NARRATOR:
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Secretary of the Army Awards Ceremony. Our host for today's ceremony is the Under Secretary of the Army, the honorable Brad R. Carson. Please stand for the arrival of the official party and remain standing for the singing of our national anthem by Staff Sergeant Benjamin Pattison of the United States Army band and the invocation delivered by chaplain Major General Donald Rutherford Army chief of chaplains.
PATTISON:
Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hail'd at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thro' the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watch'd, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof thro' the night that our flag was still there.
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
CHAPLAIN:
Let us pray.
Dear God, we pray to you with deep gratitude for all the gifts you give us each day. Our family, our loved ones, good friends, and our wonderful jobs. Help us always receive these gifts for thanksgiving to be inspired to greater service, like those we honor today. You give each one a sense of pride in their accomplishment, they serve America's Army. Remind us oh God that we are never the sole contributors to our success. Others have helped and with Thanksgiving we remember the teammates, friends, coworkers and families contributed to the accomplishments we celebrate today.
The honors bestowed today challenged each of us to serve the cause of freedom with renewed commitment and dedication, inspire us to meet the challenges of the days that lay ahead. We ask and pray in your holy name.
Amen.
NARRATOR: Please be seated. Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Carson.
[Applause]
CARSON:
Good morning everyone, good morning now.
It is great to be here on such a beautiful Monday morning. I see many members of the Army family here. Mr. Spear, Mr. Schneider, Mr. Lewis, others.
Thank you all for being here. Thank you all for being here for our recipients. Thank you all for the great work you have done and for your families and friends who are here and support. Thanks to all of you for being a part of this important day. This is my first ceremonial event as under secretary of the army and is appropriately so is honoring our civilian workforce is a key priority of mine, and something that is a major priority for the secretary of the Army and for the Chief of Staff of the Army as well. I know we have some awards to give out, but I would be remiss in not taking this opportunity to say a few words about our civilian workforce as well on this distinguished occasion.
We are gathered today, of course, to present awards for a variety of accomplishments from many fields, from diversity to small-business utilization to the implementation of new knowledge management tools.
The awardees accomplishments, those of you here today are significant by any standard. As the chief management officer of the Army. I myself must say though, I come to occasions like this with a bit of mixed feelings. I'm inspired by what our military and civilian workforce has accomplished. I am concerned that we, the senior leaders in the force, those of us here on the front rows. Well, we're not doing all that we can do to empower the talent that is our civilian workforce. I say this in no way to diminish the accomplishment s of our awardees today, rather I say it instead on this occasion to underscore what you all have accomplished in an increasingly challenging environment for even under optimal conditions under the best of circumstances, the Army is a very difficult organization to manage, unlike other services, the Army, as the guarantor of victory and the responsibilities of our service across all phases of conflict and military domains. These are truly awesome global responsibilities requiring public servants like all of us in this room with unshakable degree of selflessness. All of these challenges are made more difficult because the day, perhaps more than any time in recent years. We operate under crushing fiscal constraints, which have forced us to shrink our work force and force the Army Soldiers and civilians to do so much more with so much less. So I'm doubly impressed by the accomplishments of the awardees, particularly this year, but like any member of a successful organization like the Army. We cannot afford to be satisfied with the status quo.
The world is rapidly changing of course and we must change with it are business practices of personnel management systems, our acquisition policies and all of us work in care so much about, they need to evolve even more quickly, they are progressing today. This is sometimes I know, uncomfortable subjects to talk about, but as the former Chief of Staff General Shinseki once said, "you dislike change, you'll dislike irrelevance even more." So as the senior leaders of the organization is of those of us who work in the Army, it is incumbent upon all of us to try to well for lack of a better term to revolutionize the rules of the game, to speed our rate of change and as the Army has done after every conflict, I know that we can make this task and change we will. This is our imperative, innovating our way when confronting challenges comes from an Army tradition that dates back to the beginning of our hallowed service. From the expansion of the Western frontier, the Corps of Engineers canals and rail networks, to the Corps of discovery advancing the frontiers of our knowledge in general marshals, experimental Louisiana maneuvers to the air mobile concepts of the Vietnam era, the Army has always used innovation to maximize limited resources and chart the way ahead in conflict and in peace.
