Logistics achievement winners represent aviation

REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. -- They're the people who ensure equipment gets to the Soldier when and where needed.

Maj. Gen. Doug Gabram, commander of the Aviation and Missile Command, calls them the workers behind the curtain. "I'm kind of in awe of what happens behind the curtain," he said.

They're the logisticians. On Nov. 15 more than 100 people gathered for the 27th annual Ernest A. Young Logistics Achievement Award luncheon at The Summit at Redstone Arsenal.

"For 27 years the award has been the premier logistics award inside the AMCOM Logistics Center," Don Nitti, acting executive director of the AMCOM Logistics Center, said.

Hilbert Carter won the Professional/Technical Award while Eddie Adams won the Management/Executive Award. Both do aviation logistics.

"I'm surprised. It's a great honor," Carter, the acquisition logistics branch chief at Tactical Unmanned Aircraft Systems, said. "And just a monument to all the great people I work with who

make things like this happen."

Adams is the sustainment supportability chief for Gray Eagle Unmanned Aircraft.

"It's pretty awesome," Adams said of his award. "I'm definitely shocked but this represents the great people, every day just doing the best work we possibly can every single day. Honestly we're doing this for the Soldier."

Ernie Young, the award's first recipient in 1991, attended the luncheon and helped make the presentations to this year's winners. Young, 85, retired in 1998 as deputy to the AMCOM commander.

"I just want to thank Mr. Young for being here, for being who he is," Gabram, the keynote speaker, said.

This year's 10 nominees, five apiece for professional/technical and management/executive, represented more than 230 years of service.

"I'm honored and humbled to be here," Gabram said. "I just want to say thank you for what you do."

The professional/technical award nominees included Carter, Ruben Burgos, Fredrick Jennings, Victor Sprunger and Rosemarie Wilder.

Management/executive award nominees included Adams, Gary Adams, David Roden, Terri Schwierling and Kyell Turner.