General Howard Bromberg Bids El Paso Farewell
By Beverly Cotton
After two years and five months in his second tour of duty at Fort Bliss, once again General Bromberg bids farewell to the City of El Paso and Fort Bliss Army Base. General Bromberg began his command on January 21, 2008 and will leave his command on July 9th, 2010. His contributions have resulted into one of the biggest transformations in the 160 year history at Fort Bliss.
“We are going to be sad to leave the people of El Paso that have been so supportive to us,” said General Bromberg. “Obviously, we always know we are going to have to leave at some point, but it doesn’t make it any easier when that time comes.”
General Bromberg has two daughters’ one of which will be transferring from UTEP to a University in California.
The General stated, “My other daughter is graduating from the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque with a degree in special education.”
General Bromberg’s career spans thirty-three years with many honors and achievements, but one of his greatest passions and achievements is the Renewable Energy Rodeo and Symposium that took place this past Tuesday and Wednesday, June 8th and 9th at Fort Bliss. The RERS is intended to be an informative and thought provoking forum to include a variety of energy topics, exhibits and technology demonstrations.
The General did not receive a directive to make Renewal Energy a priority; his passion led him to act.
“This whole idea of developing a center for energy research is exciting. If we reduce the energy bill over time we can do so much more for soldiers and their families, not to mention the importance of being a good steward of the environment. Any energy costs that are saved we will be able to earmark for other projects here on Fort Bliss.”
When asked to comment on his greatest accomplishment and challenge during his tenure at Fort Bliss. Bromberg stated, “I think when I look back my greatest accomplishment was pushing for the change that was required to set the foundation for future growth. When I got here I don’t think people really understood the magnitude that was going to have to take place to go from 9 thousand to 34,000 troops not including their families. And although I feel I’ve accomplished a lot here there is so much more to do that we will see take place over the next five to six years. For example, we want to bring in high end restaurants on post. Fort Bliss is really going to be a unique place not only for Fort Bliss, but the City of El Paso and all of the Southwest.”
“Communicating the vision for the future and teaching people patience was one of the challenges I faced,” said General Bromberg. “This undertaking was going to take significant planning and strategic execution. This is not just a post affair. This was going to impact the City of El Paso as much as Fort Bliss.”
Howard Bromberg was born in Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts. He met his wife Glenda while on a tour of duty in Germany. His wife however is from California.
“My military career was not in my plans originally,” stated the General. “I graduated with a degree in Agriculture and through ROTC had a return option to go back and manage a 2,000 acre farm. The rest is history.”
What does the General do for fun? “I enjoy going out and trying different restaurants in town, traveling to different places and on the weekends we like to relax, but find time to do exercising type things like taking a run over scenic drive. My wife enjoys rollerblading here on post.
During the interview with General Bromberg, I had asked the General who is the one single person who he considers his hero. He initially stated there were so many that he would have to think about it and asked if I could come back to that question.
“One of the many people that I consider hero status, Major General Don Infante comes to mind. He convinced me to stay in the Army. He had a lot of vision of what Fort Bliss would eventually become. I admired that and he had a lot of influence on who I am as a leader.” Don Infante is currently retired and lives in Florida.
When I asked the General about his next assignment he stated, “I am not at liberty to say, but I have some ideas as to where I might end up. The Army will announce where I am going when the time is appropriate.”
Major General Dana J.H. Pittard will assume the responsibilities of Senior Commander of Fort Bliss, TX. General Bromberg spoke highly of General Pittard and his capabilities to continue the vision of Fort Bliss as it continues its expansion efforts.
