General Jerry Grizzle
Jerry Grizzle was born in Oklahoma City, and graduated from Tulsa Nathan Hale High School. He graduated in 1976 from Southwestern Oklahoma State University with a BS in Accounting. Jerry also received his MBA from Central State University and his Ph.D. from Oklahoma State University.
Dr. Grizzle started his military career in 1971 as a Private and retired as a Major General in 2005. Attending Light Weapons Infantryman Training, Fort Polk, LA (1972);Infantry Officers Candidate School, Fort Benning, GA (1972); Infantry Officer Basic Course, Fort Benning, GA (1973); United States Army Airborne School, Fort Benning, GA (1976); Infantry Officers Advance Course (non-resident), Fort Benning, GA (1980); Infantry Tactical Leader School, (1985); Oklahoma Air Assault School, Camp Gruber, OK (1988); Command General Staff College(non-resident), Fort Leavenworth, KS (1989), Defense Strategy Course, United States Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, PA (1995) and the National Security Studies Leadership Course, Stanford University (2003).
Major General Grizzle was appointed Commander of the 45th Infantry Brigade in 1998. The 45th Infantry Brigade is the successor to the famed 45th Infantry Division which produced nine Medal of Honor winners in World War II and Korea. In this capacity, he served as the Commander and was responsible for all matters affecting the combat readiness of the command, which consists of over 3,500 soldiers. Immediately after September 11, 2001, Major General Grizzle entered active federal service and took command of Joint Task Force Civil Support (JTF-CS) at Ft. Monroe, VA. JTF-CS is the only unit in the Department of Defense that is responsible for the planning and execution for the response to a Weapons of Mass Destruction attack within the United States. Major General Grizzle commanded JTF-CS from October 2001 until December 2004.
Major General Grizzle’s military decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit with one Oak Leaf Cluster, Meritorious Service Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal with one Silver and one Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster, Humanitarian Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal with one Bronze Star, Armed Forces Reserve Medal with Gold Hourglass, Joint Meritorious Unit Award, Army Service Ribbon, Parachutist Badge, Expert Infantry Badge, Air Assault Badge, German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge (Gold).
Dr. Grizzle’s has over 35 years of comprehensive experience with a broad base in business and military background. He was Vice President/Treasurer and Principal Financial Officer for Sonic Corp (Sonic Drive-Ins). He has served as the President/CEO of Orbit Finer Foods, Skolniks, CD Warehouse and currently serves as the Chairman/President and CEO of AMS Health Sciences.
Jerry has been active with the SWOSU School of Business, Alumni Association, and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the SWOSU Foundation. Dr. and Mrs. Grizzle have established a $50,000 endowment with SWOSU Foundation.
Jerry’s wife, Shawn is also a Southwestern Oklahoma State University graduate. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in 1975 and a Masters in 1979. They have two children and two grand daughters.