2012 AUSA Award Winners

2012 AUSA Award Winners

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Abrams MedalThe General Creighton W. Abrams Medal for exceptional service to the United States Army is awarded to Maj. Gen. Frederic J. Raymond, Florida Army National Guard, Ret.Raymond served more than 30 years in the Army before retiring in 2001.Upon receiving his commission, Raymond was assigned to lead a rifle platoon and reconnaissance platoon in the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam. He would later command an infantry company there as a captain.Raymond still supports his soldiers from his service in Vietnam by spending hundreds of hours combing the National Archives in an effort to restore commendations and medals for his soldiers since the original nominations were lost in the war.Following his service in Vietnam, Raymond held a number of positions in the 3rd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group, Florida Army National Guard and the 53rd Separate Infantry Brigade where he served as commanding general from 1993 until 1998.After his promotion to major general, he became the deputy commanding general, First U.S. Army, Fort Gillem, Ga., before being reassigned to U.S. Army Forces Command.Over the course of his military career, he has received numerous awards, including the Army Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star, Legion of Merit and Bronze Star.Upon retiring from the Army, Raymond continued his work to benefit the Army and its soldiers.In 2004, Florida Governor Jeb Bush appointed Raymond to the Florida State Commission for Military Veterans’ Affairs, where he was responsible for instituting state policies for the better treatment of military veterans.He has also been involved with the Military Affairs Council of the Greater Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce, bringing about greater military involvement in the community while bolstering the chamber’s support and recognition of the troops.Raymond has also made significant efforts to further AUSA’s mission.Elected president of the Suncoast Chapter in 2004, Raymond expanded the chapter’s activities and membership. Also, under his leadership, the chapter’s annual golf tournament in Fort Lauderdale has generated over $1 million for soldier support programs.He encouraged the school board of Pasco County to name a school after Sgt. 1st Class Paul R. Smith, a Medal of Honor recipient who gave his life to save his fellow soldiers. He expanded the chapter’s involvement with the James A. Haley VA Hospital in Tampa; and bolstered awareness of and support for the Armed Forces Recreation Center Hotel at Walt Disney World.Recently, Raymond chaired the Membership Subcommittee of the Reserve Components Committee of AUSA’s Advisory Board of Directors, where he was instrumental in supporting the "Virtual Chapter" concept which AUSA is currently pursuing.Biddle MedalThe Major General Anthony J. Drexel Biddle Medal is presented to Brig. Gen. Robert A. Drolet, USA, Ret., for his outstanding contributions to the Association of the United States Army.Graduating from Boston College with a commission from the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program, Drolet’s Army career spanned over 29 years during which he held numerous command, leadership and management positions.He had multiple Pentagon assignments, as well as tours in Germany and Vietnam.While at Redstone Arsenal, Ala., Drolet served as project manager for two weapon systems.His final assignment in the Army was air defense program executive officer, the Army’s senior acquisition executive for Army air and missile defense.For his outstanding military service, Drolet was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit and the Bronze Star Medal with ‘V’ device and three Oak Leaf Clusters.Upon retiring from the Army, he carried over his leadership skills to his new job at Lockheed Martin and to his extensive volunteer activities.As a senior executive at Lockheed Martin and a board member with many affiliated companies, Drolet was recognized for the success, efficiency and effectiveness of the many important projects he oversaw.Drolet also made significant contributions to volunteer organizations in Alabama since his retirement from the Army, notably those organizations aiding American veterans, such as the Huntsville Veterans’ Week Celebration and Parade, the Madison County Veterans’ Memorial Foundation and the Tennessee Valley Armed Forces Week.Drolet, an AUSA life member, has held a number of leadership positions in the Association, including president of the Redstone Huntsville Chapter, Third Region vice president and AUSA’s Alabama state president from 1999 to 2011.For his dedication and service to AUSA, Drolet was awarded the Association’s Third Region Distinguished Service Award and region’s Brenda Dougherty Award for Lifetime Service.He has also received a number of civilian awards for his volunteerism, including the American Legion National Leadership Award for Distinguished Service to Veterans, the North Alabama 2003 Veteran of the Year Award and the Disabled American Veterans Award for Exemplary Service. A Heart of the Valley YMCA Service to Veterans Award is now named in his honor.Biddle MedalThe Major General Anthony J. Drexel Biddle Medal is presented to Virgil Teter for his outstanding contributions to the Association of the United States Army.Teter has been a longstanding supporter of AUSA, soldiers and military families of Central Texas for many years.As vice president for news at KWTX, a television station serving