His classmates already had a lofty opinion of Bill as they remembered him in the Howitzer: “Determined to make good at whatever he undertook, Rich exemplifies the type of man who will someday reach the top.” Commissioned in the Infantry, General Richardson’s remarkable military journey began with a troop assignment in the 24th Infantry Division in Japan, followed by combat duty as a platoon leader and battalion staff officer in the 7th Infantry Division in Korea. He returned to Korea in 1965, serving as the G3 Plans Officer, Eighth US Army.

Stateside in 1966, General Richardson activated the 3d Battalion, 39th Infantry, 9th Infantry Division, and deployed with his unit to Vietnam, later becoming the G3 for the Division. He returned to combat in Vietnam again in 1971, serving first as Commander of the 198th Infantry Brigade of the Americal Division, and then as the Division Chief of Staff. His brigade was recognized for its effectiveness in the Batangan Peninsula, and Bill was awarded the Purple Heart for a wound he sustained while evacuating his own wounded soldiers.

From 1974 to 1977, he was the Commander of the 193d Infantry Brigade in the Panama Canal Zone and the Commander of US Army South. From 1977 to 1979, General Richardson served as the Director of Requirements on the Army Staff where he oversaw the Army’s requirements for weapons systems and played a key role in prioritizing those systems for Army programs and budgets. In 1979, he took command of the Combined Arms Center and served as Commandant of the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. While in this assignment, General Richardson restructured the college to meet the demands of a modernized Army, establishing the Center for Army Leadership, developing the AirLand Battle Doctrine, reorganizing the Army’s heavy divisions in the Army 86 Studies, and proposing to the Department of the Army the School for Advanced Military Studies (SAMS). General Richardson became the Army’s Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Plans in 1981 and continued his work in operational planning, training, force developments, and arms control.

The pinnacle of his military career was his assignment in February 1983 as the Commanding General of the Army’s Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) where his focus was to prepare the Army for war by insuring that Army schools and training centers were dedicated to demanding, realistic training. He restructured the TRADOC school model, instituting small group instruction in all the branch schools and the Command and General Staff College. He founded the Joint Readiness Training Center now located at Fort Polk, Louisiana, and he formed an Installations of Excellence Program for TRADOC. Under his aegis, AirLand Battle Doctrine was revised to more fully cover the operational level of war, and TRADOC designed the light division within an Army reorganization known as the Army of Excellence. General Richardson was instrumental in increasing Army-Air Force cooperation and coordination, leading to joint concepts, doctrine, tactics, techniques, and procedures. General Richardson retired in 1986 with thirty-five years of Army service.

General Richardson followed his remarkable military journey with an equally distinguished career in the civilian sector with his work as a defense consultant and his participation in the Council on Foreign Relations, National Infantry Foundation, and Command and General Staff College Foundation. He continues to be sought by the highest military leaders for advice and counsel.

General Richardson has led a life of exemplary leadership, dedication, and service to our nation. He is a credit to the West Point tradition of Duty, Honor, Country. Accordingly, the West Point Association of Graduates takes great pride in presenting the 2011 Distinguished Graduate Award to William R. Richardson, Class of 1951.

Commissioned a Second Lieutenant of Infantry in 1955, General McNair attended flight training and airborne school before serving his initial troop duty with the 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Following the Basic Infantry Officer Course and Ranger School, he was assigned as an aviation advisor to the Second Field Army of the Republic of China in MAAG Taiwan. After obtaining a Master of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from Georgia Tech in 1963, he served as a Battle Group and Brigade S3, followed by company command with the 1st Cavalry Division along the DMZ in Korea, then returned to the Pentagon for service with the Air Mobility Division in the Office of the Chief of Research and Development. In 1967, he headed for Vietnam where he would log over 1,600 hours of flying time in combat as commander of the 121st Assault Helicopter Company, S3 of the 164th Combat Aviation Group and later, as commander of the 145th Combat Aviation Battalion.

Returning to the United States in 1969, he was assigned to and graduated from the Armed Forces Staff College and the Army War College. He also obtained a Masters Degree in Public Administration from Shippensburg University before serving in the Tactical Department at West Point. Assignments at Fort Hood as Director, Command, Control, and Communications Testing in Project MASSTER and at Fort Rucker where he commanded the Army Aviation Troop Brigade, preceded a three-year tour of duty with the Secretariat and the Army Staff, first as Deputy for Aviation to the Assistant Secretary of the Army (R&D), then as Executive Officer to the Deputy Chief of Staff for Research, Development and Acquisition.

