101st Deputy Commander Receives First Star

Though he's been doing the job for months now and he has been preparing to serve in the capacity during the deployment to Afghanistan, Andrew Poppas is only now receiving his promotion from Colonel to Brigadier General. Poppas was joined Thursday afternoon by his family as he took the oath of office at McAuliffe Hall.

Major General James McConville says Poppas has had a great career, but it has been his lesser known jobs that made him a great leader.

And it is his leadership that will serve the 101st Airborne Division best this deployment.

Newly promoted Brigadier General Poppas says he always knew he wanted the promotion, but maybe not for normal reasons.

General Poppas has previously served as the 1st Brigade Combat Team Commander during its deployment to Afghanistan in 2010-2011. He is currently serving as the Deputy Commander of Operations for the 101st Airborne Division.