University News
Last Week it was Winter
May 1, 2017
From the Spring 2017 Western: The Magazine for Alumni
By Darcie Dyer-Shinberger '89, '98
MACOMB, IL -- When Lt. Gen. Vince Stewart '81 was in Australia on Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) business, it was winter. One week later, he was in Tel Aviv, where it was summer. It was at that moment he thought if he ever wrote a book, the title would be "Last Week it was Winter." And should that book about his life be made into a movie, Denzel Washington would play the lead, of course.
Lt. Gen. Stewart, a Western Illinois University history graduate, became the 20th director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and the Commander, Joint Functional Component Command for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance in January 2015. How did this gentleman who was born in Jamaica make his way through the ranks of the Marine Corps to lead the national defense agency in D.C.? There's only one answer: hard work.
"When I was 13, my family moved from Jamaica, where I was born, to the north side of Chicago. And it was a shock. From tropical to Chicago in November. I played football in high school, and I was actually recruited to play at Western. That was all the beginning of my journey," Stewart said.
He played football at Western until his sophomore year, and then decided he didn't wish to continue playing. Instead, he worked as a student worker in Intercollegiate Athletics, and the summer following his junior year, Stewart decided to attend Marine Officers training school.
"I had the tremendous advantage of going to Ft. Knox for six weeks for Marine Corps Officers training. I was ready to give back and serve my country," he said. "At the summer training, I was challenged. Every day I was there there was a great deal of demanding physical and mental challenges, but I felt more capable with each day. I was a part of something much bigger than me."
Stewart returned to WIU to finish up his degree in history, and following graduation, he entered the Marine Corps, with the intention of serving three or four years.
"I had no vision then of serving for 20 or 30 years. I thought it would be a four-year gig and I'd get out and do something else. I honestly thought I'd end up coaching football," Stewart recalled. "I don't know if I ever really decided this would be a lifetime career. But they [the Marines] just kept giving me more opportunities and challenges. I probably spent 15-20 years trying to leave, but they kept offering me even greater opportunities.
"I am still surprised that I'm still doing this," he laughed. "My battalion leader laughed at me when I told him I was leaving, early in my career, and said I was a corporate man and I was promoted to a major. My colonel, my commander, refused to sign my resignation papers, and I was promoted to brigadier general. When I reached that rank, I really thought about my career. The fact that they (my superiors) continued to find meaningful work for me over the years continues to confound me."
Stewart's principal command tours over the years are numerous, including Tank Platoon Leader with Company A, 1st Tank and Executive Officer, Headquarters and Service Company, 1st Tank Battalion at Camp Pendleton; Company Commander with Company I, Marine Support Battalion, Adak, Alaska; and Company Commander with Headquarters and Service Company, 2d Radio Battalion; Company Commander with Company E, Marine Support Battalion, Misawa, Japan; Commanding Officer, 1st Intelligence Battalion at Camp Pendleton; Commanding Officer, Headquarters Battalion, 2d Marine Division, at Camp Lejeune; and Commanding General, Marine Forces Cyberspace. Additionally, Lt. Gen. Stewart has held a variety of Intelligence staff positions throughout his career.
As the director of the DIA, Stewart serves as a principal adviser to the Secretary of Defense and to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on matters of military intelligence. He also chairs the Military Intelligence Board, which coordinates activities of the defense intelligence community. His day usually begins at 5 a.m.
"I check my emails and the news right away, and I'm in my office by 6 or 6:30 a.m. Sometimes I hit the gym in the morning, but I usually hit the ground running each day," he explained. "There are daily briefings to attend, and numerous meetings. I also engage in quite a bit of domestic and foreign travel."
Stewart oversees 16,000 employees in 140 countries and 30 states.
"There's a lot of travel involved," he added with a laugh. "But there are also lots of opportunities to make a positive impact on the lives of others.
"When I was a colonel, a young man in the Corps reached out to me about how I changed the trajectory of his career. He wanted to reenlist, but the bureaucracy got in the way. I worked to get him an extension. He ended up staying in the Marine Corps and eventually becoming an officer. Like a coach, I have the ability to touch lives in a positive fashion," Stewart said.
Stewart's military decorations are an indication of the impact he has made. Those decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal; the Legion of Merit with one gold star; the Bronze Star; the Meritorious Service Medal with one gold star; the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, with two gold stars; the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal; the Combat Action Ribbon; the National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal and various unit awards.
In May 2016, Stewart was named a WIU Distinguished Alumni Award recipient and returned to his alma mater to be recognized for his many achievements.
"It's amazing when I look back at my career and realize I was a "C" student in college. I think that's a story to tell. Average students, those with a "C" average, may think they might not succeed, but I'm here to tell them they will be okay once they find what drives them. Find out what excites you and throw that passion behind it," Stewart said. "To be invited back to my alma mater to be recognized when I was a pretty nondescript average student, it's incredible and it tells a story. It all worked out."
In addition to his bachelor's degree from Western, Stewart earned master's degrees in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College, Newport, RI, and in National Resource Strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, National Defense University, Washington, DC. His military education spans numerous fields, including the Basic School; Armor Officer Basic Course; Basic Communications Officer Course; Cryptologic Division Officer's Course; School of Advanced Warfighting; Industrial College of the Armed Forces; Amphibious Warfare School and Naval Command and Staff at the Naval War College.
Despite his many accolades, awards, career successes and decorations, when asked what is the one thing he is afraid of, Stewart simply said, "failure."
"People think I'm confident and self-assured. They may see me as arrogant. But failure is something I am afraid of because there is so much riding on what I do," he explained. "There are a lot of firsts surrounding me, and those firsts come with a lot of pressure. A lot of people are asking how I got the job; a lot of people are watching. I bristle when it's mentioned I'm the first African-American to hold this post. We haven't come far enough as a nation where this is not, and should not, be an issue. But since it is, I'm going to be the first African-American in this position to either do well or to fail. And I am going to choose to do well and not fail."
Stewart added there were a few other instances in his career where there was fear: jumping out of an airplane for the first time, and the combat zone.
"But you learn to adjust and do your very best. You have to. Failure is not an option when jumping out of an airplane, in the combat zone or leading a defense agency," he pointed out.
The pressure of doing well, and leading an agency that holds responsibility for the nation's safety, can be stressful - that goes without saying - but Stewart said over the years he has gotten very good at separating his work life from his home life. He has to for his sake, and that of his family's.
"While I may be three-star lieutenant general at work, my wife is one rank higher. It's her house," he said with a chuckle. "I can't come in and act like the boss. This makes it very easy to separate work from home."
In his spare time, which really isn't much, Stewart likes to collect U.S. coins and read. His favorite genre? Historical biographies.
"Hamilton's story is like mine. Not as harsh of course, but he was a shaper of this country," Stewart said.
What's next for this decorated veteran and loyal Marine? It's anyone's guess, including his.
"I don't know what's next. Once I retire from this career, I'll still work somewhere [when asked about politics, Stewart said definitively, 'never politics ... I can't imagine putting myself or my family through that grind]. But I could see myself doing some kind of consulting work, or talking to young people who may be disillusioned about their lives," he said. "I like telling my story. It couldn't happen in other countries. Mine is a true American story.
"We came to this country with nothing. We came with only the American dream of having a better life," Stewart concluded. "But if you work hard and commit to your values, it all works out."
Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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