With promotion to Brigadier General in 1978, he was assigned duties as the Deputy Director of Requirements and Army Aviation Officer in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Headquarters, Department of the Army. In 1979, he returned to Fort Rucker as Deputy Commanding General and later, Commanding General of the Army Aviation Center. As the first Chief of Army Aviation, he was instrumental in the development of and leading what was then a fledgling branch and paving the way for Army Aviation’s stellar performance in Desert Shield/Desert Storm, the Balkans and our current fights in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. General McNair’s long and distinguished military career culminated in assignment to the Training and Doctrine Command where he first served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Combat Developments and later as Chief of Staff. His retirement from the Army in 1987 as a Major General ended 32 years of distinguished service. By the end of his career, Army Aviation was recognized as an indispensable element in the combined arms team and became a full-fledged combat arms branch with a Combat

Aviation Brigade proudly serving in all Army Divisions. In 2004, he was inducted into the Army Aviation Hall of Fame. A former Army Chief of Staff aptly described his career this way: “He has led American soldiers with courage and commitment in both peace and war, and was repeatedly cited for his valor in combat against the enemies of our nation.”

Immediately following his retirement from military service, he immersed himself in challenging assignments in the private sector, holding leadership positions with Burdeshaw Associates, DynCorp, and later Computer Sciences Corporation. As a current member of the Board of Directors of Air Methods Corporation, the nation’s largest provider of air medical emergency transport services and systems, he provides valuable advice and strategic insights on the best use of helicopters in the critical field of aero-medical evacuation. He also serves as an expert witness and provides assistance in accident investigation to industry and government agencies.

His pastor is quoted as saying, “Carl lives every day as if he is fulfilling a duty that will take a lifetime to complete and it is his highest honor to finish the assignment with his best effort.” Whether it is serving his local church, visiting veteran’s hospitals, providing leadership to charitable organizations like the Red Cross and Easter Seals or simply mentoring young people, he approaches life with enthusiasm and a desire to raise people up. He has also voluntarily taken on major leadership roles in the Army Aviation Association of America, the Association of the US Army, the Army Historical Foundation and the National Defense Industrial Association. His exemplary work with the Arlington National Cemetery Commemorative Project resulted in the creation of the books Where Valor Rests – Arlington National Cemetery and For Children of Valor, memorial gifts now presented by a grateful Army to the families who have lost loved ones in the defense of freedom.

General McNair has also served his alma mater over the decades with great energy and skill in many roles. He was the senior Army member of the Flight Memorial Fundraising Committee, member of the West Point Fund Committee for the AOG Board of Trustees, Vice President then President of the West Point Society of the District of Columbia, Washington Liaison for AOG and the Board of Trustees and President of the Class of 1955.

Throughout his career as a soldier and citizen, he has brought honor to the Military Academy, our Army and to our country. Accordingly, the West Point Association of Graduates takes great pride in presenting the 2011 Distinguished Graduate Award to Carl H. McNair, Jr., Class of 1955.

Commissioned a Second Lieutenant of Infantry in 1955, General McNair attended flight training and airborne school before serving his initial troop duty with the 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Following the Basic Infantry Officer Course and Ranger School, he was assigned as an aviation advisor to the Second Field Army of the Republic of China in MAAG Taiwan. After obtaining a Master of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from Georgia Tech in 1963, he served as a Battle Group and Brigade S3, followed by company command with the 1st Cavalry Division along the DMZ in Korea, then returned to the Pentagon for service with the Air Mobility Division in the Office of the Chief of Research and Development. In 1967, he headed for Vietnam where he would log over 1,600 hours of flying time in combat as commander of the 121st Assault Helicopter Company, S3 of the 164th Combat Aviation Group and later, as commander of the 145th Combat Aviation Battalion.

Returning to the United States in 1969, he was assigned to and graduated from the Armed Forces Staff College and the Army War College. He also obtained a Masters Degree in Public Administration from Shippensburg University before serving in the Tactical Department at West Point. Assignments at Fort Hood as Director, Command, Control, and Communications Testing in Project MASSTER and at Fort Rucker where he commanded the Army Aviation Troop Brigade, preceded a three-year tour of duty with the Secretariat and the Army Staff, first as Deputy for Aviation to the Assistant Secretary of the Army (R&D), then as Executive Officer to the Deputy Chief of Staff for Research, Development and Acquisition.

