(From left) CECOM Commanding General and APG Senior Commander Maj. Gen. Randy Taylor; Natasha Villarejo-Ruiz; Dr. Claudia Buser; Nancy Mallette; Dr. Raymond Filler; Gary Blohm, CERDEC; Larry Muzzelo, CECOM Deputy Commanding General, and CECOM and APG...
CECOM Commanding General and APG Senior Commander Maj. Gen. Randy Taylor (second from left); Larry Muzzelo, CECOM Deputy Commanding General, (center); and CECOM and APG Senior Installation Command Sgt. Maj. Matthew McCoy (right) lead the second CECOM...
ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. -- Family, friends, colleagues and acquaintances gathered in the Myer Auditorium at APG North (Aberdeen) for the induction of the second class into the U. S. Army Communications-Electronics Command, or CECOM, Hall of Fame, June 23.
Designed to recognize and preserve the rich history of the CECOM organization, and intended to give past and present members of the CECOM team a lasting sense of heritage, honor, pride and belonging, the event was hosted by Maj. Gen. Randy Taylor, CECOM commanding general and APG senior commander.
Taylor welcomed guest speaker, retired Maj. Gen. Gerard Brohm, former CECOM and Fort Monmouth, New Jersey commander. The inductees: included Dr. Raymond Filler;. Nancy Mallette, representing her late husband, retired Lt. Gen. Alfred J. Mallette; Dr. Waltraut Buser, representing her late husband Dr. Rudolf Buser; Natasha Villarejo-Ruiz, representing her late father, retired Command Sgt. Maj. Ray D. Lane; and Robert Giordano, represented by Gary Blohm.
Taylor said the inductees are professionals whose works are increasingly relevant to the Army and the security of the nation. He explained that the history of the Army mirrors the history of the United States.
"We are certainly making history even today. Not just because we are very much still in the longest war in U.S. history, but because we must stand ready for something even bigger possibly to come…And that would require so much of our country, so much of our Army, and so much of this command," he said, adding that patterns of history indicate there is potential for "the biggest thing in probably the last 80 years" to soon occur.
"I know we will be ready for the challenge because we stand on the shoulders of giants…especially those giants that we're going to recognize today," Taylor said. "We can see much farther and do much better because of the work and the foundation that they built. And we build upon that. I'm incredibly honored to be joined by them. Not only do we honor their past, but they inspire our future."
Similar sentiments were echoed by Brohm as he took to the stage -- calling the occasion for him, like Old Home Week.
"Looking at the people who are being inducted, and the people in the audience, it's really a pleasure to be here, Brohm said, adding that he knows each inductee, and their accomplishments, personally.
"CECOM has the most modern facilities, labs, equipment that you can imagine,"he said, "but none of that means anything if you don't have the people…the dedicated professional people to actually use that lab space and equipment."
Brohm called the inductees "change agents" who maintain the tradition of CECOM.
"They made things happen and continue to make things happen," he said. "They're risk takers. They're willing to take personal and professional risks for the good of the Army. They're speakers of truth to power. Moral courage, and I've seen that. They're visionaries. They're leaders. They're patriots … ho have sacrificed for the greater good."
The early morning ceremony in the Myer Auditorium was one of several activities associated with the two-day event, and came on the heels of a dinner for the inductees and their families the previous evening at Top of the Bay. The guest speaker at the dinner was former CECOM Deputy to the commanding general Victor J. Ferlise, an inaugural inductee to the CECOM Hall of Fame in 2016.
At the end of the induction ceremony well-wishers lined the courtyard grounds and applauded the inductees as they approached the final phase of the induction ceremony -- the unveiling.
Attendees gathered in the lobby of Armstrong Hall, the site of the permanent Hall of Fame landmark, where they were greeted by a host of CECOM leaders, representatives and Defense Department civilians.
Along with the inductees and family members Larry Muzzelo, CECOM deputy to the commanding general and CECOM and APG Senior Installation Command Sgt. Maj. Matthew McCoy joined Taylor in the unveiling of the CECOM Hall of Fame.
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