Mark your calendars for the 17th Annual Sergeant John Ordway Awards breakfast to be held on Friday, December 10th at the Jackson Center. The chapter’s annual event recognizes excellence in the rank of First Sergeant. The award is presented to an Active Duty First Sergeant, a National Guard First Sergeant, and an Army Reserve First Sergeant.
Sergeant John Ordway was the ranking NCO for the Corps of Discovery, the Lewis and Clark Expedition that crossed the United States. The Expedition started in 1804 and lasted 2 years. Sergeant Ordway was a Sergeant in the United States Army who volunteered for the Expedition.
During the expedition, Ordway was responsible for the day-to-day operations - essentially the same role and responsibilities of a unit First Sergeant. Ordway was very well educated and is well known for the journal that he kept which detailed the expedition’s explorations. Ordway demonstrated some of the earliest examples of duties of today’s First Sergeants.
The Chapter’s Sergeant John Ordway Award started 17 years ago to commemorate the 200th Anniversary of the Lewis and Clark Expedition by Sergeant First Class (R) Dave Carney, then Chapter VP for National Guard Programs. The Sergeant John Ordway breakfast is co-sponsored by the Redstone-Huntsville Chapter of AUSA and the Redstone Arsenal Sergeants Major Association.
This year is the first year the Chapter has combined the Sergeant John Ordway Awards Breakfast with the National Guard Birthday Breakfast. The National Guard Birthday Breakfast is an annual event to honor our National Guard Soldiers, and their families. Also, soldiers who made significant career contributions will be recognized with the presentation of the Chapter’s Presidents’ Award.
This year’s guest speaker is Sergeant Major Michael L. Blackwood, 142d MP Brigade, Alabama National Guard. The annual National Guard Birthday breakfast provides the Chapter an opportunity to honor our National Guard Soldiers for their service and sacrifice.The highlight of the breakfast will be the traditional cake cutting ceremony performed by the oldest and the youngest National Guard soldiers present at the breakfast.
We thank Command Sergeant Major (R) Chad Cuomo, Chapter VP for Soldier Programs, Sergeant Major(R) Dave Poehlein, Chapter VP for NCO Programs and Command Sergeant Major (R) John Perry, Chapter VP for National Guard and Army Reserve Programs for their dedication in coordinating these great events.