With promotion to Brigadier General in 1978, he was assigned duties as the Deputy Director of Requirements and Army Aviation Officer in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Headquarters, Department of the Army. In 1979, he returned to Fort Rucker as Deputy Commanding General and later, Commanding General of the Army Aviation Center. As the first Chief of Army Aviation, he was instrumental in the development of and leading what was then a fledgling branch and paving the way for Army Aviation’s stellar performance in Desert Shield/Desert Storm, the Balkans and our current fights in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. General McNair’s long and distinguished military career culminated in assignment to the Training and Doctrine Command where he first served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Combat Developments and later as Chief of Staff. His retirement from the Army in 1987 as a Major General ended 32 years of distinguished service. By the end of his career, Army Aviation was recognized as an indispensable element in the combined arms team and became a full-fledged combat arms branch with a Combat

Aviation Brigade proudly serving in all Army Divisions. In 2004, he was inducted into the Army Aviation Hall of Fame. A former Army Chief of Staff aptly described his career this way: “He has led American soldiers with courage and commitment in both peace and war, and was repeatedly cited for his valor in combat against the enemies of our nation.”

Immediately following his retirement from military service, he immersed himself in challenging assignments in the private sector, holding leadership positions with Burdeshaw Associates, DynCorp, and later Computer Sciences Corporation. As a current member of the Board of Directors of Air Methods Corporation, the nation’s largest provider of air medical emergency transport services and systems, he provides valuable advice and strategic insights on the best use of helicopters in the critical field of aero-medical evacuation. He also serves as an expert witness and provides assistance in accident investigation to industry and government agencies.

His pastor is quoted as saying, “Carl lives every day as if he is fulfilling a duty that will take a lifetime to complete and it is his highest honor to finish the assignment with his best effort.” Whether it is serving his local church, visiting veteran’s hospitals, providing leadership to charitable organizations like the Red Cross and Easter Seals or simply mentoring young people, he approaches life with enthusiasm and a desire to raise people up. He has also voluntarily taken on major leadership roles in the Army Aviation Association of America, the Association of the US Army, the Army Historical Foundation and the National Defense Industrial Association. His exemplary work with the Arlington National Cemetery Commemorative Project resulted in the creation of the books Where Valor Rests – Arlington National Cemetery and For Children of Valor, memorial gifts now presented by a grateful Army to the families who have lost loved ones in the defense of freedom.

General McNair has also served his alma mater over the decades with great energy and skill in many roles. He was the senior Army member of the Flight Memorial Fundraising Committee, member of the West Point Fund Committee for the AOG Board of Trustees, Vice President then President of the West Point Society of the District of Columbia, Washington Liaison for AOG and the Board of Trustees and President of the Class of 1955.

Throughout his career as a soldier and citizen, he has brought honor to the Military Academy, our Army and to our country. Accordingly, the West Point Association of Graduates takes great pride in presenting the 2011 Distinguished Graduate Award to Carl H. McNair, Jr., Class of 1955.

As a young Armor officer, Sorley served in armored cavalry units constantly on alert for Soviet expansion and the Cold War in Europe. Later, he would serve on another front of that war as executive officer of the 1st Battalion, 69th Armor, in Vietnam, before returning to Germany to command the 2nd Battalion, 37th Armor. Even though the era of the early seventies was a difficult one in Europe, his battalion excelled in morale and professionalism. Upon graduating from the Army War College he was selected to remain on the War College faculty. There he taught military planning and strategy, established the first elective course in advanced military strategy, and chaired the Current Affairs Panel, a group of students who made panel presentations on military affairs to college students, civic groups, and on television. His integrity and professionalism were extremely important as that panel sought to portray accurately the Army’s role in the Vietnam War, a conflict then not well understood by many of the audiences addressed. He completed his military career in the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

Sorley next joined the Central Intelligence Agency, where he served initially as the policy planner on the Intelligence Community Staff for the Director of Central Intelligence, then as the Agency’s chief of internal audit, and finally as head of the National Intelligence Emergency Support Office. In that last assignment, he put his stamp on the Central Intelligence Agency by revitalizing this important office with government-wide impact and responsibilities. During these years he also earned a doctorate in national security affairs from Johns Hopkins University. Upon retiring from the Agency in the grade of SIS-4, three-star general equivalent, he became President of Azonic Services Corporation, an entity he founded, served two terms on the Board of Trustees of the West Point Association of Graduates, and was an adjunct fellow of the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

He was also, for eight years, Executive Director of the Association of Military Colleges and Schools of the United States; served for a decade as a member and then secretary of the Board of Directors of the Army Historical Foundation; and was selected by the Virginia Military Institute as its first visiting professor of Leadership and Ethics.

