On June 27, Product Manager Force Protection Systems (PM FPS) Lt. Col. Matthew T. Einhorn said the scope of Richard Goehring’s service to his country can be measured by cosmic events.
In fact, since Goehring joined the U.S. Army Civilian workforce in 1987, the world has seen 30 full lunar eclipses – and that was already after he served for four years in the U.S. Navy.
“I’m sure he didn’t know at that time that he would be spending the next 45 years of his life selflessly serving the people of the United States,” Einhorn said at Goehring’s retirement ceremony at Fort Belvoir. “Richard…I would like to wish you many long hikes in a very well-deserved retirement.”
With wife Lam-Anh and son Alexander in attendance, friends and colleagues shared memories of Goehring’s contributions to the PM FPS mission of safeguarding the integrity of Army installations and security of personnel with state-of-the-art intrusion detection systems.
PM FPS is a product office of Project Manager, Terrestrial Sensors (PM TS). PM TS procures, fields, and supports numerous state-of-the-art ground sensor systems globally, including within the United States.
From January 2018 to his retirement, Goehring served as the Integrated Commercial Detection System (ICIDS) Assistant Program Manager. In this position, he led the fielding of ICIDS systems at more than 50 Army installations worldwide and was the main architect of the ICIDS-VI Acquisition Requirement Package (ARP). His leadership led to the successful award of the ICIDS-VI $53 million contract.
ICIDS is a secure intrusion detection system using technology to detect and assess unauthorized intrusion of protected areas. It provides real-time assessment and rapid flexible response to existing, imminent, or emerging threats. ICIDS is fielded at more than 100 locations worldwide and provides Soldiers with a standard intrusion detection capability to include conventional, nuclear, and chemical sites.
Michael Doney, PM FPS Installation Physical Security Systems Product Officer, referred to Goehring as the “godfather” of ICIDS.
“There was one godfather that really made sure those systems were where they needed to be, and to this day continue to perform,” Doney said of Goehring’s pivotal role in ICIDS. “I’d say you are the godfather of ICIDs.”
Doney praised Goehring for his enlisted service and long-time commitment to the mission.
“[You were] working deep inside the trenches of the physical security domain for all those years,” he said. “You have to take your hat off to a guy who is willing to do that, because it is a slog.”
In recognition of Goehring’s decades of service, the Army awarded him the 40 Years of Service Certificate and the Civilian Service Achievement Medal for distinguishing “himself for the management of the Integrated Commercial Detection Systems program for performing duties critical to fielding, testing, training, and logistics in support of the Army standardized intrusion detection system.”
Goehring’s wife, Lam-Anh, received the Army Certificate of Appreciation, in recognition of her supportive role in his career. Part of Lam-Anh’s citation read, “Undoubtedly, there have been many occasions where your patience, sacrifice, and understanding significantly contributed to his outstanding performance on the job.”
Goehring launched his engineering career in the Navy in 1979 as an Electrician Mate Second Class. After leaving active-duty, he served an additional two years in-active service and earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from Old Dominion University.
After joining the Army Civilian workforce in 1987, Goehring held leadership positions that leveraged his engineering expertise. Career highlights included his role as Senior Project Engineer supporting the Army Weapon System Office – Physical Security Equipment, and the Assistant Product Manager for Product Manager FPS under Joint Program Executive Office Chemical Biological Defense and Program Executive Officer for Intelligence, Electronic Warfare and Sensors.
Electronics Technician, Norman Scott, worked with Goehring for about two decades and grew closer to him as they worked on projects over the past five years.
“I could not ask for a better supervisor,” Scott said. “He is always there, lending a hand when needed, lets us do our jobs, and always provides moral support. I just appreciate everything you have done for us.”
Beyond his clear dedication to the mission, colleagues described Goehring as humble, soft-spoken, and a “little self-deprecating.”
This was evident as he emotionally thanked those at the conclusion of the retirement ceremony.
“I’m honored to have served all these years,” Goehring said. “There are so many people to thank, but to my team, you provide a wonderful service, and you do wonderful work, all of you.”
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