2003 Sylvanus Thayer Award
CITATION

GORDON R. SULLIVAN

A soldier of great distinction, Gordon R. Sullivan has made a lifetime of outstanding contributions to the United States Army and the Nation it defends. His adherence to time-honored values, his words, and his actions have richly exemplified the ideals of West Point, as expressed in its motto, Duty, Honor, Country.

During a military career of over three decades' duration, General Sullivan answered the call of duty in a succession of increasingly important and demanding command and staff positions and finished his time in uniform with four years of service as the Chief of Staff of the Army. In that assignment, he focused his extraordinary wisdom, energy, and creativity on the problem of maintaining the Service's fighting capability in a post-Cold War environment of personnel draw-downs and reductions in resources, while still preparing the Army for the future challenges of a changing political and technological world. In both pursuitshe succeeded brilliantly. Then , after retirement from active duty, General Sullivan chose to keep the Army and its vitality at the center of his concern by taking over as the President and Chief Operating Officer of the Association of the United States Army, where he has continued to benefit the national defense - and the men and women responsible for it - in countless ways.

The remarkable achievements of this son of Massachusetts and Norwich University have been both broad in scope and profound in effect, guaranteeing him a secure place in the front rank of America's soldiers. Accordingly, the Association of Graduates is both pleased and honored to present the 2003 West Point Sylvanus Thayer Award to General Gordon R. Sullivan.