JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq - Lewis W. Eoff was presented with the Army Materiel Command Robertson J. Short Logistics Assistance Representative of the Year Award for 2007 by Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody, commanding general AMC, at a ceremony here June 4.
The award was delayed because Eoff was either preparing to deploy or already deployed to Iraq in support of the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas, when earlier attempts were made to schedule a ceremony.
Eoff said he learned of being named LAR of the year at a TACOM Life Cycle Management Command LAR workshop held at Rock Island Arsenal last September when William Powell, TACOM LCMC deputy G-3 and Elmar Cotti, TACOM LCMC Logistics Assistance Directorate chief, called him to the stage and made the announcement.
"Being named the TACOM LAR of the Year was a surprise," Eoff said. "I'm really humbled to receive the AMC award."
Eoff's route to being named AMC LAR of the Year began when he was selected as TACOM LCMC LAR of the Year. The next level judged Eoff against LARs of the year from CECOM LCMC, Aviation and Missile LCMC, Joint Munitions Command and Army Materiel Command. Criteria for the LAR of the Year include providing outstanding logistic/technical support to the Army, providing support during contingency operations or exercises, and actively participating after hours in self-improvement and community involvement. More than 850 LARs from a wide range of technical specialties are eligible.
Eoff became a LAR about eight months after he retired from a 25-year Army career in 2001 as a chief warrant officer automotive technician. He said his job as a LAR is essentially the same as what he did while on active duty.
"I deploy every time they (Logistics Assistance Directorate) put me on the list," he said. "I'll go anywhere they need me to go."
"I've had a good day when I can help Soldiers bring a piece of equipment back to life," he said. "We help Soldiers sort out problems with TACOM-provided equipment."
Eoff said his job is fun and that taking care of the Soldiers is "what it's all about."
He is now in the process of redeploying to Fort Hood, following his fourth rotation in Iraq and a year-long assignment to Korea. He will return to work as a LAR with the 1st BCT, 1st Cav. Div., and is already hoping to deploy with them next time around.
Eoff's citation for LAR of the Year, signed by Gen. Benjamin S. Griffin on Nov. 7, 2008, stated that Eoff was selected "in recognition of professional excellence second to none in the field of Logistics Assistance." Griffin was the AMC commanding general when the citation was signed.
The LAR of the Year award recognizes achievements made by non-supervisory Logistics Assistance Program personnel, GS-12 and below. In 1988, AMC Headquarters renamed the LAR of the Year award to the Robertson J. Short LAR of the Year award in memory of former Army Missile Command LAR Robertson J. "Jim" Short.
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