ATTENTION TO PARADE!
On Wednesday of this week I received the very forthright recommendations of General Rusty Hodges, Commander of the Army of the Shenandoah, and, in turn, General Ned Simms, Union Army Eastern Theater Commander, that the Outstanding Service Award (OSM) be issued to Lieutenant General Drex Ringbloom. I have included those recommendations for the record.
General Hodgkiss, Commander, Army of the Shenandoah -
"General Simms,
"I would like to present General Ringbloom to you as a deserved recipient of the Outstansing Service Medal. General Ringbloom, as I'm sure you are aware is an indespensible officer to not only the Army of the Shenandoah, but to the Union army in general. His record in the forums is outstanding, a regular poster in all is he. Also, his putting together several tournaments, including the recent ANVa vs. AotS 2x2 MP tourney, in which the more experienced officers team with the newer members of the club to help impart wisdom, and a general feeling of belonging. Also, with the MP games, players are introduced to officers in their armies, that they normally wouldn't have occasion to meet. Furthermore, the outstanding recovery in morale, via monthly musters, can be directly attributed to General Ringbloom. His consistent performance in rounding up stray officers, in my opinion, is FAR above what is called for of any commander in this club. Our muster numbers have gone through the roof since his return, and our prioritizing it. Lastly, General Ringbloom wears both the hat of a corps commander, AND the more difficult, and thankless job of being CoS for the army. I feel that General Ringbloom cannot be recognized enough by the Union army, and would very much like to see him recieve the OSM for his efforts. I also would like to add that this is not an award that one is GIVEN, rather I believe that it should be EARNED, and I assure you sir, that General Ringbloom has earned ever bit of it."
General Ned Simms, Commander, Union Army Eastern Theater -
"General Meyer,
"Lieutenant General Drex Ringbloom is hereby recommended for the Outstanding Service Medal while serving concurrently as both the Chief of Staff for the Army of the Shenandoah and the VIII Corps Commander. General Ringbloom is an indispensable officer to not only the Army of the Shenandoah but to the Union army in general. His record in the forums is outstanding as a regular poster, a leader, an advisor, and a cheerleader. He has initiated and managed several tournaments, including the recent ANV vs. AotS 2x2 MP tourney in which the more experienced officers team with the newer members of the club to help impart wisdom and a general feeling of belonging. With the use of MP games, players are introduced to officers in their armies that they normally wouldn't have occasion to meet. The muster numbers for the Army of the Shenandoah have increased dramatically since his return to the Chief of Staff position. His consistent performance in rounding up stray officers is far above what is called for of any commander in this club. As Chief of Staff, General Ringbloom maintains the website for the Army of the Shenandoah. He undertook this task without any previous web experience or knowledge and has performed the task admirably. General Ringbloom is recognized by all as a 'go to' type of officer that will get things done."
In return I answered these two commanders with the following.
"General Simms (Cc'd to General Hodgkiss) -
"I thank you for bringing both your own and General Hodgkiss's recommendations to me in regards to awarding the Outstanding Service Medal to Lieutenant General Drex Ringbloom.
"It has been my experience that the Outstanding Service Medal has been reserved as an award given to a successful AC or CoA upon the completion of their tenure in those roles. The award thus normally reflects the very satisfactory or high contribution of an officer in a high command position over an extended period of time, and is one not normally recommended for any lessor achievement. As a service award it is regarded as the highest such honor achievable within the Union Army, superseded in unusual circumstances only by the Medal of Honor.
"The question now before me is whether the service contributions of Lieutenant General Ringbloom warrant such a recognition, knowing that the Distinguished Service Order might better suffice. Within this deliberation are those accomplishments and traits that you and General Hodgkiss have so earnestly described, chief among them, of course, being that officer's dual service as both VIII Corps Commander and the Army of the Shenandoah's Chief of Staff.
"The office and position of a field army CoS has only recently been created, and no real, hard duty guidelines have been established to serve as a yardstick. But in this matter, from what I have read from both of you and personally observed, Lieutenant General Ringbloom has obviously and very expertly helped to define what that role should be as an example within the entire Union Army.
"His concurrent work with and leadership direction of the Army of the Shenandoah's VIII Corps, including his very straight-forward and honest consolidation efforts, are not to be overlooked as examples, again, to all of the Union Army as to what an effective Corps Commander should be all about. Few others in his position have handled their innate responsibilities, nor brought such enhancements to their job, as has he.
"The simple facts of the matter are that when all of these specific contributions and those others that you have itemized have been tallied and weighed in import against the measure of their overall benefit to not only the Army of the Shenandoah, but to the Union Army as a whole, the Distinguished Service Order, as impressive and comprehensive as it is designed to be, does not seem, in my judgment, to adequately reward them. Moreover, I believe that the making such an award as you recommend will provide excellent example and motivation to all other such officers of the merit that is possible in such endeavors. It is, therefore, my pleasure to approve your very earnest and timely recommendations and make immediate preparation for the awardance of the Union Army's Outstanding Service Medal to Lieutenant General Drex Ringbloom tomorrow, Friday, August 5th."
Accordingly, I am now making official award of the Outstanding Service Medal to Lieutenant General Drexel Ringbloom for the high degree of effort and achievement he has displayed as the Commander of the VIII Corps and, simultaneously, as the Chief of Staff to the Union Army of the Shenandoah, as well as the many and varied personal involvements and duties he has undertaken which have contributed both directly and indirectly to the overall health and welfare of the ACWGC Union Army.
Congratulations, Lieutenant General Ringbloom!
OFFICERS OF THE ACWGC UNION ARMY,
Present, ARMS!...Order, ARMS!
Parade, DISMISSED!
