The General Creighton W. Abrams Medal for exceptional service to the United States Army is awarded to Lt. Gen. Arthur J. Gregg, USA, Ret.Gregg served more than 31 years in the Army before retiring in 1981. Upon completing Officer Candidate School in 1950, Gregg was commissioned a second lieutenant and attended quartermaster training. He served in both the Korean and Vietnam wars, as well as in Japan and Germany. He also served as the commander, European Exchange System and deputy chief of staff, logistics, for U.S. Army Europe and 7th Army in Germany, as well as director of logistics, J-4, Organization of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Gregg’s Army career culminated with service as deputy chief of staff for logistics, Department of the Army. As the first African-American U.S. Army officer to rise to the rank of lieutenant general, General Gregg set precedent and opened doors for those who follow.For his service, Gregg was recognized with a Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Distinguished Service Medal and the Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster. Under his leadership, the 96th Quartermaster Direct Support Battalion received the Meritorious Unit Citation for the period leading up to and following its deployment to Vietnam.Over the years Gregg has been a dedicated contributor to AUSA. From 1984 to 1987 he served as a member of the AUSA Council of Trustees. He also served as a member of the Advisory Board of Directors from 1987 to 2012, acting as the chairman of the Leadership Committee from 1987 to 1994 and chairman of the Awards Committee from 1994 to 2012.Biddle MedalThe Major General Anthony J. Drexel Biddle Medal is awarded to Carlene Joseph for her outstanding contributions to the Association of the United States Army.As the vice president for Community Development at Harborstone Credit Union and a volunteer for the Association of the United States Army and many other organizations, Joseph has had an incredible impact on soldiers and their families in the Joint Base Lewis–McChord (JBLM) area.Joseph joined AUSA in 2002 and was later appointed to the Captain Meriwether Lewis Chapter’s executive committee; since 2009 she has served as the chapter’s president. One of her greatest accomplishments has been reorganizing the structure of the chapter to encourage the growth of subchapters supporting specific units at the base and neighboring communities. These subchapters help facilitate communication betweenliaisons at JBLM and members of the community. The subchapter structure has also bolstered the chapter’s fundraising and programming efforts. The chapter’s average fundraising efforts yield about $200,000 per year.Joseph was also a key player in establishing an enlistee recognition event, holiday food drives and many other military community support programs.Joseph has received recognition in the past for her volunteer service. In 2013 she was awarded AUSA’s Sixth Region’s highest award, the General of the Armies John J. Pershing Distinguished Service Award. Also in 2013, JBLM inducted her into its Civilian Hall of Fame for her contributions to the base community. She also received the Air Force Association Chairman’s Citation in 2012, the Air Force Sergeants Association Thomas Barnes Chapter’s Community Service Award and the Pierce County Chapter of Credit Unions Community Service Award. Cribbins MedalThe Joseph P. Cribbins Medal is awarded to Alecia R. Grady for her exemplary service to the U.S. Army and her significant contributions to its soldiers and their families.Grady has been an active supporter and member of the Association of the United States Army since 1994. She served in various leadership positions for AUSA’s Tobyhanna Chapter from 1994 to 2012, and has served asthe chapter secretary of the Captain Meriwether Lewis Chapter since she relocated to Joint Base Lewis–McChord (JBLM) in 2012. For her outstanding service to AUSA she received the AUSA Distinguished Service Award in 2006.Grady began her Army civilian career in 1989 as the morale, welfare and recreation secretary at Tobyhanna Army Depot. Working her way up the ladder, she became the Army Community Service (ACS) garrison program director for the depot. While in that role she helped raise the ACS program from a partially formed program to the first small garrison to achieve accreditation, which was extended for two additional three-year periods under her leadership. After many successes in standing up accredited ACS programs, Grady was selected to become the ACS regional manager for the entire Northeast. When she took the helm of the region only 6 percent of installations in her region were reporting at standard; by the next year, they all were. Grady has taken this incredible skill at strengthening ACS programs and put it into practice at JBLM, where she oversees six departments with 120 employees and supports more than 100,000 servicemen and family members. Among her achievements at JBLM are creating a spouses’ resiliency class, taking the lead on developing JBLM’s Sexual Harassment and Assault Response Program and working to help establish a local nonprofit – Rally Point 6 – that services local transitioning servicemembers, military families and veterans. For her Army civilian service, Grady has received the Commander’s Award for Civilian Service and has received the Achievement Medal for Civilian Service twice. Dixon AwardThe John W. Dixon Award for outstanding contributions to national defense by a member of the industrial community is awarded to Lt. Gen. David F. Melcher, USA, Ret., CEO and president of Exelis, Inc.Following his 1976 graduation as a Distinguished Cadet from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Melcher’s military career began with his commissioning in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. During his 32 years of Army service, Melcher held a variety of leadership positions, including battalion and brigade command of engineer units in Infantry and Armored divisions. As a general officer he served as the deputy director, strategy, plans and policy; as commanding general of the Corps of Engineers–Southwestern Division; as the Army’s director of program analysis and evaluation; as the deputy chief of staff for programs; and as the Army’s military deputy for budget.Upon retiring from the Army in 2008, Melcher joined Exelis as vice president of strategy and business development when the company