Fort Bragg, N.C. - Six company grade officers from U.S. Army Forces Command were recognized for their commitment to the ideals for which General Douglas MacArthur stood: duty, honor and country, as they were among 28 Army-wide winners of the award named in his honor.

Capt. Sean Fraser, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 70th Armor Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, III Corps; Capt. Edward Garcia Jr., Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division, XVIII Airborne Corps; Capt. Thomas Stauffer, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Squadron, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, III Corps; Chief Warrant Officer 2 Christopher Cronen, Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 4th Battalion, 3rd Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 31st Air Defense Artillery Brigade, 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command; Capt. Jonathan Hicks, Able Battery, 3rd Battalion, 321st Field Artillery Regiment, 18th Field Artillery Brigade, XVIII Airborne Corps; Capt. Scott Bourne, 202nd Military Police Battalion, 89th Military Police Brigade, III Corps are FORSCOM's latest to earn the annual honor.

For the first time ever, FORSCOM Soldiers competed to represent the command, here as they were challenged physically, mentally and emotionally through a series of events over three days of assessment.

Over the three days, the Soldiers tackled a Soldier readiness test, leader reaction course, physical fitness test, weapons proficiency test, timed written exam, wrote an essay on short notice and faced an evaluation board.

"The intent of the Gen. Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award is to recognize leadership contributions of junior officers during the selected calendar year," Maj. Gen. Jody J. Daniels, FORSCOM chief of staff and MacArthur Award board president said. "The nomination considerations include leadership, influence, proficiency, values, team-building, and personal skills."

The FORSCOM nominee award packages were then forwarded to the Department of the Army where they were judged with all other nominations from across the Army and from those, the six FORSCOM Soldiers were selected for the award.

The winners will be presented their awards in Washington, D.C. at a ceremony later this year.

The General Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award program was introduced in 1987 to recognize company-grade officers who have a proven record of extraordinary performance, leadership and achievement. For more information visit the Army G-1 website: http://www.armyg1.army.mil/macarthur/