WORKFORCE
made while we were deployed. Their support was invaluable.”
Choi received the award at a ceremony at the Pentagon, accompanied by his father, who emigrated to the U.S. from Korea. It was the elder Choi’s first trip to Wash- ington, and it was his 80th birthday. “It was so meaningful for me to share that event with him, especially since he and my mom sacrificed so much and worked so hard for me. I’m so grateful for everything this country has given me and my family.”
SUPPORT REWARDED
Choi, center, receives the Contingency Contracting Officer Award in November from Brig. Gen. William M. Boruff, deputy commanding general of U.S. my Contracting Command, for his achievements as a warranted contracting officer in Iraq supporting LOGCAP. From left are Jim Ward, deputy to the commander of the 414th CSB; Col. Phillip Smallwood, 414th CSB commander; Choi; Boruff; and Command Sgt. Maj. Larry Metcalf, 414th CSB command sergeant major. (Photo by Ana Rios, 414th CSB)
Rock Island (ACC-RI), Illinois. “Te experience I gained managing the multi- agency contingency contracting team in a much faster-paced combat zone prepared me to become a better contracting officer and leader in the future,” he added.
“‘Trust, but verify’ was our team’s motto in Iraq,” Choi said. “Although the LOGCAP contractor is a strategic partner, we were there to check the quality of their work to ensure they were adhering to all terms and conditions of the contract. It’s also a great motto to live by when exercising mission command. Tere’s so much going on each day, and every leader needs to be able to trust their subordinates and contract- ing officer representatives to accomplish the mission. However, the leader also needs to manage their time to follow up, double-check and conduct inspections and investigations, to ensure that all policies
and procedures are met while upholding the highest standards of excellence.”
As a result of his efforts, Choi received the Defense Acquisition Workforce Individ- ual Achievement Award for Acquisition in an Expeditionary Environment in Octo- ber 2019. “Te award means a great deal to me,” he said. “It represents the sacri- fices and hard work of my contingency contracting services team of Soldiers, Airmen and civilians with the Defense Contract Management Agency; and our partnerships with Stephanie Brown, the procurement contracting officer, and her team at ACC-RI, and Patrick Rowe, senior LOGCAP professional for Task Order 7, and his team. Te support and leadership I received from my battalion and brigade commanders were crucial to our success as well. Lastly, and most importantly, it represents the sacrifices that our families
Choi is currently at the Naval Postgrad- uate School (NPS), halfway through a new Army acquisition-oriented program in which he’ll earn a master’s degree in systems engineering management. “I would highly recommend it to anyone,” he said. In the 18-month program, partic- ipants earn Level III equivalencies in program management, contracting and systems engineering, and Level II certi- fication in test and evaluation. Officers also earn credit as captains promotable and majors for their Intermediate Level Education, and can pursue other profes- sional certifications while at NPS.
Te NPS program “is a great way to get all those certifications at once,” Choi said, “and the instructors at NPS all have federal acquisition experience, so you get a unique viewpoint. Our discussions, our coursework and the people here provide a DOD-wide perspective of defense acqui- sition, and I don’t think I would have gotten that if I pursued an MBA or other advanced degree somewhere else. Tis degree will definitely make me a better acquisition officer, and will prepare all my classmates to be successful contracting officers and program managers as well.”
—SUSAN L. FOLLETT
https://asc.ar my.mil
95
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104
