CGSC inducts four officers into International Hall of Fame

CGSC International Hall of Fame inductees, left, and CGSC Commandant Lt. Gen. Theodore D. Martin (far right) and CGSC Foundation Chairman Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Bryan W. Wampler stand at attention during the playing of the inductees’ national anthems at the conclusion of the International Hall of Fame induction ceremony April 12, 2022, at the Lewis and Clark Center, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

On Apr. 12, 2022, the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College inducted four new members into its International Hall of Fame at the Lewis and Clark Center, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. The ceremony was hosted by CGSC Commandant Lt. Gen. Theodore D. Martin and led by Director of the International Military Student Division Jim Fain.

The inductees were Lt. Gen. Martin Wijnen, Commander of the Royal Netherlands Army, Class of 2001; Lt. Gen. Carlos Alberto Tejada Murcia, Chief of the Joint Staff of the Salvadoran Armed Force, CGSC Class of 2005; Maj. Gen. (Retired) Daniel Ziankahn, Minister of National Defense of Liberia, CGSC Class of 2011; and Maj. Gen. Prince Johnson, Chief of Staff, Armed Forces of Liberia, CGSC Class of 2012.

After unveiling their portraits for the Hall of Fame, Martin presented the inductees with a certificate of honor from the Military Order of the World Wars. Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Bryan W. Wampler, CGSC Foundation chairman, presented each inductee with an eagle statuette signifying their appointment as life constituents of the CGSC Foundation.

Following this induction, the International Hall of Fame will honor 292 leaders from 77 nations. More than 8,400 international officers have graduated from the college since the first international officer attended in 1894.

International military student participation in cooperative military studies in the United States originated at Fort Leavenworth with the arrival of Swiss Lieutenant Henri Le Comte in 1894. Since then, international students have become an integral part of the Fort Leavenworth experience. These talented military officers contribute to a rich professional and cultural exchange environment.

The CGSC International Hall of Fame was established by the college, the Greater Kansas City Chapter of the Military Order of the World Wars and the CGSC Foundation in 1973. To be nominated for the International Hall of Fame an officer must be a graduate of CGSC and have attained, by merit, the position of leader of his or her country’s army or defense forces. Fifteen International Hall of Fame members have gone on to be heads of state or heads of government in their countries.

Lt. Gen. Martin Wijnen, Commander, Royal Netherlands Army

Lt. Gen. Martin Wijnen, Commander of the Royal Netherlands Army, delivers remarks after being inducted into the CGSC International Hall of Fame on April 12, 2022, at the Lewis and Clark Center, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

Lt. Gen. Martin Wijnen was born in Hattem, Netherlands, in 1966. He graduated as best man from the Royal Military Academy in 1989 and was posted as an armor officer in Germany. As a captain he led a United Nations Transitional Authority mine clearance and training team in Cambodia. Subsequently, he was assigned as deputy commander of the 102nd Construction Company and deployed to St-Maarten in 1995 and to Bosnia in 1996.

He attended the U.S. Army Command and General Staff Officers Course in Leavenworth, Kansas, obtaining the Master of Military Art and Science degree. After that he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and posted to the Defence College as Head of the Strategy Department.

“I’m truly grateful and humbled to stand before you,” Wijnen said during his acceptance remarks. “Grateful because when I look around this auditorium, I see close to 90 different nations that consider each other allies or friends and who together strive to increase peace and stability around the globe. And at the same time, I also feel an incredible sense of humility because of the realization of how much we owe our American friends for that peace and stability.”

After the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, Wijnen was appointed as liaison officer to U.S. Central Command in Tampa, Florida, for Operation Enduring Freedom and the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. In 2003, he took over command of 11th Armoured Engineer Battalion and then he was appointed as chief of the Policy Support Branch, Army Staff, as a colonel. In May 2009, he deployed to Afghanistan as chief of the Plans Branch for Headquarters, ISAF Regional Command South.

He then attended the Advanced Defence Course at the Netherlands Institute for International Relations, Clingendael. After that worked for two years as a program manager for the National Coordinator for Counterterrorism, Ministry of Justice.

