Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Army Materiel Command unveils medal display

Photo by Waqyne Scanlon-A AMC Purple Heart/Defense of Freedom Educational Display sits in front of AMC headquarters at Fort Belvoir.

Army Materiel Command at Fort Belvoir recognized Purple Heart and Defense of Freedom medal recipients in a ceremony Sept. 11.
The ceremony was a commemorative dedication with an unveiling of an educational display honoring 12 recipients. Four honorees attended the event.
Gen. Benjamin S. Griffin, AMC commanding general, and AMC Command Sgt. Maj. Daniel K. Elder, with the assistance of recipients Maj. Luis Cotto-Arroyo, William Burnette, Cleveland Rogers and Kevin Rohm, unveiled the display.
During remarks, Griffin asked those in attendance to remember and honor the sacrifices AMC personnel have made in support of the Global War on Terrorism.  “This is a key part of our history - our legacy of people who went forward and were wounded or sacrificed life,“ he said.
The display recognizes the contributions the AMC workforce makes in support of the warfighter and especially highlights the contributions of individuals who have paid a price for their efforts, said Dr. William Moye, AMC history office.  “AMC Soldiers, civilians, and contractors are forward with deployed Soldiers, supporting them every day, and the display is intended to highlight this.“
Cotto-Arroyo said he was humbled and very appreciative of the opportunity to be included in the event. He received the Purple Heart for wounds he sustained in Iraq serving in the contracting office in 2003.
“I thought about my office in Iraq. It’s hard not to get a little emotional,“ he said when describing what went through his mind during the ceremony.
“I think this will give future generations pause and maybe think about the sacrifices great Americans have made for our country. Many have paid the ultimate price.“
The display is made of granite and consists of three pillars. On the front of the two outside pillars, individual bronze plates display the name, location and date of incident for which awardees received their Purple Heart or Defense of Freedom Medal. Names on the display are:
Maj. Luis Cotto-Arroyo
Maj. Darren Tate
Sgt. Maj. Enoch Godbolt
Master Sgt. Adrain Torrez
Staff Sgt. Ricardo Zamora
Staff Sgt, Robert Hodge
Sgt. Michelle Hufnagel
William Burnette
Cleveland Rogers
Kevin Rohm
Thomas Ironside
Linda Villar
The display includes narratives of each of the medals, a history of AMC, its global commitment and its major subordinate commands. It took more than two years of planning to bring it about.