It is as an author and historian, however, that Sorley has had his most lasting influence on the Army and our nation. His A Better War: The Unexamined Victories and Final Tragedy of America’s Last Years in Vietnam, and the later Vietnam Chronicles: The Abrams Tapes, 1968-1972 have, over the years, brought about an altered and much-improved understanding of the Vietnam War and the performance of our armed forces in that conflict. There is now a general understanding, even among critics of the war, that Creighton Abrams ranks among the most outstanding of America’s military commanders. Sorley’s work in explaining the complexities of the Vietnam War has expanded and enriched the historical record while also significantly influencing contemporary counterinsurgency doctrine. His devotion to our South Vietnamese comrades has been reflected in his helping several shape and publish manuscripts about the war, and in his editing and facilitating publication of The Vietnam War: An Assessment by South Vietnam’s Generals. Additionally, his biographies of General Abrams and General Harold K. Johnson have received wide acclaim, as has his editing of Press On! Selected Works of General Donn A. Starry. As a man of integrity who gives of himself generously to tell the West Point story, lecture at West Point and in other military venues, and write for graduate publications, Sorley was the obvious choice to author Honor Bright: History and Origins of the West Point Honor Code and System for the Military Academy’s Simon Center for the Professional Military Ethic.

Accordingly, the West Point Association of Graduates of the United States Military Academy takes great pride in presenting the 2011 Distinguished Graduate Award to one of the finest military historians of the last half century and, in the words of General Frederick Franks ’59, a national treasure, Dr. Lewis Sorley, Class of 1956.

General Reimer’s operational experience included command at every level from battery to army. He served two tours in Vietnam, first as an advisor and later with an artillery battalion in the 9th Division. During these tours Denny received the Legion of Merit, a Bronze Star with V, and a Purple Heart among other awards. A student at both Command and General Staff College and the War College, he also taught at Fort Sill and served as the Deputy Assistant Commandant. Promoted to Brigadier General, he became Commanding General, III Corps Artillery. In 1988, Major General Reimer took command of the 4th Infantry Division after serving as the operations officer for the US Combined Forces Command in Korea. His knowledge of Army operations led to his promotion to lieutenant general and assignment as Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations on the Army Staff in 1990. During Operation Desert Shield, he led the planning for the Army’s support of that operation.

Denny’s promotion to full general in 1991 was accomplished by assignment as the Army’s Vice Chief of Staff, where he took on the management of the Army’s internal affairs and the drawdown of its structure and facilities. In 1993, he took command of US Army Forces Command prior to being selected as the 33rd Army Chief of Staff in 1995.

President Clinton, when he nominated General Reimer to be the Chief of Staff, stated that Denny “played a key role in the transformation of the Cold War Army into today’s power projection Army. He brings to the job as Chief of Staff a clear vision of the national security environment that the United States will face through the remainder of the decade and into the next century.”

During his tenure as Chief of Staff of the Army, the Army professionally and effectively deployed and executed desperately needed peacekeeping operations in the Balkans, preventing further bloodshed and genocide. This action by the Army brought a legacy of peace and hope to an entire region and resolved a key lingering source of instability in Europe. Numerous world crises challenged then Chief of Staff Dennis Reimer; however, he always took time to travel back to his beloved West Point to participate in the Plebe’s summer march backs. Then Plebe Major Ducote observed that “General Reimer interacted with countless classmates and set the standard for the type of inspirational leader we should strive to emulate.” He returned numerous times to interact with the Class of 1999 and became affectionately known throughout the class as “our Chief.” Then Commandant of Cadets, General Abizaid commented “Each visit was inspirational and character forming for each cadet. His message of ‘Soldiers are our Credentials’ came from the motto of the 8th Infantry Division, reflected his priorities, and had a lasting impact on the Corps as they viewed service to the Army and nation after graduation.”

