Three civilians who have contributed their time and efforts to the Army are being honored May 23 at a special edition Twilight Tattoo at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall's Whipple Field.
John Chambers, Elizabeth Dole and Meghan Ogilvie will receive honors from Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Mark A. Milley at the "Salute from the Chief" Twilight Tattoo.
Chambers is executive chairman of the board at Cisco Systems, Inc., a Silicon Valley technology company. He has received numerous awards for his leadership, including being named one of the best-performing CEOs in the world in 2015 from Harvard Business Review and other accolades from Time and Barron's magazines.
Under his leadership, CISCO began a networking academy at six military bases that provides training and career opportunities for veterans. According to CISCO, over 58,000 service members have learned technology skills through the network. CISCO also led the charge helping military veterans transition to civilian life by assisting service members with educational and employment opportunities.
Chambers also personally manned a holiday letter program to send to deployed Cisco military reservists.
Dole has many years of public service in Washington, D.C. Currently, she advocates for military caregivers through her Elizabeth Dole Foundation, and her relationship with the military is personal as well as esteemed. She is married to former Sen. Bob Dole, a World War II Army veteran who was severely wounded in Italy.
"During my 45-plus years of public service, support for our military men and women has always been a top priority," Dole wrote in an email to the Pentagram.
"More recently, I've discovered the enormous challenges facing America's military caregivers, the young spouses, mothers, dads and other loved ones caring for our wounded, ill and injured service members and veterans at home.
"To support them, I established the Elizabeth Dole Foundation in 2012, and we are totally committed to raising awareness and providing resources for these hidden heroes all across the country," she wrote.
The North Carolina native has held two cabinet positions -- as Secretary of Transportation under Ronald Reagan and supervised the Labor Department under George H.W. Bush. She also played a key role during her husband's 1996 presidential campaign before her own candidacy for president in 2000.
She became the president of the Red Cross in 1991 and a United States senator in 2002, when North Carolina elected her to a seat in the Senate.
Ogilvie is the CEO of Washington, D.C.'s Dog Tag Bakery. The name of the business indicates that she is a firm supporter of the men and women in uniform. A member of a military family, Ogilvie has incorporated service members into the business' fold. The Georgetown bakery recruits veterans to learn the ins and outs of running a business and 10 to 12 wounded warriors take part in fellowships to gain business administration skills.
"I'm incredibly honored that Gen. Milley and his wife (Hollyanne) are recognizing the work I've been fortunate to do through Dog Tag Inc.," Ogilvie said.
The tattoo and ceremony begins at 6 p.m. and is free and open to the public.
Pentagram Staff Writer Jim Dresbach can be reached at jdresbach@dcmilitary.com.
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