Salvation Army Volunteer Serves God, Country and Others

In addition to being Vice President of SunTrust Bank’s Trust Services, a husband and a father of three, Arthur Oliver is a Lieutenant Colonel in the Tennessee Army National Guard and a member of the Advisory Board of The Salvation Army, Memphis Area Command.

He has dedicated over 23 years of service to his country, including three mobilizations since September 11. As part of Operation Noble Eagle, the National Guard’s homeland security response to the terrorists’ attacks on 9/11, Arthur was mobilized for a year of active duty. He also led his battalion down to Louisiana in response to the damage of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Arthur recently returned from a year of active duty in Afghanistan, but his generous services do not stop there.

Since 1998, Arthur has been a member of the Advisory Board of The Salvation Army. He was searching for a local charity with which to become involved and immediately felt a connection to The Salvation Army’s Christian ministry.

Arthur’s father expressed a deep appreciation towards The Salvation Army for assistance given to his father during the Korean War. Arthur is pleased to say that he has experienced the same feeling of gratitude towards The Salvation Army for its assistance, specifically during the relief operations of Hurricane Katrina.

“We were downtown (New Orleans) helping FEMA, HAZMAT, fireman and the police clean-up the mess when I encountered a Salvation Army van handing out free meals and drinks to all the soldiers, fireman and police,” Arthur explained. “No other organizations were down there, amidst all the chaos, taking care of the first responders, except The Salvation Army. I was really proud to see that, not that it was unexpected, but how everyone there deeply appreciated their being there.”

Dedicating his life to his country and community service, Arthur knows that the world faces many hardships everyday. He believes that the fundamental difference of The Salvation Army is that it efficiently teaches people that our neighborhood issues can be resolved with a change of heart and help from our Creator.