The Department of the Army Inspector General (DAIG) recognized a noncommissioned officer (NCO) and three Army Civilians April 15 for their dedication to the Army Inspector General (IG) System.
During DAIG’s World Wide Inspector General Conference, DAIG named Master Sgt. Dawn Wilson as the NCO of the Year, and Henry (Joe) Davis, Michael Pickett, and David Thompson as the Civilians of the Year in their respective categories.
Wilson, assigned to the IG squad at the 20th Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear Explosive Command at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, was chosen from a IG NCOs across the Army who competed for the honor.
Sgt. 1st Class Daniel A. Gotschall, assigned to I Corps at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, was the close runner-up.
According to Sgt. Maj. Larry Orvis, the Inspector General Sergeant Major, the competition was very tight. “They (the competing IGs) are truly all-knowing on IG processes and procedures,” Orvis said. He noted the results across the competitors were only spread out by a couple of points from top to bottom.
After a tour as a first sergeant in Korea, Wilson sought a new assignment to broaden her knowledge of the Army and help others.
“I wanted a job that was just as challenging but also provided me the opportunity to affect change in a positive way. Being an (Inspector General NCO) has shaped my career by providing the tools and understanding, needed to be a more effective leader and mentor,” Wilson said.
Wilson also earned an Army Commendation Medal.
Mark Gatto, the acting Director of Army Inspections, presented the three Civilians of the Year, with one winner each from the GS-9/11, GS-12/13, and GS-14/15 pay grades.
Henry ‘Joe’ Davis, an Assistant IG with the Arkansas National Guard (AKNG), received the honor for the GS-9/11 category. Davis, a retired Army colonel, previously served as the Command Inspector General for the state of Arkansas. He returned to the AKNG as a civilian IG in June 2011.
“As a Civilian IG, I realize we are the brick and mortar, the foundation of the IG teams,” Davis said.
In the GS-12/13 category, Michael Pickett, the Chief of Assistance at the Human Resources Command IG Squad at Fort Knox, Kentucky, was this year’s winner. Pickett retired from active duty in 2008 as the Inspector General Sergeant Major for U.S. Army Recruiting Command.
Pickett gave credit to his IG teammates and cited the common goals in their work. “Attitude is everything, and I am surrounded by excellence,” he said.
David S. Thompson, the Command Inspector General at Army Futures Command in Austin, Texas, was named as the recipient for the GS-14/15 award. A former field artillery officer, he retired from the Army as a colonel in 2011. During his Army career, he held several IG positions over two decades.
“My success has been based on mentors and those who worked with me,” Thompson said. He noted that it was his noncommissioned officers who were instrumental in making his first IG assignment successful as a captain in the late 1980s.
Each DA Civilian awardee will receive the Civilian Service Commendation Medal.
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