Soldier awarded Army's greatest innovation

By Ms. Megan Cotton (AMC)September 20, 2016

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1 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Cpt. Lawrence Collins receives the Fiscal Year 2015 Major General Harold "Harry" J. Greene Award for Innovation for individual military from Patrick O'Neill, chief technology officer, U.S. Army Materiel Command, and Lt. Gen. Todd Semonite, chief of e... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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2 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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NEW ORLEANS -- The Major General Harold "Harry" J. Greene Award for Innovation answers the question, 'what are we doing to help the Soldier?'

That's what the U.S. Army Materiel Command's chief technology officer, Patrick O'Neill, said at the awards ceremony honoring Cpt. Lawrence Collins who won the Fiscal Year 2015 Greene Award for individual military, Sept. 8.

Collins' innovation - the MILES Laser Tag Utility - is an "app" available on the Google Play store that provides battle simulation technicians with an improved method to test, configure, maintain and troubleshoot equipment within the Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System. This training system provides soldiers the capability to engage in simulated operations in a realistic battlefield environment.

"We would want to do battle training and in 10 to 15 minutes it would be over, but we would want to keep training and do it again," said Collins about developing the app at the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, California. "So we would use the app, then we could do it again, iterate, and get better. I think because of that we were more successful on the NTC battlefield."

Collins currently works at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Mississippi Valley Division and was honored at a ceremony hosted by Lt. Gen. Todd Semonite, chief of engineers and commanding general Army Corps of Engineers and O'Neill.

"For innovation you need two things, first you need a degree of genius to think through bright ways of doing something. Second, you need somebody that can operationalize it, putting together science and the application of that science into something that makes sense," said Semonite. "That is what you've [Collins] done here."

Collins who had seven years of experience with programming before he developed his app said that Soldiers should not let lack of resources stop them from thinking about ways to innovate.

"If you have ideas don't be afraid that they will be shot down or can't be done, take them to your leadership," he said. "It doesn't have to be a magic bullet, it is small steps in the right direction that makes a difference. It takes a Soldier in the struggle to say 'I can do that.'"

The other FY2015 MG Harold "Harry" J. Greene Award for Innovation winners are:

• Group Category: The SAM Junctional Tourniquet, developed at the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research, Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Team members include: Dr. John F. Kragh, Jr.; Dr. Michael A. Dubick; Colonel Lorne H. Blackbourne; Dr. James E. Johnson; Colonel Lance E. Cordoni; and Mr. Lance Hopman.

More information - http://www.usaisr.amedd.army.mil/news/news_stories/2016_AUG/USAISR_researchers_win_Armys_innovation_award.html

• Individual-civilian Category: Mr. Robert V. DiLalla for the Ballistic Combat Shirt, developed at the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center, Natick, Massachusetts.

More information - https://www.army.mil/article/175353/natick_engineer_wins_maj_gen_harold_harry_j_greene_award_for_innovation