Photo: Courtesy of the U.S. Army’s Digital Acquisition Processing Management Information System

Major General Chris Norrie ’92’s mission is to ensure soldier safety and readiness.

When Army Major General Chris Norrie ’92 was a student at Bucknell, he found camaraderie and a sense of family among his friends on campus, including fellow rowers (he was captain of the crew team) and ROTC cadets (he was the cadet battalion commander). “I have deployed to conflict areas in Iraq and Bosnia, and during those times especially, I’ve reflected back on the friendships I formed at Bucknell,” Norrie says. “I stay in touch with my Bucknell friends, and we still check in with each other. Bucknell is one of the most steadying places in the world for me.”

Stationed at Fort Stewart outside Savannah, Ga., Norrie is the commanding general of the 3rd Infantry Division. It is the second-oldest division in the Army and accounts for 16,500 soldiers, as well as more than 30,000 dependents and civilian family members. Over his 32-year career, Norrie has accumulated many awards and decorations, including the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal with valor (the fourth-highest award for valor in the military), Meritorious Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, NATO Medal and Combat Action Badge.

In his current role, Norrie focuses on developing innovative solutions for combat and war training. The 3rd Infantry Division is part of the Army’s XVIII Airborne Corps, also known as America’s Contingency Corps, which is well known for its ability to rapidly deploy troops across the world by land, air or sea. “It’s an active duty division that is always thinking about what the future might look like,” he says. “At my level, our shared purpose is to ensure that no unit or soldier goes untrained into combat.”

With the integration of new combat technology, such as drones, electromagnetic spectrums, algorithms and advanced fire systems, Norrie’s unit continually adapts to enhance the safety of soldiers and civilians.

“I did not intend to make the Army a career,” says Norrie, who is married to Kathy Kolasheski Norrie ’92. “But what I found in the Army was a sense of family, and it reminded me of the sense of family I felt at Bucknell. In many ways, it started at Bucknell — with that sense of belonging and teamwork. I continue to identify with it. Also, the rigor. You can’t get away with a lazy thought at Bucknell; there’s an intellectual grit needed to get by there that continues to benefit me today.”