Duty, honor and country. Those were the ideals that General of the Army Douglas MacArthur stood for and Eighth Army sees the general's legacy alive and well in Capt. Martin Delaney III and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Justin Rorex. The two were selected as Eighth Army's nominees for the prestigious General Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award in a ceremony at Camp Humphreys, South Korea, Dec. 11, 2023.
The award is presented annually to an outstanding captain and chief warrant officer two in the U.S. Army. Twelve finalists consisting of company grade officers and CW2s were selected from units across the Korean peninsula after being nominated by their commanders and faced a rigorous selection board where their military expertise and bearing were assessed.
In the end, the board of leaders selected Delaney and Rorex as best of the best for Eighth Army. They will now compete at the U.S. Army Pacific level, and if selected, will then compete at the Dept. of the Army level with the ultimate winner presented at the Pentagon later.
Delaney is commander of the 127th Military Police Company out of Fort Carson, Colorado. His unit is on rotation to South Korea and falls under the 2nd Infantry Division. He said he is humbled to be one of the Eighth Army nominees and had to work against stiff competition.
“It is an honor to be nominated in the first place; I had to go 2ID and do the (selection) board there as well and then come to Eighth Army to do it again,” said Delaney. “You see these incredible captains and to win against them is an honor.”
Rorex is assigned to the 532nd Military Intelligence Battalion, 501st MI Brigade, at U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys, South Korea. He serves as a theater, ground order battle officer in charge.
“I’m honored, I could not be more humble receiving the award,” Rorex said. “It was truly an experience attending the board and being nominated for something so prestigious was an honor. I prepared for this, but knowing what being a leader is all about, and taking care of Soldiers, I feel that was the best preparation -- being the best leader that I could be and taking care of the Soldiers supporting the mission.”
Both officers said winning something named after General MacArthur makes them beyond proud.
“He has a great history of 40-plus years of military service, so being nominated in his name is incredible,” Delaney said. “He did so much during World War II, and the Korean War in the Incheon landing, so it is really inspiring.”
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