Page 3 - FCA Diamond Point Special Edition V1_20Jan2025

FROM THE FCA CHIEF OF STAFF

A Historical Perspective on the Evolution of the COMPO 1 (Active Duty)
Finance Corps Force Structure since 1940
Colonel Mark L. Brown, U.S. Army Finance Corps (Retired)

Note from the Diamond Points’ CoS: This is an opinion piece written by Colonel (Retired) Mark Brown. While the historical data
presented is accurate, it reflects the author’s personal perspective and does not represent an official position or the views of the
Finance and Comptroller School.

Introduction

Eric F. Zellars
Finance Corps Association, Chief of Staff

Hello members of the Finance Corps Association (FCA),

Welcome to 2025! We are excited about the new FCA team led by the President Gennaro Penn and
the Vice President Sahib Singh. The FCA team is fully committed to living up to the high standards
and mission of the FCA — “…to foster esprit de corps and honor the heritage of the U.S. Army
Finance Regiment.” With this mission in mind, our new leadership team is eager to engage with
you, our valued members, to hear any ideas or actions you wish to see the association accomplish
this year.

As we move forward, the leadership is pressing on your behalf to accomplish goals in three
primary focus areas in 2025, in support of the FCA’s Mission:

1. Improving the identification and induction of deserving leaders (Soldiers and Civilians) into the
Finance Corps Hall of Fame.

2. Enhancing the historical identification and documentation of our various Association and
Financial Management Awards, which includes:

o Upgrading the awards database and improving membership access to awards via our FCA website.

o Ensuring awardees' names are properly documented and displayed in the Finance and Comptroller School’s
Hall of Excellence.

3. Creating conversation by enhancing the Diamond Points Digital Magazine. This year, we begin a
conversation on maintaining, understanding, and learning from the historical legacy force
structure of the Finance Corps. To support this effort, we are publishing an Annual Special Edition
of Diamond Points featuring historical writings from FCA members or historians. Our goal is to
foster conversation, document our history, and learn more about the evolution of the Finance
Corps. We encourage personal stories, lessons learned, and discussions on the service,
excellence, and evolution of our Finance and Comptroller community.

Considering focus areas three, it is fitting I introduce the first Special Edition of Diamond Points
for 2025. Our first article by Mark Brown has been in the works for over a year, the author’s bio is
included below for your reference. The article serves as an excellent starting point for
understanding the evolution of the Finance Corps and its ever-changing mission to Support and
Serve. Additionally, it provides what we consider to be baseline knowledge for Finance Corps
leaders. As our Corps continue to evolve, it is crucial to understand our history in order to better
guide our future direction.

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