Brigadier General Chris Gentry assumes command of the 91st Training Division following two years of active duty service as the Deputy Commanding General – Sustainment, Eighth Army. His previous assignments include over thirty years of active and reserve component service.
BG Gentry graduated from Indiana University-Bloomington in May 1982, earning a bachelor’s degree in history and receiving a commission in the Regular Army as a Distinguished Military Graduate.
He attended the Military Intelligence Officer Basic and Tactical Intelligence Officer Courses at Fort Huachuca, AZ, graduating in October 1982.
Following graduation, he served as the S2, 1st Battalion, 501st Infantry, platoon leader and Assistant S-3, 311th Military Intelligence Battalion, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, KY, until December 1985.
He then attended the Military Intelligence Officer Advanced Course at Fort Huachuca, AZ, January – June 1986, and, following graduation, served as the OIC, All-Source Production Section, Assistant Chief of Staff, G2, with the 2nd Infantry Division, Camp Casey, Republic of Korea, until June 1987.
Transferring to the Reserve Component, he was assigned to the Individual Ready Reserve from 1987-1991, then began participation with the Active Reserves in December 1991 as the S-2, later executive officer, later S-3, 304th Military Police Battalion through June 2000.
He accepted assignment as the Operations Officer, 2145th US Army Garrison Support Unit, from June 2000 – July 2001, then received appointment as the commander, 346th Military Police Detachment from July 2001- April 2002.
BG Gentry was selected as commander of the 304th Military Police Battalion in April 2002 and deployed with the unit in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom until changing command in June 2003.
He then served as the S-5, 220th Military Police Brigade through March 2004. Returning to CONUS, he continued his service with the 220th MP Brigade as the long-range plans officer, with subsequent assignments as the executive officer, deputy commander, and commander through March 2008.
BG Gentry was then selected as the G2/Assistant G3 of the 99th Regional Support Command, serving through December 2008. In January 2009, he assumed command of the 643rd Regional Support Group, Columbus, OH, and deployed to Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, in support of Operation Enduing Freedom from July 2010 – June 2011.
He relinquished command in May 2012 and accepted assignment as the Assistant Chief of Staff, G5 (Wartime) on 24 May 2012 and was promoted to brigadier general on 20 July 2012.
While on active duty, he served as Eighth Army’s Deputy Commanding General – Sustainment .In addition to his undergraduate degree, BG Gentry earned a master’s degree in public administration from Tennessee State University, Nashville, in 2008.
He also holds a master’s degree in strategic studies from the US Army War College. His professional law enforcement training and education includes attendance and graduation from the FBI National Academy, the Tennessee Law Enforcement Executive Development Seminar, and the Senior Management Institute for Police, Police Executive Research Forum.
His awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit (1OLC), the Bronze Star Medal, and multiple awards of the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, and the Army Achievement Medal, in addition to the Combat Action Badge, the Army Parachutist Badge, and the Army Air Assault Badge.
In his civilian capacity, BG Gentry serves the community of Franklin, TN, as a deputy police chief. His wife, the former Dian Burns, works as a finance manager for AT&T. His daughter, Heather, a graduate of the University of Tennessee (Knoxville), works and resides in Nashville.