The thinkers, the risk takers that we honor in our lineage. They are all encouraging historical examples, but here today you the awardees in our assembled audience. We are the thinkers and we must be the risk takers of this generation. I personally look forward to what this Army will produce in the years to come and so to both the leaders present across the force and to those present in the room today, I extend a personal challenge to further empower our organization through changes in policy, be it in the development of flattened organizational systems. Be it in reforming our personnel and management systems. Be it in revising our data planning, programming budget execution systems. Be it in evaluating alternate ways of managing our personnel assignments. We must release the full potential of our civilian workforce, of our military workforce. As leaders, this is our imperative and this is the time to empower change.
To the awardees, I simply add my profound appreciation for all that you've done as President Eisenhower once wrote, "every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies in the final sense a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and not clothed." Your work to produce readiness at best value is freed up the critical resources our Army needs to meet both the internal and national priorities in a fiscally constrained environment.
I like to close with one thought that I want all of you to carry with you above all else. Behind these awards today are immense accomplishments, immense accomplishments, and behind these accomplishments are incredible people. If we are ever to build that bridge from the Army we have today to the Army of the future, policies and regulations alone will not get us there. Innovation and improvements to business systems will not either, as important as these clearly are, they will not carry the day. We will arrive prepared for the next conflict as America always has, born on the shoulders of those citizens that choose the life of public service. I firmly believe that if we empower our public servants and trust in their abilities, it will carry us beyond our furthest goals to accomplishments undreamed of. We dare not sleep. We must not rest, we must begin anew. I look forward to what our Soldiers and civilian workforce will accomplish in the coming years. Let us present these awards.
[Applause]
NARRATOR: The first category of rewards will recognize outstanding achievement in diversity and leadership programs, equal employment opportunity, professional and equal opportunity advisor.
The next award category will recognize the small business utilization award.
The next categories of awards will recognize the Army editors of the year and the Army award for publications improvements.
The next category will be Army award for valor.
The last category is the decoration for exceptional civilian service
Ladies and gentlemen; please hold your applause until all award recipients are announced.
The secretary of the Army award for diversity and leadership program goes to Mr. Gary P. Martin, deputy to the commanding general, United States Army Communications and Electronics Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. Mr. Martin distinguished himself as a leader and role model in creating a positive command climate in communications electronics command, and throughout the installation. He championed the integration of diversity and equal employment opportunity into commands strategic and human capital plans promoting workforce inclusiveness outreach and community involvement and diversity in recruiting and employee training and development. He has contributed significantly to the Army 's ability to sustain its command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities worldwide by leading, motivating, inspiring and influencing others in the commitment to equal employment opportunity.
The secretary of the Army award for diversity and leadership in equal employment opportunity professional goes to Mr. Rufus Carruthers director of equal employment opportunity United States Army Installation Management Command, Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, Texas. He is credited with establishing and standing up the income sharp program to include the hiring of 135 Harassment Response Coordinators and Victim Advocates Specialists. He also established the prototype for processing 504 reasonable accommodation requests and complaints received from all levels, Army wide. His fortitude and can-do attitude have guaranteed the integration of the six essential elements of the EEO into IMCOM strategic mission ensuring diversity, inclusion and an increase in the hiring of minorities, women, veterans and individuals with a targeted disability of those that support the war fighter and make IMCOM the Army 's home.
The secretary of the Army award for diversity and leadership in equal opportunity advisor goes to Sergeant First Class Derick A. White, equal opportunity advisor, headquarters, seventeen fires brigade, United States Army forces command Joint Base Lewis McCord, Washington. Sergeant First Class White improved the equal opportunity EEO program within his brigade, while also helping to foster a positive command climate throughout the installation. Actively involved in every aspect of the EEO program, mentored and supported representatives in other units without assigned or available EO advisors, was a lead instructor for the installation EO leaders course and was a major contributor to the smooth transition of the sexual harassment, assault response and prevention program. In addition, he set the standard for planning and executing the ethnic and special observances on post playing a direct and critical role in educating soldiers about diversity and equality.
