AMCOM Operations Officer Wins Academic Scholarship
AMCOM Operations Officer Wins Academic Scholarship By Gina Baltrusch, Aviation and Missile Command Public Affairs, August 14, 2019 An Aviation and Missile Command operations officer will continue studies toward a doctoral degree with the help of a $4,000 academic scholarship award she received Aug. 6 during the annual Space and Missile Defense Symposium in Huntsville. Capt. Maria Miranda applied for and won the 2019 Lt. Gen. Larry Dodgen Memorial University Scholarship, a program administered by the Air, Space and Missile Defense Association. Miranda is a Reserve logistics officer serving a three-year assignment in AMCOM’s Operations Directorate. She plans to use the scholarship to continue her doctoral degree in public health at Walden University. Miranda emigrated from Nicaragua to the United States with her parents in 1988 when she was 10. She became a U.S. citizen in 2005 while serving as an enlisted Soldier, then attended Officer Candidate School to become a Reserve officer in 2009. She holds a bachelor’s in physical education and health promotion, and a master of exercise science and rehabilitation. Miranda’s pursuit of a doctoral degree in public health puts her on a path toward supporting community health services and influencing positive social change in individuals’ health-related choices. In her current assignment, Miranda processes all of the taskers that come into AMCOM – about 400-plus taskers every month. Across the Army, higher-echelon commands send numerous taskers to subordinate units for appropriate action. Taskers often have complex requirements, and need personnel, materials or equipment in order to complete. “Many people don’t realize the time and attention to detail it takes to work just one of those taskers. Capt. Miranda analyzes them, determines which organization is best suited to receive the tasker, assigns it, makes sure the receiving unit understands the requirements, and tracks its completion – hundreds of them,” Col. Terry Grisham, AMCOM’s deputy director for Current Operations, said. “Managing taskers is a necessary, yet typically thankless job, which few people truly enjoy. Capt. Miranda took it on and made it her own, contributing to processes and policies that improved tasker coordination and accuracy among our units and departments.” Having a team member who quickly and correctly evaluates, assigns and tracks incoming and outgoing taskers is critical to efficient and effective staff operations, according to Maj. Ryan Greenawalt, Miranda’s supervisor. “Her analytical judgment, time-management skills and work ethic are impeccable. “And she’s one of the most-kind people I’ve ever met,” Greenawalt added. “She genuinely cares and wants to make a positive difference for people.” Education, healthy living, public service and the pursuit of personal excellence seem to be a way of life for Miranda, who is a wife and mother, as well as a student. “Sometimes, it’s a lot to manage. But, once I start something, I never quit,” she said. “No matter how long it takes me to complete the program, I will finish it.” Miranda’s leadership and management skills as an Army officer complement her non-military education and career goals. “(Skills) such as overseeing public health operations and programs, analyzing and advising on findings, and implementing strategies and plans to improve community health,” Miranda said. “The public health doctoral program will propel me to do that and more.” Her goal to make a positive difference for individual and community public health are driven by her commitment to family, public service and an abundance of gratitude for her good fortune. “I’ve been so blessed. I just want to give back some of the good I’ve had in my life,” Miranda said. “I also want to set a good example for my daughter. It’s important to contribute and help make our communities better.” Miranda puts those words into action during her off-duty time in the Huntsville area. She volunteers with the Health Ministry Team at her church, with children at the Chaney Thompson Montessori School, and with Team Red White Blue at Redstone Arsenal, which provides life enrichment to veterans through health, physical and social activity. Miranda’s colleagues say her passion for public health and commitment to excellence generate positive effects in their work and personal lives. “My family was considering a no-sugar diet. Knowing Capt. Miranda’s extensive education in public health, I asked her about it,” Grisham said. “The recommendations she provided made sense, and were less extreme and easier to achieve the results we ultimately wanted. “We’re proud to have Capt. Miranda here in operations. She’s not just an outstanding officer, tasker manager, mentor and teammate – she’s a good person. I have no doubt she’s going to keep doing great things to help others with her public health degree.” The Lt. Gen. Larry Dodgen scholarship annually awards one $4,000 educational scholarship to a deserving Soldier or military family member. During his 1972-2006 Army career, Dodgen’s assignments included commanding the Aviation and Missile Command and the Space and Missile Defense Command.