After retiring from active service, General Reimer further distinguished himself by returning to his native Oklahoma to become the first Director of the National Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism in Oklahoma City. In this position, he delivered remarkable insight and programs for communities nationwide and for their emergency responders. Governor Frank Keating remarked “This experience shaped his sensitivity and fundamental understanding of the needs and requirements of our cities and towns across America. His leadership as the Director has left America better prepared to prevent terrorism and to deal with the consequences.”

Denny Reimer’s unique service to the nation in war and peace, combined with his lifelong support of West Point, is in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Military Academy. He has exemplified the finest values of West Point for more then four decades. Accordingly, the West Point Association of Graduates of the United States Military Academy takes great pride in presenting the 2011 Distinguished Graduate Award to Dennis J. Reimer, Class of 1962.

Commissioned as an Armor officer, Bill McArthur attended flight training at the US Army Aviation School, finishing as the distinguished graduate of his class. He subsequently served as an aero scout team leader and brigade aviation section commander with the 2nd Infantry Division on the demilitarized zone in the Republic of Korea. In 1978, he was assigned to the 24th Combat Aviation Battalion in Savannah, Georgia. There he served as platoon leader, operations officer, and aviation company commander for eighteen months. Captain McArthur subsequently obtained a masters degree in Aerospace Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, prior to assignment in 1983 to the Department of Mechanical Engineering at West Point, where he inspired cadets in the practical applications of mechanical engineering and maintained his flight status by operating West Point’s fixed wing aircraft and instructing cadets in basic aviation.

In 1987, Bill graduated from the US Naval Test Pilot School and was designated an experimental test pilot, beginning a formative assignment as a Space Shuttle vehicle integration test engineer at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Johnson Space Center. There, he was engineering liaison for Space Shuttle launch and landing operations at the Kennedy Space Center and played a key role in the test of orbiter flight control systems following the Challenger accident. He also served as a member of the Emergency Escape and Rescue Working Group. In 1990, NASA selected then-Lieutenant Colonel McArthur for entry into the astronaut program.

Bill McArthur flew three Space Shuttle missions over the next ten years. The first, aboard Columbia in 1993, was a fourteen-day mission in which Lieutenant Colonel McArthur and crew performed intricate medical experiments related to human and animal physiology on Earth and in space.

In 1995, Bill was aboard NASA’s second Space Shuttle mission to rendezvous and dock with the Russian Space Station Mir. During the eight-day flight, now-Colonel McArthur and the crew successfully attached a permanent docking module to Mir, conducted multiple payload experiments with the Russians, and transferred supplies between Atlantis and Mir. This flight marked the beginning of McArthur’s involvement in international space cooperation and the development of close relationships with international astronauts. In Bill’s third shuttle flight, a thirteen-day mission aboard Discovery in 2000, he made two long and intricate space walks, critical steps in the early phases of construction of the International Space Station (ISS).

Following his last Space Shuttle mission, Colonel McArthur was assigned as Director of Operations in Russia to serve as the senior NASA official at Star City. In this position, Bill was responsible for the training, security, housing, and logistics for all NASA astronauts preparing for missions onboard the ISS. Fluent in Russian, he served as the primary interface with Russian Air Force and Space Agency officials.

In 2005, Colonel McArthur began a challenging six-month mission aboard the ISS. Launching from Kazakhstan aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft and docking with the ISS, McArthur served as Expedition 12 Commander and Space Station Science Officer. During their six-month spaceflight, the crew conducted two spacewalks in Russian and US spacesuits and relocated their Soyuz spacecraft twice. The crew also conducted multiple complex US and Russian science experiments.

In 2006, Bill McArthur became NASA’s Manager of Safety and Mission Assurance for the Space Shuttle program, NASA’s primary expert to solve problems during Shuttle launch and flight operations. A veteran of four space flights consisting of 224 days in space, and 24 hours in four space walks, Bill was selected in 2008 to lead the Space Shuttle Orbiter Project, responsible for preflight processing of the reusable space ships and their flight operations.

Despite the demands of his profession, Bill McArthur has served as president of the West Point Society of Greater Houston and a member of the West Point Association of Graduates Advisory Council. He frequently returns to West Point to guest-lecture or participate in special events with cadets, and he is a regular at West Point Society events encouraging young Americans to consider attending West Point.

Today, Colonel McArthur continues to build on his four decades of service to our nation, our Army, and the Long Gray Line. Accordingly, the West Point Association of Graduates takes great pride in presenting the 2011 Distinguished Graduate Award to William S. McArthur, Jr., Class of 1973.