Pagonis was Commanding General of the 22nd Theater Army Area Command, United States Central Command, Saudi Arabia, from August 1990 to January 1992; Deputy Commanding General, Materiel Readiness/Executive Director for Conventional Ammunition, U.S. Army Materiel Command from January 1992 to June 1992;[ and Commanding General, 21st Theater Army Area Command, U.S. Army Europe and Seventh Army, Germany from June 1992 to October 1993. He retired October 31, 1993.
While in the service, Pagonis attended the U.S. Army Transportation School, Pennsylvania State University, the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, and the U.S. Naval War College. He earned both a B.S. degree in Transportation and Traffic Management and a master’s degree in Business Administration from Pennsylvania State University. He is also a brother of the Alpha Chi Rho fraternity. Pagonis is an American of Greek descent.
Gulf War
Major General Pagonis served as Norman Schwarzkopf‘s logistics advisor during the Gulf War. Pagonis was actually the first American to arrive in Saudi Arabia,[citation needed] hours after it was decided to send troops. Lacking a hotel room, he had slept two nights in the back of his rented Chevrolet near the port of Dammam. He would be promoted to lieutenant general during the war.
Pagonis retired from the position of head Sears Logistics Group in 2004, becoming a Chairman of the Board/Director for RailAmerica. He is also Vice-Chairman of GENCO ATC, a logistics firm based out of Pittsburgh and previously served as an advisor to CombineNet, Inc. Pagonis is also an author, having written Moving Mountains: Lessons in Leadership and Logistics from the Gulf War, published by Harvard Business School Press.
