Photo By Michael Strasser | The Buxbaum Administrative Facility, located on Po Valley Road, was memorialized Oct....... read more read more
FORT DRUM, N.Y. (Oct. 18, 2024) -- Retired Command Sgt. Maj. Michael L. Buxbaum, formerly of 41st Engineer Battalion, 10th Mountain Division (LI), served with distinction for 33 years before ending his military career as the 10th senior enlisted adviser for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Fort Drum officials joined his family members and friends Oct. 18 to unveil a plaque memorializing the Buxbaum Administrative Facility on Po Valley Road in his honor.
As an enlisted Soldier, Buxbaum participated in military operations around the world, including Operation Desert Shield, Operation Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and in Bosnia and Kosovo.
After he retired in June 2012, Buxbaum continued to serve in pivotal roles while employed with a defense contract agency until his death on Nov. 9, 2013.
Col. Matthew Myer, Fort Drum garrison commander, said a building memorialization reflects the qualities of the person receiving recognition.
“The really good NCOs know how to couple confidence with care of people,” he said. “When you combine those two things, you can’t help but have people who want to follow you. And that is what Command Sgt. Maj. Buxbaum was able to do for a long time.”
Having spoken with family members, Myer said he learned that Buxbaum always set the example for his Soldiers, and he created leaders who were once followers because he recognized their potential.
“I do feel that is what Command Sgt. Maj. Buxbaum did throughout his entire career,” he said. “When you put someone’s name on a building, it’s really a reminder of what we value. So, when we look at his plaque let us also be reminded about the NCO Corps and what it does for us. It’s that confidence and care of people.”
During the ceremony, Jo Ann Hall shared stories about her brother, describing him as a small-town kid from Wisconsin who was at times mischievous, but always creative.
“But all I know is that he only ever wanted to be a Soldier, a good husband and a good dad,” Hall said.
She recalled having to teach her brother how to create a spreadsheet using a computer for the first time.
“As a combat engineer, he wanted to know how much explosive he needed to blow up tree trunks, and he didn’t know how to make a spreadsheet on his Apple computer,” she said. “This was also the first time my brother and I became friends as an adult.”
Hall said that after her brother’s death, she heard stories from many of his colleagues and friends about the impact he made in their lives. It was something Buxbaum would never talk about himself, but she said those conversations with others provided her with a better understanding of her brother’s leadership.
“He was always at his best, and that made you want to be your best when you were around him,” she said. “He was solutions-oriented. Someone else said he cared about helping people grow and develop as a Soldier. He could relate to anyone up and down the chain of command, regardless of their rank or position.”
Katie Buxbaum unveiled the plaque honoring her father, alongside Gene Spencer, Fort Drum Directorate of Public Works Operations and Maintenance Division chief.
The Buxbaum Administrative Facility houses staff from the Directorate of Public Works, Directorate of Resource Management, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the 925th Contracting Battalion / Mission and Installation Contracting Command.
| Date Taken: | 10.18.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 10.18.2024 12:00 |
| Story ID: | 483429 |
| Location: | FORT DRUM, NEW YORK, US |
| Web Views: | 268 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Fort Drum officials memorialize building after Army Corps of Engineers leader, by Michael Strasser, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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