By Lt. Col. Jefferson Wolfe
USACAPOC Public Affairs Officer
FORT BRAGG, N.C. -- United States Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command (Airborne) lost 100 years of experience after three senior officers retired during Saturday's battle assembly.
The ceremony for Col. George J. Hanhauser IV, the former USACAPOC(A) chief of staff; Col. Charles J. Butler, the outgoing chief of logistics; and Lt. Col. Scott A. Matti, who served in multiple positions in the G-3 operations section, took place at Clark Auditorium in the XVIII Airborne Corps and Fort Bragg Noncommissioned Officer Academy.
"They've not just contributed, during their time, to USACAPOC, but to the Army Reserve and the Army as a whole," said Maj. Gen. Darrell Guthrie, the commanding general of USACAPOC(A) and the ceremony's host. "And to that, I say thank you."
The three retirees all exemplified dedication to duty, as did their families, he said.
"To your wives, I say thank you for sharing your husband, and to the children, I say thank you for sharing your dad with the Army," Guthrie said.
Maj. Gen. Daniel Ammerman, a former USACAPOC(A) commanding general, was the presiding officer for the event.
"They certainly had extraordinary careers by any way you'd imagine it," he said. "They've all continued their educations, continued to grow."
All three had a tremendous impact on the command, by being able to move fast, change and evolve, he added.
"They drove everybody around them to do better," Ammerman said.
Hanhauser thanked his wife for her support during his 30-year career, adding when he came into the Army, there was still a Soviet Union and Germany was still divided.
He is confident that USACAPOC(A) Soldiers would carry on.
"There are a lot of good people still in the Army," Hanhauser said. "I don't have to worry about anything. Y'all got this."
Butler thanked his fellow Soldiers, family and friends.
"I know what I will miss most about the Army -- it is the people that I served with, mostly," he said.
Butler does not plan to retire completely, even as his uniformed career ends.
"This is one phase ending and another one beginning," he said.
Matti also thanked his family and all the people he's worked with, adding he hasn't determined what his future will be.
"It's been a fun time, and I look forward to the future," Matti said.
All three officers received a Legion of Merit, a retirement certificate signed by President Donald J. Trump, and another signed by Lt. Gen. Charles Luckey, the commanding general of United States Army Reserve Command.
Their wives received a certificate signed by Gen. Mark A Milley, the chief of staff of the Army. Hanhauser's and Matti's children received the "BRAT" award from XVIII Airborne Corps and Fort Bragg.
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