Promoted to brigadier general in 2012, he became deputy director of plans within the Defence Staff. In 2014, he took command of 43rd Mechanized Brigade in Havelte and in 2016 he became the deputy commander of the Royal Netherlands Army as a major general. A year and a half later, he was promoted to lieutenant general and became the Vice Chief of Defence. In August 2019, Lt. Gen. Wijnen assumed command of the Royal Netherlands Army.

Lt. Gen. Carlos Alberto Tejada Murcia, Chief of the Joint Staff, Salvadoran Armed Force

Lt. Gen. Carlos Alberto Tejada Murcia

Lt. Gen. Tejada Murcia is the first IHOF inductee from El Salvador. He was honored during the ceremony in abstentia.

Tejada Murcia was born in San Salvador in 1964. He entered military service in December 1989 and was promoted to his current rank in December 2020.

From 1996 to 2001 he served as commander of the Training Section in the Engineers Command of the Armed Force. In 2002 he was company commander in the Engineers Command of the Armed Force. In 2005 he served as section chief of the Military Doctrine and Education Command. He then took position as collaborator of the C-III “Operations” of the Joint Staff of the Salvadoran Armed Force. From 2006 to 2008 he was head of department in E-III “Operations” of the Army General Staff. He then served as head of the Personnel Administration Department of the Joint Staff from 2008 to 2011. In 2012, he served as executive secretary at the headquarters of the Joint Staff of the Salvadoran Armed Force. In 2014 he became executive and chief of the general staff at the Peace Operations Training Center. He was appointed director of the Regional Center for Training Against Transnational Crime in 2015.

His senior leadership experiences include detachment commander and departmental commander of the Union of Military Detachment Number 3; commander of the Special Forces Command; commander of the Armed Force Transmission Support Command; head of C-III “Operations” of the Joint Staff; commander of the Engineers Command of the Armed Force; and departmental commander of La Libertad. He was appointed Chief of the Joint Staff of the Salvadoran Armed Force in June 2019.

In addition to the Command and General Staff Officers Course, he completed the Basic Engineers Officers course and the National War College in the United States. He has also completed professional military education courses in El Salvador, Germany, and Colombia.

In his remarks delivered by International Military Student Division Director Jim Fain, Tejada Murcia said he was thankful and humbled by the induction honor.

“The knowledge and experience I gathered in my [CGSC] classroom, the interaction with the faculty, U.S. and fellow international students prepared me to work effectively in a multinational environment halfway around the world,” Tejada Murcia said.

Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Daniel Dee Ziankahn, Jr., Minister of National Defense, Liberia

CGSC Commandant Lt. Gen. Theodore D. Martin, right, and Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Daniel Dee Ziankahn, Jr., Minister of National Defense, Liberia, unveil Ziankahn’s portrait during the International Hall of Fame induction ceremony April 12, 2022, at the Lewis and Clark Center, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

Minister Daniel D. Ziankahn, Jr., hails from River Cess County. He obtained his primary and secondary educations from the Bible Way Mission School (Robert’s Field High Way), Junior High School, St. Peter’s High School (Gardnersville). He obtained his high school diploma from the AGM High School (Sinkor, Oldroad).

Ziankahn has a bachelor’s in business administration from the African Methodist Episcopal Zion University College, Liberia, and Master of Military Art and Science from the United States Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. He is also a graduate of the Kennedy School of Government (Harvard University), where he acquired Executive Education in Senior Managers in Government and Senior Leaders in National and International Security.

Ziankahn was commissioned into the Armed Forces of Liberia in 2006. He successfully completed the following military training and courses: Initial Entry Training, Advanced Individual Training, Officer Candidate School and the Basic Non-Commissioned Officer Course in Liberia; The Basic Officer Leader Course, Infantry Basic Officer Course, and the Airborne Course at Fort Benning, Georgia; the Armor Company Commander Course in the Arab Republic of Egypt; and the Junior Staff Course at the Horton Academy, Freetown, Sierra Leone.

