ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. – Maj. Gen. Richard A. Harrison ’94 surveyed the space on the second floor of the G.R. Little Library filled with members of his family, friends, classmates, colleagues, and members of the Viking Battalion and smiled.
“When I was here as a cadet, I had no idea that 30 years later, I would be back here as a two-star general,” he said.
In a brief ceremony, Harrison became the first inductee into the Viking Battalion Hall of Fame. A native of Sunbury, N.C., Harrison was commissioned through the U.S. Army ROTC program at Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) upon graduation. He has served in several command and staff positions over this three-decade-long career in Fort Sill, Okla., Korea, Washington, D.C., Fort Cavazos, Texas, and Fort Bliss, Texas where he currently serves as the commanding general of the U.S. Army’s 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command.
While addressing the attendees, Lt. Col. Julie Kendrick, professor, and chair of the military science program, spoke about Harrison’s commitment to the cadets and students in Viking Battalion.
“He told me that he and his wife were here to help the Viking Battalion in any way they could, and they meant it,” she said. “That led to him making the time to talk to and mentor our cadets.”
That is simply part of his life’s work and his mission as a Viking, Harrison said.
“It was the community feel here at ECSU that made me become a Viking. Everyone helped everyone,” he said. “My time here was instrumental in fitting into the Army culture – it gave me that fight early on.”
For Harrison, it is imperative that he pay forward to his fellow Vikings the information that helped him which includes three specific pieces of advice – “stay humble, work hard, and be a good person,” he said.