Event

MCAF Ammo Tech Awards Dinner

Gen Kelley’s Remarks

September 1, 2010 - 6:00pm - 9:15pm

Springfield Hilton, Springfield, VA

On Wednesday, 1 September 2010 the Marine Corps Association Foundation (MCAF) in conjunction with HQMC Marine Corps Systems Command held the inaugural MCAF Ammo Tech Awards Dinner at the Springfield Hilton Hotel in Springfield Virginia.

The dinner was organized to honor a small, long overlooked but vital community in the Marine Corps logistics community, that of the Ammunition Technician field that inspects, classifies, accounts for and maintains Class V assets throughout the Marine Corps. In particular this event served as the occasion to honor the top performing non-rated and NCO Ammunition Technicians in the Marine Corps during 2009.

The Awards are named in honor of Marine Gunnery Sergeant Edwin Wayne Johnson a top performing Ammo Tech who served with distinction throughout his career and who was awarded a posthumous Bronze Star Medal with “V” device for gallantry in action in Afghanistan on 8 September 2009. MCA was fortunate to have Gunnery Sergeant Tasha Johnson, USMC and surviving wife of the awards namesake as an honored Dinner Guest. The official name of the award is the Gunnery Sergeant Edwin W. Johnson, Jr. Memorial Ammunition Technician of the Year Award. The Memorial Award will henceforth go to the top performing NCO and the top performing non-rated Marine in the field each year.

The awardees for 2009 are:
Lance Corporal Brent Smith, USMC
Sergeant William C. James, USMC

Maj Gen Usher with Award Winners

The Awards Dinner began with a no-host reception as a means to enhance guest interaction and camaraderie. Concluding the reception, the field music detachment provided by the Quantico Marine Corps Band played a jaunty air to signal assembly in the banquet hall and SgtMaj Kevin Bennett, USMC, (Ret), MCA’s Capitol Area Representative orchestrated the color guard ceremony with a detachment from the MCB Quantico Ceremonial Platoon. Welcoming remarks and sponsor acknowledgements were provided by MCA’s President and CEO, MajGen Edward G. Usher III USMC, (Ret). Following an invocation by the Chaplain of the Marine Corps, RADM Kibben USN, dinner was served.

Pursuing a special task for the Commandant, the guest of honor, BGen Francis L. Kelley, Jr., Commander, Marine Corps Systems Command, arrived while dinner was being served. Following desert, LtCol John Oliver, program manager for the Ammo Tech occupational field made some remarks and introduced the guest of honor, BGen Kelley.

BGen Kelley, offered some amusing personal reflections about being the newest and most junior BGen on the list and then related that the Ammo Tech field was a very complicated but vital field to the Marine Corps. He stated that he paid a lot of attention to PM Magazine as a result and that as his aide was an Ammo “guy” that his aide would be staying in that position as long as BGen Kelley was around. He pointed out that the assembly was there to honor the Ammo Tech field and particularly two of the top performing Marines in that field for 2009. Thanking all of the guests for attending and the sponsors for their support, he singled out General Dynamics OTS and Rheinmetall Defence companies for their generous sponsorship of the two new awards presented at the Awards Dinner and he personally thanked BGen Terry Paul, USMC, (Ret), an old friend, who now works for Rheinmetall and who was in attendance.

Following presentation of the awards, MajGen Usher made concluding remarks and thanked everyone for their support and for attending.

Check out the pictures and videos below!

Reception Guests

A selection of dinner guests enjoying the reception

Wife of Award Namesake GySgt Tasha Johnson, USMC and friend

Color Guard Ceremony and Dinner

“First Call!” Trumpeter from the Quantico Marine Band.

Color detachment from MCB Quantico’s Marine Band standing tall and looking good!

Color guard ceremony during the playing of the national anthem. SgtMaj Kevin Bennett, USMC (Ret) on stage with LtGen Ron Coleman, USMC (Ret) at left foreground with GySgt Tasha Johnson and Friend