Register now for the 19th Annual Sergeant John Ordway Awards breakfast to be held on Dec. 13 at the Jackson Center. The Redstone-Huntsville Chapter of AUSA's annual event will celebrate the National Guard's 388th Birthday and honor the legacy of SGT John Ordway and his contributions to the Noncommissioned Officer Corps.

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. 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 19 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.

Click here to register.