U.S. Army Command and General Staff College graduates 1100

By Harry SarlesJune 12, 2015

Gen. Daniel B. Allyn
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Gen. Daniel B. Allyn - 2
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More than 1100 officers graduated from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff Officer Course here today. The graduating class includes mid-career officers from all American armed forces as well as 69 international officers and 16 federal government civilian employees from other agencies. The graduation ceremony is at the post's Lewis and Clark Center.

Gen. Daniel B. Allyn, 35th Vice-Chief-of-Staff of the Army, challenged the graduates, "As field-grade officers you are responsible for developing the officers and non-commissioned officers in your units," he said. He added that they also need to continually develop themselves as well.

He used the example of President Dwight D. Eisenhower to motivate the students. Eisenhower, he said, wanted to deploy to Europe to fight during World War I. Eisenhower was disappointed to not be assigned to a war-fighting command, but he used his assignments during and following WWI to develop himself and follow the advice of his mentors, especially Maj. Gen. Fox Conner. Conner was known as the "grey eminence" for his mentorship of Eisenhower, Gen. George Patton, Gen. of the Army George C. Marshall, and others.

Allyn said that like Conner, the CGSC graduates needed to recognize talent in their peers and subordinates and do all they can to develop their subordinates. "Through mentoring, your influence expands exponentially," he said.

He also advised the graduates to maintain the contacts made at the college. "Relationships matter," he told them. Personal relationships are useful for counsel, perspective, and brain storming, he said. He went on to say personal relationships are the "strongest, richest reward or our profession."

He told the audience that although the world faces increased instability today with criminal and extremist elements ready to take advantage of every situation, the Army is better prepared today than it was in the 1990's because "we have the deepest bench of combat leaders our Army has ever had." He also said that because of today's uncertainty, mission command -- enabling disciplined initiative within the commander's intent -- is more important than ever. Today's Army relies on leaders who are agile, adapt and innovative, he said. Leaders, like Eisenhower, who are prepared to think creatively and challenge creative wisdom.

General Allyn is a native of Berwick, Maine, and a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. He previously served as the Commander of the United States Army Forces Command, Fort Bragg, NC. He also served as the Commanding General, XVIII Airborne Corps and Commanding General, 1st Cavalry Division, "America's First Team," including duty as Commanding General, Combined Joint Task Force 1 and Regional Command East in Afghanistan.

The 10-month Command and General Staff Officers Course develops war-fighting and adaptive leadership skills necessary for military officers to be proficient in Unified Land Operations. The College is an educational center of excellence renowned in the study of leadership, the conduct of joint and combined land warfare, and the application of Joint, Interagency, Intergovernmental, and Multinational organizations to synchronize all elements of power to achieve national objectives.

The international military students, received the CGSC International Officer Graduate Badge during a ceremony Thursday, June 11. International military student participation in cooperative military studies in the United States originated at Fort Leavenworth in 1894. Since then, international military students have become an integral part of the "Fort Leavenworth experience" and to date more than 7,800 international officers have studied alongside U.S. military and government civilian counterparts.

In addition to completing the course, approximately 125 students earned the Master of Military Art and Science Degree. Students earn the master's degree by successful completion of the Command and General Staff Officers Course, successful completion of an oral comprehensive exam, and writing and orally defending a thesis based on original research. The College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools to award the master's degree.

Individual award recipients include:

General George C. Marshall Award (Distinguished U.S. Graduate) -- Capt. John Q. Bolton, Aviation

General Dwight D. Eisenhower Award (Distinguished International Graduate) -- Major Shi Ming Wong, Singapore

General Colin L. Powell Interagency Award -- Mr. Cheyenne D. Kiel, Defense Intelligence Agency

General George S. Patton, Jr. Award (Distinguished Master Tactician) -- Maj. Jesse L. Wood, Field Artillery

General James M. Wright Award (Distinguished Master Logistician) -- Maj. Bruce Roett, Logistics

General Douglas MacArthur Award (Scholarship and Professional Writing) -- Maj. Gregory Blom, U.S. Air Force

General John J. Pershing Award (Outstanding Non-Resident Graduate) -- Maj. Joseph Davison

Major General Hans Schlup Award (International Relations) -- Maj. Zainal Azli Bin Ismil, Malaysia

JC4I Writing Award (Writing on Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence and Information Operations) -- Maj. Michael Kim, Armor

Birrer-Brookes Award (Outstanding Master of Military Art and Science Thesis) Maj. Shi Ming Wong, Singapore

Homeland Security Studies Award -- Assistant Chief John R. Modlin, U.S. Border Patrol

Iron Major Award (Physical Fitness) -- Lt. Cmdr. Tiko Crofoot, U.S. Navy; Maj. Audrey Hurdle, Civil Affairs; Maj. Oleksii Tsariuk, Ukraine

Lt. Col. Boyd McCanna Harris Leadership Award, Maj. Andrew Atkins, Judge Advocate

Arter-Darby Award for Excellent Scholarship and Writing in Military History -- Maj. Laura-Jane Freeland, Acquisition Corps

Simon Center Interagency Writing Award -- Maj. Christian A. Carr, Civil Affairs

Arter-Doniphan Award (Highest Grade Point Average) -- Maj. Shi Ming Wong, Singapore

Grierson Award for Excellence in Strategic Studies -- Maj. Shi Ming Wong, Singapore

Father Donald Smythe Award (Excellence in Study of Military History) Maj. David Fearon, Canada

Excellence in Joint Forces Warfare Award -- Maj. Nathan T. Adkins, Field Artillery

U.S. Army Civilian Educator of the Year -- Dr. Phillip G. Pattee, Department of Joint, Interagency and Multinational Operations (Dr. Pattee was selected as the Army's top civilian educator earlier in the year and recognized in ceremonies at the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command headquarters in Virginia in May.)

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