The secretary of the Army 's small-business utilization award goes to Major General Darryl K Williams, Chief of Staff, United States Army Matériel command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama. Major General Darryl K Williams advanced the role, small businesses play in carrying out the Army 's mission is sustained commitment to the small business program led him to initiate a quarterly command wide video teleconference that addressed current small business goal achievements, identified future challenges and explore solutions to overcome those challenges As a result, AMC awarded over eight million dollars to small business firms, which accounted for more than forty eight percent of all dollars awarded to small business firms by the Department of the Army in fiscal year '13, accepting on his behalf is Ms. Nancy Small.
The secretary of the Army award for editor of the year goes to Ms. Jill J. Christensen, writer, editor publications support division, directorate of training and doctrine Maneuver Center of Excellence, United States Army Training and Doctrine Command, Fort Benning, Georgia. Skilled and tenacious, Ms. Christensen significantly improved the quality of Army publications through her editing and writing initiatives, she developed a custom template for doctrinal publications that became the publication support provisions required template. Analyzed discrepancies between the template for soldier training at locations and the prescribed template and improve the workflow of training development that resulted in notable savings in time and resources. In addition, she effectively spearheaded the stalled consolidation of two manuals.
The next award is the secretary of the Army award for valor. The award goes to Mr. Carl E Marsh- Lewis mechanical engineer; program executive office ground combat systems project manager armored brigade combat team, Michigan. Mr. Marsh Lewis was off-duty when his next-door neighbor's child told him their kitchen was on fire and children were inside the house. He immediately called 911. Then enter the smoke-filled home to rescue for children on the main level. He then learned that two more children were hiding in the basement, without regard for his life, or personal safety, he reentered the burning home found the children and led them out. With the children safe, he located a fire extinguisher and entered the house for the third time putting out the fires as firefighters arrived on the scene. As a result of his personal courage and selfless service, he saved six lives.
The next award category to be presented is the decoration for exceptional civilian service. This is the highest level award available to civilians within the Department of the Army. The first awardee is Mr. James W. Corriveau, director of public works, United States Army installation Management Command, United States Army Garrison Fort Drum, New York. A superb leader, Mr. Corriveau achieved outstanding results across a wide spectrum of public works responsibilities, he demonstrated strong commitment and support for the numerous state, federal and Army environmental programs while at the same time balancing mission requirements to ensure that infrastructure and range modernization projects continued uninterrupted. His day-to-day actions coupled with his unfailing dedication to achieving excellence in every endeavor have made Fort Drum, an installation that is second to none in caring for and supporting soldiers and families.
The final awardee is Dr. Lori A. Loan, chief, Center for nursing science and clinical inquiry, Madigan Army Medical Center, Joint Base Lewis McCord, Washington. Dr. Loans outstanding work and professional activities in healthcare delivery surpassed all expectations. A visionary and tireless proponent for evidence -based practice and data driven decisions at all levels of the organization. Her influence extended beyond the Madigan Army medical Center into the academic and broader Army communities. She possessed an unmatched talent for acquiring research funds that allowed her to pursue research that examined the links between nurse staffing patient and nurse outcomes, adverse events, patient safety and the work environment and as a black belt lean six Sigma executive. She led many team initiatives to promote excellence in patient care.
[Applause]
Please join us in congratulating all of the fiscal year 2013 Secretary of the Army Award winners.
Ladies and gentlemen, please remain standing for the singing of the Army song by staff Sergeant Benjamin Pattison, the words can be found in your program
PATTISON:
March along, sing our song, with the Army of the free.
Count the brave, count the true, who have fought to victory.
We're the Army and proud of our name!
We're the Army and proudly proclaim:
First to fight for the right,
And to build the Nation's might,
And the Army goes rolling along.
Proud of all we have done,
Fighting till the battle's won,
And the Army goes rolling along.
Then it's hi! hi! hey!
The Army's on its way.
Count off the cadence loud and strong;
For where'er we go,
You will always know
That the Army goes rolling along.
NARRATOR: Thank you and enjoy the rest of your day
Related Documents:
2014 Secretary of the Army Awards Ceremony Transcript (PDF) [PDF]
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