SMDC Leader Addresses Local Space and Missile Defense Community
SMDC Leader Addresses Local Space and Missile Defense Community By Jason B. Cutshaw, USASMDC/ARSTRAT Public Affairs – February 1, 2018 HUNTSVILLE, Alabama — Lt. Gen. James H. Dickinson, commanding general, U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command, and commander of Joint Functional Component Command for Integrated Missile Defense, addressed the 23rd annual membership luncheon of the Air, Space and Missile Defense Association Jan. 30. “Research and development of new capabilities has been one of SMDC’s core tasks since it began, 60 years ago,” Dickinson said. “SMDC’s 60th anniversary coincides closely with another 60th anniversary, the launch of the first U.S. satellite, Explorer 1. Explorer’s effect on the course of our history can’t be overstated.” Dickinson spoke to the audience of more than 250 about his pride in the Army’s legacy. Soon after building the nation’s first space program, the Army provided the core facilities, material and personnel NASA and the Marshall Space Flight Center would become in 1960. He explained how The Army Ordnance and Missile Command and Army Ballistic Missile Agency transferred 4,700 Army civil service employees and more than $100 million worth of buildings and equipment to the Kennedy Space Center and on Redstone Arsenal. “From the Explorer 1 launch in 1958 to July 1, 1960, the Army achieved a series of pioneering efforts in space,” Dickinson said. “It placed four Earth satellites into orbit; launched the free world’s first lunar probe and first solar satellite; launched three chimps into space; led to the design of a 1.5 million-pound-thrust booster for a lunar exploration vehicle; and began work on the launch vehicle which would carry the first men into space.” He said SMDC/ARSTRAT’s role has evolved over the intervening years and the command now provides forces for space and missile defense operations that protect every American and enhance the Army’s warfighting effectiveness and lethality. “We deliver critical space situational awareness and missile warning to the joint force,” Dickinson said. “We build the Army’s space cadre and execute life cycle management for more than 325 space operations officers supporting every level of command; we process, daily, more than half a million force tracking reports and disseminate them to hundreds of authorized users; we operate worldwide satellite communications for crucial U.S. and allied endeavors; we develop new capabilities; and we even provide U.S. Army astronauts to NASA.” Dickinson thanked ASMDA for supporting the nation’s air, space, and missile defense efforts, providing a community that enhances the workforce and helping foster education for the next generation of youth. “The Adventures in Engineering program gives my command and others a chance to expose local youth to the research, development, and testing that we do on Redstone Arsenal,” Dickinson said. “You support our veterans across Northern Alabama and their families. The professional and civic involvement of ASMDA plays an important part in the strong and continuing relationship between the Army, NASA, and the Huntsville area that has lasted for more than 60 years.” Dickinson expressed his appreciation for ASMDA’s recognition of the individuals and teams who play vital roles in the defense of the nation by developing leading edge air, space, and missile defense technologies. During the luncheon ASMDA presented the Service Excellence Award, in the Team Category, to the SMDC Technical Center’s Flight Experiment-1 Execution Teams — Government and Contractor — for their contributions to national defense. The award was accepted by Lee Ray, on behalf of the government team, and Bud Teague on behalf of the contractors. The Flight Experiment-1 Execution Teams supported all aspects of a highly successful launch of a hypersonic weapon, critical to determining the capability of the system’s future use for cross domain fires. The test was sponsored by the Office of the Secretary of Defense and led by the U.S. Navy. “It is an honor to represent the command at the ASMDA awards luncheon,” Ray said. “The awards for the FE-1 Government and Contractor teams mean a lot since the work performed by both teams is recognized. The FE-1 mission took a lot of hard work, personal sacrifices and tenacity for all involved. The mission was also exciting and fun at the same time as being very challenging.” In 2017, ASMDA provided 16 full scholarships for 9- to 11 year olds to attend Space Camp and awarded four Loretta Spencer Scholarships and a General Dodgen Memorial Academic Scholarship. Additionally, the organization provided grants to support community events for veterans and presented space and missile defense technical achievement and service excellence awards. “For the past 23 years, the Air, Space and Missile Defense Association has been supporting those missions in the community and promoting items such as providing scholarships for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) students, Space Camp scholarships, and exposing students to opportunities on Redstone Arsenal through Adventures in Engineering,” said ASMDA President Julie Schumacher. “Today is very exciting because we get to reunite with members of the community as well as hosting it in such a spectacular venue as the Space and Rocket Center’s Davidson Center.”
2016 ASMDA Space Camp Class
2016 ASMDA Space Camp Class The ASMDA Space Camp Scholarship Class of 2016 just completed their week at Space Camp. A luncheon was held in their honor on 6 July attended by Mayor Battle of Huntsville, Mayor Trulock of Madison, MG Hughes of MDA and other dignitaries from Redstone and the Huntsville community. ASMDA’s annual Space Camp Scholarship program is part of our STEM outreach and we sponsor a full class of 9-11 year olds at Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama. This year we had students from Kwajalein (2), Alaska (2), Colorado Springs (2), Huntsville (8) and Omaha and Virginia (16 total). ASMDA Space Camp scholarships are open to all organizations supported by ASMDA as well as employees of corporate members of ASMDA. Applications open in April and are typically due 1 May. Applicants are evaluated on school grades and a handwritten essay covering a variety of space related topics.
