ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. -- Five exceptional individuals were added to the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command lore, during the Class of 2019 Induction Ceremony into the CECOM Hall of Fame at the Myer Auditorium, May 1. APG Senior Leader and CECOM Commander, Maj. Gen. Randy Taylor hosted the event prior to an unveiling of the recently renovated Hall of Fame display in CECOM headquarters.
Taylor said that this year marks the final CECOM ceremony as the name transitions to the "C5ISR Hall of Fame" in 2020. He said the day was about honoring the selfless service of the honorees.
"We thank you for your service to our nation," he said, calling them "the finest the U.S. Army Signal Corps and civilian corps has to offer."
Noting his impending change of command in June, Taylor added that the honorees were the type of leaders he aspires to be.
"Thank you for setting an example for all of us to follow."
2019 CECOM Hall of Fame Inductees
Retired Lt. Gen. Otto J. Guenther
Then a major general, Guenther served as the CECOM commander from July 1992 to January 1995. As commander, he successfully captured the attention and support of the Chief of Staff of the Army in "Digitizing the Battlefield," leveraging advanced technology demonstrations to disseminate capabilities to the Soldier. During the Fort Monmouth, New Jersey base realignment and closure, he was a significant contributor to the Army Materiel Command's strategic process initiative, shaping CECOM into its current structure on APG. Guenther retired in June 1997.
Retired Maj. Gen. William H. Russ
Russ served as the CECOM commander from July 2001 until his retirement after a 32-year career in June 2004. As commander, Russ led CECOM through its response to the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, as well as the aftermath, including efforts supporting Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.
Creating a 24-hour Emergency Operations Center, Russ ensured critical communications capabilities and emergency support were available at Ground Zero and the Pentagon. Center operations continued throughout his tenure, providing more than 1 million different repair part items for Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Mark A. Sagan
Sagan served as CECOM chief counsel from 2002 to 2009. His expertise and sage advice were relied upon with absolute confidence by Department of Defense and Army senior leadership for high priority, multi-billion dollar contracts, including the Iraqi Reconstruction Program, the U.S. Army Recruiting and Advertising Program and the Stryker Armored Combat Vehicle. Hand-selected by the Army Materiel Command, Sagan was responsible for promoting government-industry communication and improving contract performance without dispute and litigation. His awards include the Presidential Rank Award, Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service and AMC Attorney of the Year.
David G. Sharman
Sharman served as the acting director of the CECOM Logistics and Readiness Center from 2006 to 2008, and as director from 2008 to 2011. As director, Sharman balanced warfighter demands during the Iraq War and led the command's transition to the Logistics Modernization Program, setting the model for all other materiel subordinate commands to follow. He also established the command's retrograde/reset plan for all systems in Iraq, laying the framework for others. Sharman retired in 2011 with 31 years of civilian service. He is the recipient of the Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service and the Fort Monmouth Executive of the Year award.
Edward C. Thomas
Thomas served as the deputy to the CECOM commander from 2007 until his retirement in 2011 after 37 years of civilian service. His leadership during the Fort Monmouth BRAC was instrumental in shutting down one installation while creating state-of-the-art facilities and relocating 60 percent of the workforce to another -- an unprecedented success. Previous to this, Thomas was director of the Software Engineering Center from 2001 to 2007. During that time, he led the Army's software process improvement campaign, earning the Fires Support Division, the prestigious CMMI Level 5 rating -- a first in DOD history. He is the recipient of the Presidential Rank Award, the Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service and CECOM Executive of the Year.
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