WELL DESERVED AWARD: Plaques are presented to the four inductees (and family members of the deceased award recipients) at the Army Acquisition Hall of Fame award ceremony held during the AUSA Annual Meeting and Exposition, Oct. 12 in Washington, D.C. (Photos provided by Stefanie Pidgeon)
Event commemorates contributions of legendary Army acquisition professionals.
by Stefanie Pidgeon
During all the hustle and bustle of the 2022 Association of the United States Army (AUSA) Annual Meeting and Exposition in Washington, D.C., this month, the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology set aside a cozy room for a very special induction ceremony. The standing-room only event commemorated the contributions of legendary Army acquisition professionals, both alive and deceased.
The first four recipients of the Army Acquisition Hall of Fame were inducted at the ceremony on Oct. 12. The Hon. Kevin Fahey, along with family members of John Shipley, the Hon. Claude M. Bolton Jr. and Maj. Gen. Harold J. “Harry” Greene were in attendance to accept the awards.
FULL HOUSE: The Army Acquisition Hall of Fame awards ceremony is standing-room only during the AUSA Annual Meeting and Exposition, Oct. 12 in Washington, D.C. The award was established to recognize and honor former members of the Army Acquisition Workforce who have made significant and enduring contributions in support of Army acquisition and the joint force. (Photo provided by Stefanie Pidgeon)
The Army Acquisition Hall of Fame award was established to recognize and honor former acquisition professionals who have made significant and enduring contributions in support of Army acquisition and the joint force. Lt. Gen. Robert L. Marion, military deputy to the assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology, led the effort. He said, “It has been my honor to work in Army acquisition and be part of such a professional and dedicated workforce. We in the Army Acquisition Workforce have a strong sense of heritage, honor and pride. This Army Acquisition Hall of Fame will strengthen that sentiment.”
“These four inaugural Army Acquisition Hall of Fame recipients represent what is truly remarkable about the Army and Army acquisition,” said the Hon. Douglas R. Bush, assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology, and the Army acquisition executive. “They represent decades of quiet and noble service, often behind the scenes, to our great and grateful nation. They represent commitment and sacrifice, loyalty to the mission as well as those with whom they served.”
Under Secretary of the Army Gabe Camarillo provided remarks during the ceremony. Camarillo previously served as the principal deputy assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology, helping to lead and supervise Army modernization programs, procurement, logistics, and research and development investment. The Army Acquisition Hall of Fame “is very important because of the work that the acquisition workforce in our Army does. It is one of the most, if not the most, versatile workforces you’ll find anywhere in the federal space and certainly in the Army,” he said. “It performs a role that requires expertise that is really unmatched anywhere in DOD.” When speaking about the four award recipients, Camarillo said, “We are all enriched by the example they set for all of us.”
Bush and Camarillo presented the Army Acquisition Hall of Fame award to the recipients.
HALL OF FAME HONOREES: The first four recipients were inducted into the Army Acquisition Hall of Fame during a ceremony held at the 2022 AUSA Annual Meeting and Exposition, Oct. 12 in Washington, D.C. The Hon. Kevin Fahey, center, along with the family members of John Shipley, Hon. Claude M. Bolton Jr. and Maj. Gen. Harold J. “Harry” Greene were in attendance to accept the awards. From left: Hon. Gabe Camarillo, Lt. Gen. Robert L. Marion, Linda Bolton, Hon. Kevin Fahey, Dr. Sue Myers, Dr. Dan Shipley and Hon. Douglas R. Bush. (Photo provided by Office of the Under Secretary of the Army)
Linda Bolton accepted the award on behalf of her late husband, Hon. Claude M. Bolton Jr. Bolton’s leadership was pivotal in providing quality warfighting capabilities at the height of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. “His point was always to make sure that the people at the pointy end of the sword, military and civilian, were given the best chance to make things happen safely and bring things home as they should’ve been. As he would’ve said, he was only doing his job,” she said during her remarks.
Fahey was recognized for being instrumental in the development and delivery of life-saving mine and improvised explosive device-resistant vehicles, contributing significantly to saving lives. “It was an unbelievable career,” he said. “I worked on some extraordinary programs—Stryker, MRAP [Mine Resistant Ambush Protected], bombs, you name it… But it’s really about the people that you get to work with.”
The current Army Acquisition Workforce comprises approximately 32,000 Army acquisition professionals—military and civilian—from scientists and engineers to accountants and program managers who turn Army requirements into products and services, managing everything from cradle to grave. They are charged with a critical mission to cultivate innovation, design the impossible and provide Soldiers with what they need to be successful.
Sue Myers, Ph.D. (Col. Ret.) accepted the award on behalf of her late husband Maj. Gen. Harold J. “Harry” Greene. Greene was responsible for intelligence, electronic warfare and sensors solutions during Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. She says Greene would’ve agreed the Army Acquisition Workforce deserves this recognition. “It was his great pleasure to serve with you and learn with you and try to help carry the Army forward.”
John L. Shipley, who died last year, was represented by his son, Dr. Dan Shipley. He said his father was a quiet man but knew that his work was all about the mission. “He always said it didn’t matter if people were in harm’s way or the hallway. He tried to treat them the same way because it was about the mission, the warfighter,” he said. John Shipley pioneered the concept of aligning requirements, resourcing and acquisition with direct user feedback to deliver the safest and most lethal Special Operations Aviation force in the world.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, plaques were unveiled that will be hung in an Army Acquisition Hall of Fame display in the hallway of the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology in the Pentagon, scheduled in 2023.
For more information, a recording of the Army Acquisition Hall of Fame ceremony is available on DVIDS, go to: https://www.dvidshub.net/video/861140/ausa-2022-army-acquisition-hall-fame-asa-alt-induction-ceremony. For additional information regarding the Army Acquisition Hall of Fame, along with detailed biographies of the recipients, go to: https://asc.army.mil/web/hall-of-fame.
