The Army Inspector General’s conference room was dedicated in honor of a former IG officer in a ceremony held March 5 at the Pentagon.
Lt. Gen. Donna W. Martin, the 67th Inspector General (TIG), hosted approximately 20 friends and family members of Lt. Col. Jennifer Blackwell-Hawthorne, who served as Martin’s aide-de-camp from November 2020 to August 2022. Blackwell-Hawthorne passed away unexpectedly in November 2024 at the age of 41.
“Today, we remember the legacy of Jennifer Blackwell-Hawthorne. God may have called her home on the 8th of November, but her spirit lives on,” Martin said.
Blackwell-Hawthorne’s husband, Capt. Jamel Hawthorne, their son, Jamel Jr. (JJ), and her mother, Gaye Blackwell-Taylor, unveiled a plaque memorializing her life and service to the U.S. Army.
Martin fondly recalled Blackwell-Hawthorne as a highly qualified member of the Army’s Chemical Corps, an outstanding officer, and a truly dedicated Soldier who served admirably in a variety of command and staff positions throughout her 19-year Army career.
Blackwell-Hawthorne, a 2005 graduate of Elizabeth City State University in North Carolina, served at Fort Cavazos, Fort Johnson, Fort Knox, and Fort Leonard Wood, as well as a tour in Kuwait and Iraq. Among her assignments were highly successful tours as the company commander of Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 10th Infantry Regiment (Basic Combat training), as well as deputy Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosives (CBRNE) officer with the 1st Cavalry Division.
Her final assignment was as the operations officer at the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Fort Belvoir, Virginia. In addition to numerous awards earned throughout her career, she was posthumously awarded the Defense Meritorious Service Medal.
Blackwell-Hawthorne also served as aide-de-camp to Lt. Gen. Leslie Smith, Martin’s predecessor as TIG. Smith could not attend the ceremony, but Martin relayed his praise for Blackwell-Hawthorne.
“Jen was a consummate professional. She cared about other people more than she cared about herself,” Smith said.
Martin said she could think of no better place to memorialize Blackwell-Hawthorne than the IG conference room, which is a hub of day-to-day IG operations and planning.
“This is where the work is done,” Martin said.
Brig. Gen. (Chaplain) Jack Stumme, the Deputy Chief of Chaplains, provided the invocation and benediction for the ceremony.
“Let this be a place of wisdom, integrity, and unity, where decisions are made with courage,” Stumme said.
In February Lt. Col. Blackwell-Hawthorne was laid to rest among our Nation’s heroes in Section 47 at Arlington National Cemetery.
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