said Brig. Gen. Don MacWillie, USAOTC commanding general, at the ceremony. “He is a proven warrior; he volunteered for all the tough jobs, and he kept us all going.”

After graduating from Prairie View A&M University in 1981 with a Bachelor of Science degree in agriculture science, Lister was commissioned into the U.S. Army as a 2nd lieutenant.

According to Lister, his family had mixed feelings about his career choice. “Becoming part of the Army wasn’t a popular thing in my house,” said Lister. “My mom would say, ‘I don’t know about the Army thing.’”

Lister’s mother died the day before his retirement ceremony, but, according to Lister, she told him a few days earlier to celebrate his accomplishments regardless of whether or not she could attend:
‘“You go ahead and do it,’ she told me,” Lister said. And so he did.“My mother’s death has been hard for us, because it was so unexpected,” Lister said. “But life is short, and there was one blessing—we were there with her at the end.”

Lister began his active duty Army career in 1983 as a platoon leader with the 167th Signal Company in Vicenza, Italy. Lister took command of the 167th in 1986 and deployed the company in support of several Southern European Task Force readiness exercises, including a deployment to Turkey.

After returning from Italy, Lister deployed to southwest Asia in support of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. In 1992, Lister was selected for an internship with the J-3 Counter Narcotics Operations Division, and afterwards worked in the Chief Communications Division in the Pentagon.

While serving as the deputy G6 for the 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, Texas, in 1996, Lister deployed to Kuwait, participated in multiple National Training Center rotations, and served as rear battalion commander during the division’s deployment to Kosovo.

Lister served in the Republic of Korea in 1999 as the S-6 for the 509th Corps Support Group. In the following year, Lister became the Chief, Communications Test Division, Command and Control, Communication and Computer Test Directorate, USAOTC.

In 2001, Lister assumed command of the 121st Signal Battalion in Kitzingen, Germany. During his two-year command, the battalion deployed to Kosovo, Turkey and Egypt. Lister then supported two unit deployments to Iraq as the deputy brigade commander of the 3rd Signal Brigade, III Corps.

In 2006, Lister became the director of the Command and Control, Communication and Computer Test Directorate at USAOTC. While serving as director, he volunteered to deploy to Iraq and command the Forward Operational Assessment Team.

Lister’s 30-year career culminated in 2009 when he was selected to serve as the Deputy Commander/Chief of Staff for USAOTC, where he served until his retirement last week.

Lister is a graduate of the Signal Officer’s Basic Course, the Signal Officer’s Advance Course, the Communications Electronics Staff Officer’s Course, the Combined Arms and Service Staff School, and the Command and General Staff College. In 1996, he completed a Masters of Arts degree in administration from Central Michigan University.

During the awards ceremony, Lister was presented with the prestigious Legion of Merit and a Certificate of Retirement from the Texas governor's office. Lister’s wife, Mamie, was presented the Outstanding Civilian Service Medal and the Yellow Rose of Texas. Col. Lister was also presented the Signal Center of Excellence Plaque from Brig. Gen. Alan Lynn, commanding general, U.S. Army Signal Center of Excellence and Fort Gordon, Georgia. “I can trace back my own success right back to both of you,” Lynn said to the Listers during the retirement ceremony. “I can’t tell you how much these two people mean to me.” Lynn flew from Fort Gordon to Fort Hood to meet with several Fort Hood leaders and to support Lister, his “right-hand man.”

“Lister is a great leader, and he’s often been my right hand man,” Lynn said. “The lives that he has saved while he was building communications systems in Iraq, you can’t put a price tag on it.”

Lister’s awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit Medal, the Bronze Star Medal with two oak leaf clusters, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal with five oak leaf clusters, the Joint Commendation Medal, the Army Commendation Medal with three oak leaf clusters, the Army Achievement Medal with 2 oak leaf clusters, the National Defense Service Medal, the Iraqi Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, and the Overseas Service Ribbon.

Lister thanked his visiting family members and friends at the ceremony for supporting him during his 29 years in the Army, but he said he owed the most to his soldiers. “My real debt of gratitude is to all the soldiers,” said Lister.

Lister is married to the former Mamie Johnson, a registered nurse and business owner in the health profession field. They have two sons, Vernon, Jr., 22, and Michael, 18.

According to Lynn, Lister was best known for his selfless service to the Army and the nation. “Selfless service, it’s not about me,” Lister said. “I serve, and the rewards follow.”