David H. Petraeus, retired Army General and current Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, is presented with the CGSC Foundation’s 2012 Distinguished Leadership Award from Foundation leadership at a dinner banquet May 10, in Kansas City, Mo. From left: Hyrum Smith, Foundation President; Petraeus; Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Robert Arter, Chairman; and Lt. Gen. (Ret.) John Miller, Vice Chairman. Photo by Phillips Photography/Kansas City

David H. Petraeus, retired Army General and current Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, delivers acceptance remarks after being presented with the Command and General Staff College Foundation’s “Distinguished Leadership Award” for 2012, May 10.  Petraeus is the fifth recipient of this national award for leadership excellence. Photo by Phillips Photography/Kansas City

click the image above to view the tribute video for Gen. Petraeus

The Command and General Staff College Foundation presented retired Gen. David H. Petraeus, the 20th Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, with the Foundation’s 2012 Distinguished Leadership Award at a dinner banquet in Kansas City, Mo., May 10.

Nearly 500 guests gathered at the Kansas City Marriott Downtown Hotel to celebrate the award.  Petraeus, who served with great distinction for 37 years in the U.S. Army, is the fifth recipient of the Distinguished Leadership Award. Previous awardees include the 2011 recipient, retired Gen. Hugh Shelton, the 14th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Ross Perot, the well-known entrepreneur and two-time presidential candidate from Texas, was the 2010 recipient; retired Gen. Gordon R. Sullivan, 32nd Chief of Staff of the Army and President of the Association of the United States Army was the 2009 recipient; and the 2008 recipient, Gen. Colin L. Powell, former Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

“I want to thank you for the honor of being selected for an award that means a great deal to me,” said Gen. Petraeus in his acceptance remarks. “And I want to make it clear that I accept this award only inasmuch as I am able to do so on behalf of all the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, Coast Guardsmen and civilians I was honored to lead in the tough endeavors that were informed and guided by the ideas and culture developed at [Fort] Leavenworth.”

General (Ret.) Petraeus spent 37 years in an Army uniform serving in a variety of positions, most notably those in the last 10 years of his career as Commander, 101st Airborne Division; Commanding General, Multi-National Force-Iraq; 10th Commander, U.S. Central Command; Commander, NATO International Security Assistance Force; and Commander, U.S. Forces-Afghanistan.  He was selected by the President as the 20th Director of the Central Intelligence Agency immediately upon his retirement from active military service. As a three-star general he was also the commander of Fort Leavenworth, Kan., during which time he and Marine Lt. Gen. James Mattis led the effort to write new doctrine for counterinsurgency operations which has been credited by many as a key element in U.S. forces success in the months following the surge of troops into Iraq in 2007.

“General Petraeus’ indomitable will and his extraordinary abilities as a Soldier, scholar and leader more than qualify him for this award,” said CGSC Foundation CEO Bob Ulin. “The nation is extremely fortunate to have had someone such as him serve during such trying times as we’ve had in recent years.  His legacy as a great general and a great CIA director, if I may be so bold as to predict his success in that arena, will be secure in our history.”

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• From the President
• CEO’s Corner
• Q&A with the Commandant
• 5-Star Generals Commemorative Coin Update
• The Five-Star Generals of Fort Leavenworth
• Simons Center Report
• Third ethics symposium
• National Security Roundtable focuses on Asia
• ‘While You Were Sleeping’- a book project
• Where are they now?- Former CGSC Commandants
• Four officers inducted into CGSC International Hall of Fame
• Because a Soldier asked
• An Academic Excursion
• CGSC course on genocide prevention, intervention
• Blue and Gold Star Service Flags, Banners, Pins
• CGSC Class of 1978 Reunion
• In Memoriam
• In Print
• Partner Spotlight- Brownells

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Lt. Gen. David G. Perkins provided remarks on April 9 to kick off the roundtable. Day 2 consisted of a tour of the Lewis and Clark Center led by retired Colonel Lynn Rolf, a short stint inside the SAMS seminar groups conversing with the students and the panels.  At the conclusion of the day each participant received a certificate, a group photo and a Foundation coin to commemorate their visit to the College. Closing remarks were provided by Col. Michael J. Johnson, assistant deputy commandant of CGSC.

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Historians were on site to explain the background and use of each weapon ranging from 1580 to the present.  Weapons available for shooting were the Flint Lock Musket, Match Lock Musket, 1861 Percussion Cap Springfield, Bolt Action Rifle, First Generation Breach Loader and a Semi-Automatic Rifle.

The shoot was followed by a reception at the Frontier Conference Center where the range targets were on display.

Maj. Michael Kay captured a video of some of the shooting.  See his video below.

