The 25th Department of Defense Disability Awards ceremony and 18th DoD Disability Forum was hosted today by Dr. David S. C. Chu, the under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Bethesda, Md. This annual event provides an overview of DoD disability policy and initiatives, recognizes DoD organizations with outstanding affirmative action programs for people with disabilities, and highlights the accomplishments of DoD employees with disabilities.
The keynote speaker at the ceremony was Dr. Robert T. Frame, the assistant under secretary for health for dentistry at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Frame retired from the U.S. Army Reserve in 2004 as a colonel. In 2003, he was severely injured by hostile fire from insurgents in Baghdad, Iraq.
The following 19 DoD employees with disabilities received Secretary of Defense awards for their outstanding contributions to national security:
Mary Ann Thompson, Department of the Army
Judith S. Gallagher, Department of the Navy
John D. Hanson, Department of the Air Force
Annemarie C. Matta, Office of the Secretary of Defense/Washington Headquarters Services
Celita A. Julian, Army and Air Force Exchange Service
Ulysses Banks, Defense Commissary Agency
Kaisa Cerys Ballard, Defense Contract Audit Agency
David Brian Viola, Defense Contract Management Agency
William M. Chipp, Defense Finance and Accounting Service
Carol Ann Horen, Defense Information Systems Agency
Anjanette Marie Daigle, Defense Intelligence Agency
Howard Tevelson, Defense Logistics Agency
Lamoine E. Hill, Defense Security Service
John Willie Gooch Jr., Defense Threat Reduction Agency
Bradley William Staton, Department of Defense Education Activity
Rina A. D'Amore, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
Melinda D. Brown, National Guard Bureau
Mary Frances Listman, National Security Agency
Eleanor A. Wills, Office of the Inspector General
In addition, three DoD components, the Department of the Army, Defense Logistics Agency and Defense Finance and Accounting Service received Secretary of Defense trophies for accomplishments in their affirmative actions programs for people with disabilities during 2005.