Central Texas, Teter has provided AUSA and the Central Texas – Fort Hood Chapter with a unique service by initiating a series of efforts to assist with chapter public affairs and outreach programs by getting the word out on AUSA’s mission, to include soldier and family support programs.For over 10 years, Teter and his team at KWTX have made and broadcast public service announcements praising AUSA’s work.This publicity increases awareness of the issues facing soldiers and their families.The Central Texas – Fort Hood Chapter recently conducted a membership drive that recruited over 4,700 new members since Feb. 1.Teter’s broadcast announcements urging prospective members to join AUSA and the local chapter greatly assisted in this recruiting effort.He is also responsible for a 1-hour KWTX live television special featuring singer/songwriter Larry Gatlin who performed in support of our troops.All of this was done without compensation for a cause that Teter feels worthy of supporting.For his work with KWTX, Teter and his team have received a great deal of recognition.Former Fort Hood commanders, including Lt. Gen. Tom Metz, and then-Lt. Gen Raymond Odierno, now a general and Army chief of staff, have shown their support for Teter’s efforts by appearing on his broadcasts.Former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and former Under Secretary of the Army Nelson Ford have also voiced their support for his outstanding television campaign for soldiers.Beyond his role as a television executive, Teter has gone above and beyond to help support Army-based organizations.He convinced National Banks of Central Texas, Wal-Mart and HEB (a regional grocery chain) to donate tens of thousands of dollars to the Fort Hood Chapter.Following the Fort Hood shootings, he again advocated for support for the post’s community by obtaining HEB’s support and nearly $1 million in donations for those affected by this tragic event.Teter, according to post officials, has been instrumental in accomplishing Fort Hood’s goals to support soldiers and their families.Cribbins MedalThe Joseph P. Cribbins Medal is presented to B. Keith Roberson for his exemplary service to the U.S. Army and his significant contributions to its soldiers.Roberson, executive director, Integrated Materiel Management Center, U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Life Cycle Management Command (AMCOM), has worked as an Army civilian since his graduation from the University of Alabama in 1982, and during this time, he has diligently supported the engineering and logistics communities.Roberson’s began his career with the Army as an industrial engineer and his diligence and leadership skills led to promotions and increasing levels of management responsibility.As executive director of the AMCOM Integrated Materiel Management Center, he manages more than 9,500 contractors and Army civilians, as well as a $4.7 billion business base.His leadership has been instrumental in the $6.6 billion aviation reset of all aviation systems redeploying from Iraq and Afghanistan.To date, more than 4,500 aircraft have been reset and returned ready for our soldiers, and plans are to complete 550 additional resets in Fiscal Year 2012.Through his efforts, almost 300 logistics assistance representative have also been provided to assist with the technical needs of soldiers at home or deployed.Even while working to reset the Army’s aviation fleet, Roberson has successfully increased efficiency without sacrificing effectiveness – maintaining a high level of support and readiness for our soldiers.Under his leadership, the AMCOM team reduced inventory levels by over $639 million while reducing their working capital fund requirements by nearly $500 million and maintaining a high readiness level.Roberson has received numerous awards as a Department of the Army civilian employee including the Order of St. Michael’s Bronze from the Army Aviation Association of America and the Department of the Army Meritorious, Exceptional and Superior Civilian Service Awards.He is also a member of the Army Acquisition Corps.Dixon AwardThe John W. Dixon Award is presented to Mark S. Newman, chief executive officer and chairman of the board of DRS Technologies, Inc., for outstanding contributions to national defense by a member of the industrial community.Newman joined DRS – at that time a small specialty electronics supplier – in 1973.He became a director of the company in 1988, was promoted to president and chief executive officer in 1994 and became chairman of the board shortly thereafter.Under his leadership, the company grew by leaps and bounds.Today, DRS is a market leader in several military support technology fields and employs more than 10,000 people, with nearly 20 percent of their work force having served in the U.S. armed forces.During recent conflicts, DRS has tirelessly supported the warfighter – pushing through such cutting-edge technology programs as the Focal Plane Array program, the Horizontal Technology Insertion program and the Improved Bradley Acquisition System.These singular programs ensure that our soldiers have the best equipment at their disposal.When Finmeccanica SpA acquired DRS in 2008, they recognized Newman’s capacity for leadership and asked him to continue on as chief executive officer in order to maintain the guaranteed quality support for the troops.Not only has Newman excelled in running DRS Technologies, but also he and the company he leads have been outstanding philanthropists.In 2005, Newman established the DRS Technologies Charitable Foundation that focuses on helping