Colonel James S. Moore, Jr. Colonel William L. Thigpen
(Petersburg, Va. – November 3, 2017) – Virginia State University (VSU) Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) is proud to announce the accomplishments of two ROTC graduates.
VSU alumni Colonel James S. Moore, Jr. and Colonel William L. Thigpen have been nominated for the rank of Brigadier General, the fourth highest rank that can be achieved in the United States Army. Ten other graduates of VSU have earned the rank of General Officer and the promotion of these two officers means that VSU has produced more General Officers than any other historically black college or university with the exception of South Carolina State University, which is a former senior military college. This will also be the first time in history that four Trojan Warriors will serve on Active Duty as General Officers at one time.
Colonel James S. Moore, Jr. is a native of Philadelphia, Penn. Currently, he serves as the Commander of the 593rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command. Colonel Moore has served in various command and staff positions throughout his career to include Huntsville, Ala; Norfolk, Va.; Alexandria, Va.; Balad, Iraq; Fort Monroe, Va.; Washington, D.C.; Fort Belvoir, Va.; and Vicenza, Italy.
Colonel Moore is a VSU ROTC Distinguished Military Graduate and 1989 cum laude graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in business information systems. He also earned a master’s degree in public administration from Troy State University and a master’s degree in joint campaign planning and strategy from the Joint Forces Staff College.
Colonel William L. Thigpen is a native of Hampton, Va., and currently serves as the Deputy Commander of 4th Infantry Division and Fort Carson, Colo. He has commanded United States Army formations at every level from Company through Brigade to include the 316th Cavalry Brigade at Fort Benning, Ga. He is a combat veteran of campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan. His staff assignments include serving as the Aide-de-Camp to the Vice Chief of Staff of the Army.
Colonel Thigpen graduated from VSU in 1992 with a bachelor’s degree in public administration. He is also a graduate of the National War College where he earned a master’s degree in national security and strategic studies and he holds a second master’s degree in business from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