He has certificates in Public Sector Management from the Institute of Public Administration and Management, University of Sierra Leone, Senior Staff Course (Intermediate Level Education) Fort Leavenworth, Kansas and Advance Training on Security Sector Reform from the Rwanda Peace Academy, Rwanda.

Ziankahn has attended the African Land Forces Summits, Kampala, Uganda and Arusha, Tanzania; The African Endeavour on Strategic Communications, Duala, Cameroon; The Role of the Military in the 21st Century, Leavenworth, Kansas; Humanitarian Disaster Response, Abuja, Nigeria; and Economic Community of West African States Chiefs of Defense Staff Conferences (Abuja, Bissau, Dakar, Lome, Accra, Niamey, Monrovia, Abidjan, Bamako, etc.).

Ziankan said his induction is an honor and he is proud of his CGSC pedigree.

“For me, the cross-cultural experiences and sponsorship to the American way of academic and social life will always be treasured,” he said. “I’m filled with excitement and greatly overjoyed to be a member of the International Hall of Fame. It’s not just a personal honor but an honor for my family, the men and women of the Armed Forces of Liberia, and the people of Liberia.”

Maj. Gen. Prince Charles Johnson, III, Chief of Staff, Armed Forces of Liberia

CGSC Foundation Chairman Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Bryan W. Wampler, right, presents Maj. Gen. Prince Charles Johnson, III, Chief of Staff, Armed Forces of Liberia, with an eagle statuette signifying his appointment as a life constituent of the CGSC Foundation during the International Hall of Fame induction ceremony April 12, 2022, at the Lewis and Clark Center, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

Maj. Gen. Prince C. Johnson, III is an infantry officer in the Armed Forces of Liberia who is currently serving as Chief of Staff. He was nominated by the president of the Republic of Liberia and confirmed by the Senate on February 5, 2018. He served as deputy chief of staff from December 1, 2016 to January 22, 2018.

He was commissioned after completion of Officer Candidate School in 2007. He has held several positions within the Armed Forces of Liberia: commanding general 23rd Brigade; commander, chief of operations, deputy assistant chief of operations, and chief of logistics in Headquarters, Armed Forces of Liberia; military assistant to the Minister of National Defense; assistant brigade operations officer; 2nd Battalion executive officer; company commander; and platoon commander.

Johnson has attended several military schools including the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas; Infantry Mechanized Company Commander Course in Shijiazaugh Hebei Province, China; Junior Staff Course Horton Military Academy Freetown, Sierra Leone 2010; and the Infantry Young Officer Course at the Nigeria Army School of Infantry in Jaji Kaduna, Nigeria 2008. He has received the following awards, First Place Award Junior Staff Course International Military Assistance and Training Team, Freetown, Sierra Leone.

He holds a post graduate certificate in public sector management from the Institute for Public Administration and Management – University of Sierra Leone, Freetown 2010, a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in accounting from the United Methodist University (2004) and is currently a candidate for a master’s degree in peace studies at the University of Liberia.

In addition, he has completed the Harvard Kennedy School Executive Education for Senior Executives in National and International Security, Harvard University, August 2015, and both African Center for Strategic Studies Seminars in Senior Military Leadership and Managing Security Resources in Africa, June and November 2012.

During his acceptance remarks, Johnson said his current position challenges threats in the West African region, but leadership upholds the region. He said he recognized his growth between his time as a CGSC student and now.

“Amid all these numerous challenges, the Armed Forces of Liberia and other militaries in the region continue to uphold the tenants of democracy. The level of leadership would not have been possible without the preparation and leadership training obtained from the United States Army Command and General Staff College, which contributed immensely to our development as senior leaders,” Johnson said.

Portraits of the inductees unveiled during the ceremony will be hung in the International Hall of Fame Gallery on the third floor of the Lewis and Clark Center.

For more photos from the ceremony see the CGSC Foundation Flickr album

Watch the full ceremony on the CGSC Facebook page