was ITT Defense and Information Solutions. Later that year, he was named president and would lead the company for the next three years, until it was split off from the ITT Corporation as an independent company. Following the spin-off, Melcher became the president and chief executive officer of the newly formed Exelis, where his leadership continued to propel the company’s growth in the defense industry. Exelis was ranked number one in Aviation Week’s 2014 Top-Performing Company Rating, number 15 on Bloomberg Government’s 200 Federal Industry Leaders list and one of the 2014 best employers for veterans by Military Times.Since its spin-off in 2011, Exelis has continued to provide innovative solutions to the Army and the defense community. Focusing on aviation defensive and sensing systems, networking and communication systems, night vision technology and a variety of other tools to support the warfighter, Exelis has led the way in providing affordable capabilities to soldiers and their commanders.Under his leadership, Exelis has given a great deal back to the military community. In 2012, Melcher unveiled the Exelis Action Corps, a company-wide initiative to support active military, veterans and military families by volunteering time and resources and also partnering with Points of Light to launch the Community Blueprint Initiative aimed at driving volunteer engagement and community support for returning service members. McLain MedalThe Lieutenant General Raymond S. McLain Medal is awarded to Maj. Gen. Timothy E. Orr, Office of The Adjutant General of Iowa, for his outstanding contributions to the advancement of the Association of the United States Army’s goal of a seamless and component-oriented Army.Orr enlisted in the Iowa Army National Guard in 1978, while still in high school. He received his officer’s commission through the U.S. Army’s Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning in 1985. Orr received a Master’s degree in Education and a Community College Certification from Iowa State University, as well as a Master’s degree in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College in 2003.For his exemplary service, Orr has been awarded the Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal (with five oak leaf clusters), Army Commendation Medal (with two oak leaf clusters), Army Achievement Medal, Ranger Tab, Pathfinder Badge, Parachutist Badge and Canadian Airborne Badge.Orr has been very active in the Association of the United States Army as a member of its Reserve Components Advisory Committee since 2011. He played an important role in reaching out to chapters in AUSA’s 5th Region to assist them in increasing their reserve component membership. The Des Moines Chapter of AUSA – Orr’s chapter – was recognized at the 2013 Annual Meeting as having the largest increase in reserve component membership.Beyond AUSA, Orr has contributed greatly to the military community and the National Guard of Iowa. Orr has provided direction for National Guard policy in Iowa and across the country. He volunteered the Iowa National Guard and Camp Dodge for the Department of Defense’s Healthy Base Initiative, a pilot project to increase health and wellness across the total force, including civilians and family members. Another of his major efforts is his "Fort Iowa" concept, which combines helping active duty soldiers transition to duty in the reserve component or civilian life with increasing communication and education.National Service AwardThe National Service Award is awarded to Army Emergency Relief for exemplary service and demonstrated enduring support to the American soldier and the United States Army community.Founded in 1942, Army Emergency Relief (AER) has focused on providing soldiers and their families with financial assistance in times of need. Since its inception, the program has provided over $1.5 billion in assistance, a staggering level of support for soldiers.AER’s core mission is providing emergency financial assistance to soldiers and their families, whether in the form of interest-free loans or grants. AER has averaged $80 million in support each year for the past five years and has provided over $700 million since 9/11. In 2012, AER also awarded scholarships to more than 4,000 children and spouses of active duty and retired soldiers.AER’s Command Referral Program allows company commanders and first sergeants to award up to $1,500 in interest-free loans. For those without access to an Army installation, AER has partnered with other military relief societies, as well as the American Red Cross, to extend their support network. The Wounded Warrior Special Access Program was established to expedite access to AER programs by wounded warriors by facilitating direct contact with AER’s headquarters. In 2012, 333 AER officers provided support to more than 59,000 individuals in need.Rudder MedalThe Major General James Earl Rudder Medal is awarded to Maj. Gen. Paul E. Mock, 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.Mock began his military career in 1972, receiving his commission through the ROTC program at Claremont Men’s College. He served in a number of branches – as an infantry officer, special forces officer, psychological operations officer and Quartermaster Corps officer.Mock mobilized for a number of deployments throughout his career, including Operation Joint Endeavor in Bosnia in 1996. Following that, he was given the command of the 311th Support Command (Corps) in October 2002. In August 2004, he was mobilized as the commanding general, 377th Theater Support Command, Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, for Operation Iraqi Freedom. In that role he was charged with responsibility for more than 28,000 soldiers, civilians and contractors in Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan, Qatar, Bahrain and the Horn of Africa.Since 1997, Mock has been an active member and volunteer with AUSA, serving in a variety of chapter offices. He is the current vice president of the Greater Los Angeles Chapter. He also organized the very successful chapter Annual Family Programs Charity Golf Tournament, which contributed to the welfare of military families in the Los Angeles area.Outside AUSA, Mock remains very involved with Army and reserve issues in the community. In 2013, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel appointed Mock to be the chairman, Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve.