Depot leadership honors award recipients during town hall

Photo By Pam Goodhart | 240522-A-BS696-7314 CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. Col. Donald Santillo (left), commander, Letterkenny Army Depot, and Capt. Robyn Peterson (right), command judge advocate, LEAD, presents John Lovastick, attorney advisor, LEAD, with the Department of the Army Civilian Service Achievement Medal during a town hall, held at the depot headquarters May 22. (U.S. Army photo by Pam Goodhart)  

CHAMBERSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, UNITED STATES

05.27.2024

Story by Todd Wivell 

Letterkenny Army Depot

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. – Col. Donald Santillo, commander, Letterkenny Army Depot, honored multiple employees and two Soldiers during a town hall held at the depot’s headquarters building May 22.

Christopher Struchen, maintenance mechanic, received recognition as LEAD’s Wage Grade employee for the second quarter, fiscal year 2024. Spring Freerksen, information technology specialist, received recognition as LEAD’s General Schedule employee for the second quarter, fiscal year 2024. Struchen and Freerksen received Army Civilian Service Achievement medals.

“Being selected as employee of the quarter reaffirms that my efforts and those of my teammates are steering us in the right direction, positively influencing the depot's operations,” Freerksen said. “I attribute much of my growth and accomplishments to the exceptional colleagues and partners I collaborate with across the depot.”

Santillo presented Army Civilian Service Commendation medals to Barry Aldridge, antiterrorism officer and operational security manager, and Donald Mills, contracting officer representative.

Capt. Robyn Peterson, command judge advocate, and Chief Warrant Officer 3 Ralph Barcelo, Patriot Air and Missile Defense system technician, received Army Commendation medals from Santillo during the town hall.

Peterson received her award for outstanding performance assigned as the depot’s command judge advocate, from Sept. 2021 to June 2024. Her leadership and legal expertise proved invaluable in the legal office’s ability to successfully anticipate and react to issues at every level of the depot.

From Aug. 2023 through May 2024, as an intern with LEAD’s Training with Industry program, Barcelo worked with artisans across the depot, learning new competencies to better advise and support missions in the field.

Since 2019, LEAD's Training with Industry program has been bridging the gap between Soldiers and the depot by providing warrant officers from the AMD community an opportunity to gain new skills while working in an industry environment.

In addition to the employees of the quarter and commendation medal presentations, Santillo awarded other depot employees for outstanding performance.

Civilian Service Achievement Medal
• Heath Bucher
• Sean McClanahan
• Matthew Souder
• Jaron Gomer
• James Thorpe
• John Greenawalt
• Melvin Binkley
• Daniel Stambaugh
• Michale Ridler
• Travis Ramer
• Douglas Mellott
• Daulton Rine
• Jodi Ranck
• John Lovastik

Length of Service – 35 Years of Service
• Ray Leist

Length of Service – 25 Years of Service
• John Mason
• Matthew Umbrell

After the presentations, Santillo spoke about ethical responsibilities, social media usage, professional behavior and the new award policy.

Todd Black, LEAD deputy to the commander, followed with comments about summertime safety, the upcoming 2024 Employee Appreciation Day, and an Employee Appreciation Day survey.

The town hall concluded with presentations from EEO, the depot security manager, and workload updates from across the installation.

Letterkenny Army Depot is the Army’s premier professional organic maintenance facility that provides overhaul, repair and modifications for tactical missile air defense and space systems, electric power generation equipment and various military vehicles, support systems and protection programs. Letterkenny Army Depot, established in 1942, is a government-owned and operated industrial installation located in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania.

For more information about LEAD, visit https://www.letterkenny.army.mil/.
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• Date Taken: 05.27.2024
• Date Posted: 06.18.2024 13:02
• Story ID: 474281
• Location: CHAMBERSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, US