ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. (April 22, 2015) -- With laughter, tears and an outpouring of thanks for his fellow pioneers on the Army's digital communications journey, Terence M. "Terry" Edwards concluded his 33-year Army civilian career at a retirement ceremony on April 21.
"Being a first-generation immigrant and being able to have a career like mine can only happen in a country like ours," Edwards said. "To play a tiny role in protecting its freedom has been like a dream."
Edwards, who began his career as an engineer at Fort Monmouth, N.J., rose through the ranks to become a member of the Senior Executive Service. He held senior assignments at the Army Materiel Command (AMC), Office of the Army Chief Information Officer (CIO)/G-6, and the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology (ASA(ALT)), before returning to the Program Executive Office for Command, Control and Communications-Tactical (PEO C3T) to close his career at Aberdeen Proving Ground.
"It is only fitting for me to complete my career here with the team I started with 30 years ago," said Edwards, whose final assignment was as PEO C3T Chief Science and Technology Advisor. With his wife, Delna, two children and other close relatives looking on, Edwards said the Army had been "like a family to us."
"One cannot have achieved what I have without the help of many incredible people, and many of you are here in the audience today," he said. "You've played a role in molding me, guiding me, and supporting me on this incredible journey."
A highlight of that journey was Edwards' role in the Force XXI campaign, the Army's signature digitization effort of the 1990s. When the Army was getting ready to conduct the Advanced Warfighting Experiment in 1997 to prove out its new digital capabilities on the battlefield, it was Edwards who rallied a team at Fort Hood, Texas to integrate more than 70 separate systems into a cohesive network for the first time.
Shifting into 24/7 operations, with coding taking place at night and testing during the day, he led a team from government and industry to create a network that achieved the critical goals of Force XXI: situational awareness at brigade and below and information-sharing in the command post.
"He continuously validated progress with Soldiers and commanders -- making sure engineers heard and implemented user input to shape each iteration of the network baseline," said Maj. Gen. Daniel P. Hughes, program executive officer for C3T, who hosted the ceremony. "The technical progress made during this time period was critical to Army operations in the Balkans, Iraq, Afghanistan and beyond. Our Soldiers were safer and more effective in those conflicts because of Terry Edwards."
Edwards later compared the Force XXI experience to "being in a race and building both the car and the factory at the same time." Through his efforts, the Army successfully established the infrastructure, processes, personnel skill sets, and operational tempo required to support increasingly mature digitization exercises and eventual fielding of advanced tactical communications capabilities. He cemented the role of the Central Technical Support Facility at Fort Hood, which became a model for technical integration facilities around the country and a critical support valve for units who later deployed with digital systems.
"We were fortunate to be part of something that was much bigger than us, and truly an amazing time," Edwards said. "It was wonderful to witness firsthand what a dedicated and focused team can accomplish. They were the real heroes."
As he progressed to assignments of increasing responsibility at CIO/G-6, AMC and ASA(ALT), Edwards applied his hands-on experiences to larger causes that will lead to efficiencies and lasting improvements benefiting the Army, including becoming a driving force for the Common Operating Environment and the Network Integration Evaluation. Returning to PEO C3T in his final assignment, Edwards was at the forefront of implementing an ambitious technology roadmap to drive innovation and direct limited modernization resources to the investments that will have the greatest impact for the Soldier.
He received numerous awards at the ceremony recognizing these achievements, including the Army Meritorious Civilian Service Award, the Signal Corps Regimental Association Bronze Order of Mercury, and a congratulatory letter from President Obama.
"Long after his retirement, his imprint will be felt by Soldiers who can use digital maps to distinguish friends from enemies, exchange battle graphics and chat messages in their vehicles and command posts, and pass critical data down to the lowest echelons of the force," Hughes said. "The Army was extremely fortunate to have him on our team, and we thank him sincerely and wish him all the best for the future."
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