those who serve in uniform.Together, the foundation and DRS employees have raised over $1.2 million for the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund that benefits the families of service members who have been killed or wounded in the line of duty.One of these projects includes a rehabilitation pool for burn victims and amputees at the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas.The foundation Newman established also raised over $500,000 for USO’s "Operation Enduring Care" for wounded warriors in military hospitals.He personally matched the DRS leadership’s $240,000 donation to jump-start the DRS $1 million-plus campaign to benefit "Operation Mend" that treats military personnel with severely disfiguring facial wounds.DRS is also a major sponsor of the annual Army-Ten Miler.The proceeds from this race go to the Army’s Morale, Welfare and Recreation Fund that directly benefits soldiers and their families.McLain MedalThe Lieutenant General Raymond S. McLain Medal is presented to Maj. Gen. Raymond W. Carpenter, South Dakota Army National Guard, Ret., for his outstanding contributions to the advancement of the Association of the United States Army’s goal of a seamless and component-oriented Army.Carpenter began his military career by joining the South Dakota Army National Guard in 1967.Later he joined the Navy where he learned Vietnamese before being assigned in Danang, South Vietnam.Upon completion of his Navy service, Carpenter returned to the South Dakota Army National Guard where he received his commission in 1974.He has commanded soldiers from his commissioning through the rank of colonel.In 1993, he became the executive officer of the 5,000-plus Soldier Task Force Rushmore that was sent to Panama on a humanitarian mission to build 27 kilometers of road and rebuild 10 schools and 14 clinics.During his 29-month tenure as acting director of the Army National Guard, Carpenter was responsible for executing a budget of nearly $40 billion dollars, procurement of over 300,000 units of equipment, the recruitment and training of 100,000 soldiers, and the mobilization and deployment of 80,000 soldiers.In addition, Army National Guard soldiers were deployed to support the surge in Afghanistan, and the withdrawal from Iraq.They also provided assistance in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene, the Joplin Tornado and the BP Deep Water Horizon Gulf oil spill.Carpenter retired in 2011 after having served over 44 years in uniform.He has received numerous decorations to include the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit with Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster, the Meritorious Service Medal with Silver Oak Leaf Cluster and a number of South Dakota Army National Guard medals and citations.For his support of the Army Corps of Engineers, Carpenter was awarded the U.S. Army Engineer Association Silver de Fleury Medal.Rudder MedalThe Major General James Earl Rudder Medal is presented to Lt. Gen. Jack Calvin Stultz Jr., USAR, Ret., for his outstanding contributions to the advancement of the Association of the United States Army’s goal of a seamless and component-oriented Army.For close to four decades of service to the United States Army Reserve, Stultz has distinguished himself as a skillful leader and has left a legacy of transformation that has seen the U.S. Army Reserve evolve into a fighting force capable of confronting the challenges of today and tomorrow.While serving as chief of the Army Reserve and commander of the U.S. Army Reserve Command, Stultz directed the successful realignment and completion of the major organizational requirements directed by the Base Realignment and Closure Act of 2005.He used BRAC to better position Army Reserve forces to support current operations, while decentralizing many functions formerly managed at higher headquarters.He reduced the number of Regional Support Commands and established a structure which improved the ability of operational and functional commands to provide training and conduct oversight of their subordinate units.These actions were all in an effort to enable the Army Reserve to better support the Army and the Joint Force.Stultz also took steps to increase support for the individual Army Reserve soldiers and their families.Under his leadership, the Employer Partnership Office was established to manage employer partnerships with the Armed Forces Program.This effort builds relationships with industry partners and establishes training and employment programs that benefit the Army Reserve, its soldiers and participating companies.With his wife, Laura, Stultz was totally committed to supporting Army Reserve soldiers, especially those at remote locations, and their families at home.He launched a menu of family programs intended to provide access to care, support and services to Army Reserve soldiers and families wherever they reside.One such program, the Fort Family Program, provides 24-hour-a-day online and toll-free telephone access to experts who can help steer Army Reserve families to community and military support programs available to them locally.Another program, the Army Strong Community Center, helps support soldiers, retirees, veterans and their family members who are geographically dispersed and do not have access to the services traditionally located at military installations.Stultz has received numerous awards for his service, including the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Bronze Star Medal and the Meritorious Service Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters.