At Virginia State, a historically black university in Virginia, Brigadier General Alfred F. Abramson is the latest graduate of the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program to have earned the rank of general officer.

Virginia State University military alumni list includes retired General Dennis L. Via,  the first Signal Corps officer in history to earn the rank of four-star general, and Brigadier General Charles R. Hamilton, who earned his commission from the U.S. Army Officer Candidate School.

Speaking on Brig. Gen. Abramson’s promotion, VSU’s 25th Professor of Military Science, Colonel David D. Johnson, said that the brigadier “adds to the outstanding legacy of the Virginia State University ROTC Program. He epitomizes our mission to ‘recruit, educate, develop, inspire, and commission highly-qualified senior ROTC cadets that embody both the Warrior Ethos and the Army Values and are capable of exceptional service in the Army Profession.”

Brig. Gen. Abramson is currently assigned as deputy program executive officer Ammunition and senior commander Picatinny Arsenal. He is the manager for advanced conventional ammunition and life-cycle acquisition management for all conventional ammunition.

Picatinny is the Department of Defense’s Joint Center of Excellence for Guns and Ammunition. More than 90 percent of the Army’s armaments and ammunition including warheads, explosives, and all sizes of firearms, battlefield sensors, and howitzers are developed at Picatinny. The center’s 5,000-plus employees specialize in research, development, acquisition and lifecycle management of weapon systems and ammunition.

Abramson was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Chemical Corps after graduating from Virginia State, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry. He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Chemical Corps. His military education includes the Chemical Officer Basic and Advanced Courses. His civilian education includes a Master’s degree in Chemistry from Johns Hopkins University, a Master’s degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College, and a Master’s degree in Strategic Studies from the Army War College.

Brig. Gen. Abramson has served in a variety of positions to include: Battalion Chemical Officer, SMOKE Platoon Leader, Chemical Staff Officer in the Project Manager’s Office for Nuclear, Biological, & Chemical (NBC) Defense; and most recently the Executive Officer for the Principle Military Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition Logistics, and Technology.)

In the photo: Brig. Gen. Patrick W. Burden, deputy program executive officer Ammunition, and senior commander, Picatinny Arsenal passes the “Keys to the Cannon Gates” to Brig. Gen. Alfred F. Abramson III, incoming Deputy Program Executive Officer Ammunition and Senior Commander to signify the change of responsibility during a Change of Leadership Ceremony at Picatinny Nov. 14. Photo by Todd Mozes (Photo Credit: U.S. Army)