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While visiting Washington, D.C., Ulin and Koreckij also had the opportunity to sit in on the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) meeting that reviewed the candidate designs for the 2012 National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center Commemorative Coin.  This meeting afforded them with valuable insights about the review process for the Foundation’s candidate designs with the CCAC next spring.

The Foundation is currently participating in collaborative efforts on the design of the coins with the U.S. Mint and has provided a number of photographs of the five star generals for their artists to use in the design process.  The initial design process generally takes about six weeks, after which time the Foundation will receive a packet of designs for review.  Based on the Foundation’s recommendations, the designs will then be refined by the artists at the Mint and presented to the CCAC and the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts for their review.

“While much work still remains, we are very excited to have officially kicked off this coin program,” said Koreckij.  “More details on the coin designs and marketing strategies will be forthcoming as the date nears for the coins official release to the public.  Events already in the works include an unveiling ceremony for the final coin designs tentatively planned to be held in October 2012 in Washington D.C. and at Fort Leavenworth.”

“This coin program remains our top priority,” said Foundation CEO Bob Ulin.  “The sale of these commemorative coins in 2013 will generate the funds necessary to complete our capital campaign and position the Foundation to develop and sustain meaningful, long-term programs in support of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College.”

Related News Release:  President signs 5-Star Commemorative Coin Act into law

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While appropriated federal funding is adequate for the infrastructure and operating costs needed to maintain the educational baseline, funds that support and expand the Margin of Excellence in CGSC must come from private resources. Philanthropy, the means of obtaining these private resources, is an essential role for the CGSC Foundation. Through its philanthropic efforts such as the 1881 Legacy Society, the CGSC Foundation helps CGSC produce exceptional leaders capable of dealing with the new environmental and operational challenges of a post-9/11 world. The CGSC Foundation is funded through private donations and its board of trustees is staffed with distinguished retired military leaders, business executives, community leaders and others who are focused on providing the Margin of Excellence to the educational programs of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College.

As you consider your year-end tax planning or overall estate planning, we hope you will consider making good use of the income tax charitable deduction. Your charitable gifts can significantly reduce your income taxes, while providing meaningful support to the CGSC Foundation and other non-profit organizations.

Visit the Ways to Give page on our site to learn more.

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This report notes the progress we have made in just two years with the Colonel Arthur D. Simons Center for the Study of Interagency Cooperation. At this writing, the Simons Center, a program of the CGSC Foundation, has made remarkable progress.

The Simons Center was created to support scholarship within the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College and to foster interagency cooperation. Former commandant Lt. Gen.William B. Caldwell, IV, started an exchange program with several federal departments and agencies to stimulate discussion and education within the federal government. When Mr. Ross Perot asked how he could help the College, the Foundation presented him with a proposal to establish a center for the study of interagency cooperation. Perot provided startup funding and asked that the center be named after Colonel Arthur D. “Bull” Simons, leader of the 1970 Son Tay Raid into North Vietnam and the person who organized and led the operation to rescue two of Mr. Perot’s employees the Iranian government had taken hostage in 1979.

It is fitting that this center was named after Bull Simons, a decisive, mission-focused, no-nonsense leader. In just two years the Simons Center has become the focal point for interagency cooperation at the operational and tactical levels of effort. In this report, Ted Strickler, the executive director of the center notes the extraordinary progress made in just two years. Noteworthy is recognition by members of Congress that the Simons Center is the “go to” organization for knowledge about interagency cooperation.

The Simons Center has become an agent of influence in support of interagency cooperation at a critical time in American history. As budgets are cut across the government, departments and agencies must work together more efficiently and effectively to do the people’s work. As we learned in the military services, working together as a joint force enables each service to bring its unique skills, knowledge and ability to the fight in a way that magnifies results. So too, the departments and agencies of the U.S. government must “task organize” in support of domestic emergencies and overseas contingencies because working together can save money, improve collaboration and produce better results.

The CGSC Foundation’s Simons Center has become a thought leader in interagency cooperation attracting scholars from across the nation to analyze and discuss interagency cooperation issues.  This progress report at the end of the Center’s second year of operations is a testament to that status.

All Simons Center progress reports are available on the Simons Center website.

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A reception followed the ceremony.  Photos and more information are available on the Ethics Symposium website.

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• From the Chairman
• CEO’s Corner
• CGSC Hall of Famer defends family from attack in Iowa
• 5-Star Generals Commemorative Coin Update
• Gen. Shelton receives 2011 Distinguished Leadership Award
• Simons Center Report
• Readers Survey
• Foundation golf tournament features parachute jump by chairman
• CGSC Foundation now a part of national CFC Campaign
• Iron Major CrossFit
• The 15th Infantry in China
• National Security Roundtable focuses on Mexico
• In Memoriam
• In Print
• Partner Spotlight- Metro Productions

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