ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. (July 8, 2015) -- Col. Greg W. Dreisbach retired after a 30-year career during a June 23, 2015 retirement ceremony held at the U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command's headquarters building.
ATEC Commanding General, Maj. Gen. Daniel L. Karbler presided over the ceremony attended by Dreisbach's wife, Ivy, his daughter Caitlin, his parents, Carl and Nancy Dreisbach of Tamaqua, Pennsylvania, and his in-laws, Richie and Phyllis Lambert, of New York City. His father, Carl, served in the U.S. Navy during World War II.
Karbler presented Dreisbach with a Legion of Merit award for "exceptionally meritorious service in defense of the Nation during a time of turbulence and transition in the Army and for exceptional leadership, performance of duty, and professionalism while serving in positions of increasing responsibility culminating as the ATEC Director of Operations, Security, and Safety," according to the award citation.
Karbler thanked Dreisbach for dedicating his life to the Army and for his willingness to go wherever the Army's mission took him.
A decorated officer who served on three combat deployments, Dreisbach was assigned to ATEC as the G-3 Plans Officer and Director of the G-2/3/7 directorate since September 2013.
A native of Tamaqua, Pennsylvania, Dreisbach was commissioned in 1984 as a field artillery officer upon graduation from Penn State's ROTC program.
His first assignment was with the XVIII Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg, North Carolina where he served as a Battery Executive Officer.
During his career, Dreisbach deployed numerous times with the Army and Army National Guard in support of humanitarian, disaster relief and combat military operations across the globe.
For two months, Dreisbach was deployed to Homestead Air Force Base in Florida, August 24, 1992, as Battery Commander for Joint Task Force Andrew after Hurricane Andrew, a category five hurricane, destroyed the air base.
In 1993, he deployed to Somalia in support of Operation Restore Hope and in 1994, he was deployed to Haiti in support of Operation Restore Democracy.
After his release from active duty in 1996, Dreisbach entered the New York Army National Guard and was assigned as the Assistant Division Signal Officer for the 42nd Infantry Division in Troy, New York.
While with the 42nd, Dreisbach served as the G-6 Automation Officer as part of Task Force Liberty and deployed to Tikrit, Iraq in 2004 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
In addition to his numerous deployments, Dreisbach has a long track record as a commander during times of crisis.
After the terrorist attacks that destroyed the World Trade Center in New York City on September 11, 2001, Dreisbach served as the Commander for New York's Operation Empire Shield Joint Task Force from 2008 to 2011. The task force conducted Homeland Security operations in the New York City Metropolitan Area to deter and prevent further terrorist acts and to help save lives and reduce human suffering, Dreisbach explained.
Dreisbach was the Commander of the boats that assisted the Coast Guard in the rescue efforts of 150 passengers and five crew members after U.S. Airways Flight 1549, piloted by Captain Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger, made an unpowered emergency landing in the Hudson River, January 15, 2009, after multiple bird strikes caused both of the airplane's jet engines to fail.
Dreisbach served as the Multi-Agency Super Surge Commander (MASS) in March of 2010, when New York City staged a MASS drill to gauge train terror response. Hundreds of New York Police Department officers along with members of Amtrak, Maryland Transit Administration Police, Army National Guard, New Jersey Transit, Port Authority and Transportation Security Administration personnel, participated in this exercise conducted at Penn Station, Grand Central Station, and the Herald Square Station to assess how prepared law enforcements were for a terrorist attack on the city's subways and commuter trains.
Following the attempted terrorist attack (car bombing) in Times Square in New York City May 1, 2010, Dreisbach, as the Joint Task Force Commander, aided civil authorities and the New York Police Department by providing exterior security support.
In August 2011, Dreisbach was deployed to West Point, New York as Battalion Commander in response to Hurricane Irene, a large and destructive tropical cyclone ranked as the 7th costliest hurricane in the United States' history.
In 2012, Dreisbach returned to active duty to support Operation Enduring Freedom in Kandahar, Afghanistan where he served as the Commander of the 101st Signal Battalion.
"Greg has commanded many, many times," Karbler said. "He was given this very important responsibility because he earned the respect of his senior leaders by his demonstrated ability to lead teams and to influence and effectively command those in his charge."
During his remarks, Dreisbach thanked his family and close friends for being there and being such a great support system to him over the years. He thanked his wife, Ivy, for supporting him through all the deployments, training exercises, and relocations over the last three decades.
Dreisbach spoke about the hazardous life of a Soldier, not only in combat, but in training as well. He thanked the men and women of ATEC for being a part of helping him get to the finish line and urged them to start looking at Soldier retirements in a different way.
"Yes, it [retirement ceremony] is honoring the service of the Soldier," said Dreisbach. "However, because of your hard work we have another Soldier who has made it to the finish line."
In closing, Dreisbach impressed upon the audience, his love of being a Soldier.
"I say with great sadness, that when I take off this uniform it will be for the last time," Dreisbach said. "But I will always be a Soldier for life."
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