As an Air Force brat growing up outside of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, Maj. Gen. James “Jim” Turinetti had no intention of pursuing a career in the U.S. Army.
The son of a retired airman, he joined the Army out of spite after an opportunity to play soccer at the Air Force Academy fell through last minute. He later joined Army ROTC at The Ohio State University, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in aeronautical and astronautical engineering in 1994.
More than three decades later, Turinetti, 55, serves as the 18th commander of U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command and senior commander of Aberdeen Proving Ground.
As a child, Turinetti spent time around other children whose parents also served in the military. Familiar with that lifestyle, he said it was what drove him to pursue a military career.
“Growing up, almost everybody’s parents were in the Air Force,” he said. “I didn’t consider any other option.”
After graduating from college, he went on to pursue a Master of Arts in telecommunications management from Webster University in Missouri and a Master of Science in national resource strategy with a focus on cyber security leadership from the Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy in Washington, D.C.
Throughout his career as an Army officer, he served as a leader in a variety of roles including, commandant and 41st chief of signal, U.S. Army Signal School, Fort Eisenhower; director for the C5 Directorate, J-6/chief information officer for U.S. Central Command; director for the Communications Systems Directorate, J-6/chief information officer for U.S. Central Command; director for the Communications Systems Directorate, J-6/chief information officer for the U.S. Southern Command and deputy G-6 for the U.S. Army Pacific at Fort Shafter, Hawaii.
Turinetti recalled when he took his son to work with him in Hawaii as one of the most memorable moments of his career.
“Most of the time we think our kids don’t know what we do,” he said. “Having that opportunity to have him participate a little bit more and have a better understanding of what I do, believe it or not, that’s probably one of the more memorable things.”
Turinetti said he is most proud of the relationships he has developed with his fellow officers over the years.
Command Sgt. Maj. Jay High met Turinetti two years ago while serving as a U.S. Army element and J6 senior enlisted leader, United States Central Command at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida.
Assuming the position of command sergeant major of the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command in February, he said it was his positive working relationship with Turinetti that convinced him to move to Maryland.
“I could have stayed in Tampa and retired, but to be able to work alongside General Turinetti every day, I gave up Tampa in January to move to Aberdeen,” High said. “He is really working hard for the people that serve in this command every day to help solve problems for the Army right now.”
It has been nearly one year since Turinetti assumed duties as commander of the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command and senior commander of APG.
As commanding general for a 9,000-person, two-star global command and senior commander of a 28,000-person military base, he serves as the Army’s Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance and medical material integrator, according to APG. He is responsible for enabling the Army’s warfighting readiness by providing sustainable global C5ISR and medical materiel support.
While sitting in his office in Armstrong Hall at APG, he pointed out a series of mementos from his career, including coins representing several organizations he served, digital clocks displaying time zones from the places he has served around the world and photos of his wife and two children during his time serving in Hawaii.
Turinetti said he is grateful to the military for the opportunities it has provided him and his family.
“The opportunities that it’s given my family and myself have just been amazing,” he said. “I had an ROTC scholarship, and the army paid for that and they paid for two master’s degrees and they’ve even been able to help with college for both of my children, so an absolutely phenomenal opportunity.”
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