"Duty," "Honor," "Country" - those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you want to be, what you can be, what you will be. They are your rallying point to build courage when courage seems to fail, to regain faith when there seems to be little cause for faith, to create hope when hope becomes forlorn.

- Gen. Douglas MacArthur

Capt. Richard E. Wood is the recipient of the prestigious General Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award for 2009 to represent the Medical Command.

Every year, the General Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award recognizes Company grade officers who demonstrate the ideals for which General MacArthur Stood ? Duty, Honor, Country ? and promotes and sustains effective junior officer leadership in the Army. A total of 28 officers are selected each year for the award. Each candidate must be nominated by his/her major command to compete against other Active Army nominees on the HQ DA selection board. For 2009, Wood, chief of Supply Operation at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, was nominated by U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command to compete at the MEDCOM board, and was selected as the winner of this prestigious award. The selection criteria was based on overall leadership performance during 2009 with distinct factors to include Leadership, Influence, Proficiency, Values, Team-Building, and Personal Skills. In addition to meeting the criterion, Wood also received letter of endorsement from both Brig. Gen. Keith Gallagher, commander or the U.S. Army Europe Regional Medical Command, as well as Maj. Gen. James Gilman, the commander of MRMC.

Wood's most significant accomplishment and contribution in 2009 was serving at the 44th MEDCOM, Fort Bragg as a premier medical logistician while deployed to support OEF/OIF in Iraq. He significantly innovated and streamlined the medical logistics policies and procedures to an unprecedented level of excellence in the Iraqi Theater of Operations, maintaining command and control of his team despite their multiple missions at myriad locations throughout the combat zone. He was instrumental in supporting the theater wide distribution of over $12 million worth of HEMCON bandages, $1.5 million worth of Warrior Aid Litter Kits, and over 55,000 units of life-saving blood products. Simply put, Wood's contribution to the mission in Iraq unquestionably saved many lives. Upon return from his deployment, Wood continued to excel by taking on the mission to establish and activate the first and only Medical Logistics Support Company in the Army, which involved coordinating the lateral transfer and accountability of millions of dollars of property and multiple personnel transactions. Wood's dedication and commitment to excellence resulted in one of the most successful transitions in the Medical Command.

Wood currently serves and excels as both chief of Supply Operations in Logistics Division and as the Detachment commander at WRAIR. He has also been selected to serve as the Chief of Staff at U.S. Army Medical Research Unit ? Kenya in the fall of 2010. CPT Wood represents the epitome of professionalism and competence of the AMEDD junior officer. And he represents the future of AMEDD and he stands for Duty, Honor, Country.

As the recipient of General MacArthur Leadership Award, Wood will be recognized at the award ceremony at the Pentagon May 5-6, where he will officially receive the award from the Chief of Staff, Army and the General Douglas MacArthur Foundation. Wood will also have his father, Richard Wood, Sr., who will be present at the ceremony.