Photo By Tim Hanson | From left, Steven Stolze, Ashley Stolze and Brig. Gen. Michael Izzo. Ashley Stolze,...... read more read more
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REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. – Army Materiel Command’s provost marshal and chief of the protection division, Ashley Stolze, was awarded the Order of the Marechaussee at a ceremony held at U.S. Army Security Assistance Command headquarters June 26. The award is the highest honor bestowed by the Military Police Corps.
Brig. Gen. Michael Izzo, assistant to the adjutant general in the Alabama National Guard and fellow member of the Military Police Corps, hosted the ceremony and presented the award to Stolze.
“The Order of the Marechaussee isn’t just given out – they’re earned, and they’re numbered,” Izzo said as he called attention to the number 299 on Stolze’s medal. “It’s never too late to recognize a Soldier who does a good job.”
Stolze, who served in the Army for nearly eight years before joining the contract and civilian security workforce, was recognized for her contributions to the Military Police Corps and for her unwavering commitment to the safety and security of the USASAC and AMC enterprise.
“I’m humbled that my team thought highly enough of my work to recommend me for the award,” Stolze said.
She joined the AMC workforce in April after serving four years as USASAC’s deputy chief of staff for G-2 security. Throughout her career, she has been on the forefront of developing and implementing innovative security and force protection strategies and tactics while also building strong and effective teams to carry out the Army’s mission to secure its enterprise.
Her career with the Army began shortly after she graduated early from high school, enlisting into the Army’s Military Police Corps in hopes that it would help nudge her in the right direction to one day be an FBI agent, a dream she’d held onto since childhood.
“I came to the Army because I wanted credible experience in law enforcement and to help pay for a college education,” Stolze said. In the eight years she served she achieved the rank of staff sergeant and endured multiple international moves and deployments.
After leaving the Army, she joined the contractor workforce and provided security for the Army for around 10 months in Afghanistan, and then in Italy, where she met her husband and learned to scuba dive.
“Scuba diving was all about conquering my fears after a few difficult deployments,” Stolze said. She was certified through the Army’s Morale, Welfare and Recreation program in Italy and has traveled as far as Fiji to enjoy the underwater sights.
After returning to the U.S., Stolze achieved her goal of working for the FBI as an Associate Chief Security Officer for more than two years before returning to the Army. As Army Cyber Command headquarters moved to Georgia, she joined the Army Civilian corps to lead the relocation effort for all things security and stand up a new security team, upgrade clearances and achieve security milestones.
After her time with Cyber Command, friends from the FBI encouraged Stolze to consider Huntsville for her next career move.
“We came for the rocket over Huntsville, and stayed for the mission at Redstone Arsenal,” she said. She took her position with USASAC’s G-2 and remained for four years, revitalizing the security mission and building another motivated team in the process.
She made a big impression on her colleagues at USASAC, according to Ralph Saorrono, a USASAC security specialist who helped nominate Stolze for the award.
“Ashley always supported the MP regiment, whether as a Soldier or as a civilian,” Saorrono said, “We need to recognize what she did for USASAC, but also for the Total Army through her career so far.”
Now at AMC, Stolze is using her broad experience to enhance the protection program across the logistics enterprise while leading a large team of force protection professionals.
“Right now, I’m building relationships with all of AMC’s major subordinate commands and stakeholders across the world,” she said. “My goal is to use my experiences abroad and with the FBI, Cyber Command and USASAC to advance the enterprise as a whole and as a team.”
Stolze is the first woman to hold the position of force protection chief and provost marshal at AMC, a title she wears proudly. Her advice to women seeking leadership roles in the Army enterprise is to get educated, never give up and seek mentors.
“Get certifications and be a lifelong learner – do everything you can so nobody can tell you no, and keep trying when they do,” she said.
| Date Taken: | 06.28.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 06.28.2024 10:51 |
| Story ID: | 475129 |
| Location: | REDSTONE ARSENAL, ALABAMA, US |
| Web Views: | 373 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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