The Gen. Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award recognizes company grade officers who demonstrate the ideals for which he stood: duty, honor, and country. Two officers with the 10th Mountain Division (LI) at Fort Drum, New York, were selected to go on to the Army-level review for the Gen. Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award on Dec. 6, 2019, at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. (U.S. Army photo)
10th Mountain Division Soldiers advance in Gen. MacArthur Leadership Award competition
Spc. Kay Edwards
27th Public Affairs Detachment
FORT DRUM, N.Y. (Jan. 13, 2020) – Two officers with the 10th Mountain Division (LI), were selected to go on to the Army-level review for the Gen. Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award on Dec. 6, 2019, at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
The honor went to Capt. Robert Reed, commander of C Troop, 3rd Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, and Capt. Matthew Stein, aide-de-camp to the commanding general of the 10th Mountain Division (LI).
The Gen. MacArthur award recognizes company grade officers who demonstrate the ideals for which he stood: duty, honor, and country. Candidates are typically nominated by the senior officers in their chain of command. In Reed’s case, it came as a total surprise.
“I’ve known a couple of buddies that have gone through the Gen. Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award process,” Reed said. “But when I actually got the email that said that I had ultimately been selected to attend the FORSCOM assessment, it was definitely a shock.”
The U.S. Army Forces Command hosts an annual Gen. Douglas MacArthur Leadership Assessment at Fort Bragg, N.C., in which candidates are evaluated on their Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) results, a board appearance and written essay on leadership, and on their board-nomination packet.
“It was a really cool event to be able to get there with such a distinguished group of my peers,” Reed said.
The selection also was unexpected for Stein.
“I was completely surprised and humbled by the nomination,” Stein said. “There are so many fantastic officers in our Army, and the fact that anyone would nominate me for this award is a testament to the awesome people I’ve been lucky enough to work around.”
While the winners will not be announced until June, simply being nominated for this award is a feat in itself.
“Somebody saw in me the qualities and traits that they think makes a good leader,” Reed said. “To have that reassurance from the officers in this outstanding chain of command here at 10th Mountain Division, you come away with a warm feeling.”