SOLDIERS AND CIVILIANS OF ARMY TEST AND EVALUATION COMMAND RECEIVE AWARDS FOR WORK SUPPORTING SOLDIERS IN COMBAT THEATER

Maj. Gen. Genaro Dellarocco, commander of the Army Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC), pins an award on Col. E.W. Lilliewood Jr. during a ceremony in the Developmental Test Command's headquarters to recognize the support he and other Soldiers, Marines and civilian employees provided to ATEC's forward operational assessment program. (Photo by Stephanie Aguiar)

By Mike Cast
DTC Public Affairs

The commander of the U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC) presented a variety of awards to employees from across the command and to a few Marine Corps personnel during a ceremony at Aberdeen Proving Ground March 29. The ceremony acknowledged their support to Soldiers by conducting forward operational assessments of weapons systems while deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Since the early stages of the war in these two countries, ATEC has deployed teams to the combat theater from its three subordinate command activities: the Army Evaluation Center, the Developmental Test Command and the Operational Test Command. Deployed ATEC personnel have worked long hours taking input from Soldiers about systems in theater, communicating the data to ATEC’s test and evaluation organizations, and providing information about system capabilities and limitations. In some cases, Soldiers altered tactics, techniques and procedures to operate systems in the field more effectively and safely, based largely on input from ATEC personnel.

Maj. Gen. Genaro Dellarocco, ATEC’s commander, presented the Bronze Star Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal and the NATO Medal to Col. E.W. Lilliewood Jr., Lt. Col. Eric Frutchey, Maj. Douglas Twitty, Sgt. Maj. Eric Wood, Maj. Jonathon Stafford, Maj. Jonathon Studer, Maj. Curtis Harper, Capt. Laurijean Wright, Sgt. 1st Class Isaac Coleman, Staff Sgt. Adam Cundieff and Staff Sgt. Erick Griego. He presented the Afghanistan Campaign Medal and the NATO Medal to Lt. Col. Michael Kennedy of the U.S. Marine Corps and the Meritorious Service Medal to Army Chief Warrant Officer 4 Richard Wahl. Dellarocco also presented the Meritorious Service Medal and Iraq Campaign Medal to Army Sgt. 1st Class Dan Sowell and Sgt. 1st Class David Baker.

Recognizing ATEC’s civilian employees, Dellarocco presented the Superior Civilian Service Award, the NATO Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Medal to Thomas Mikolinous, Charles Vann and Emily Chen, and the Global War on Terrorism Medal to O’Bryan Woods of the U.S. Marine Corps. Dellarocco also presented an ATEC Certificate of Appreciation to the Marine Corps’ Blake Davis and Chris Huiett as well as to Tommy Romanowski of the U.S. Army.

The awardees were members of the 15th ATEC forward operational assessment deployment and served in theater from August 2010 to February 2011. They were embedded with various Army units serving in Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan, and recognized as “the voice of the Soldier” during their deployment.

Family members attended the ceremony and received a Certificate of Appreciation for the support they provided to their deployed loved ones. Among the spouses present for this recognition were Jessica Cundieff; Renae McHenry, wife of Wahl; Rebecca Baker; Janice Mikolinous; Jimon Twitty; Rose Wood; and Jean Romanowski.

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