Rumsfeld Honors Civilian Careerists

The honored employees received the DoD Distinguished Civilian Service Award, which is the department's highest civilian service honor and recognizes careerists for contributions impacting the department.

In remarks at the Pentagon ceremony before presenting the award, Rumsfeld said "their dedication has long been the hallmark of the civil service."

The secretary repeated words of President Theodore Roosevelt, words that he said "captured the spirit" of service of those being honored: "It pays, no matter what comes after it, to try to do things, to accomplish things in this life, and not merely to have a soft and pleasant time."

"And I'm sure that in the years of service of these individuals on behalf of the American people, that these years have been anything but soft," Rumsfeld said. "You've accomplished a great many things and a wide range of activities, and our country, and indeed the world, are better because of it."

He credited the workers with giving DoD career expertise that had "significantly improved" the department's effectiveness during the global war on terror.

Rumsfeld said their contributions came during an era of "unprecedented challenge" for the United States, pointing out that the country faces an "unrelenting enemy that continues to probe for weaknesses, for vulnerabilities that they can exploit."

DoD employees honored today were:

• Frank J. Anderson, president, Defense Acquisition University;

• Andrew Hoehn, deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy;

• Evelyn R. Klemstine, program director, international programs division, Office of the Inspector General;

• Margaret Myers, principal director, Office of the Deputy Chief of Information, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Networks and Information Integration;

• Michael A. Parker, director, Army Chemical Materials Agency; and

• Charles M. Smith, chief, field support contracting, Army Field Support Command.