William F. Atwater | |
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Born | William Felix Atwater November 12, 1945 |
Nationality | American |
Alma mater |
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Occupation(s) | Military technology expert, author, museum curator, tv personality |
Awards | Outstanding Civilian Service Award Commander's Award for Public Service |
Military career | |
Allegiance | United States |
Service/ | United States Marine Corps |
Rank | Captain |
Unit | 1st Battalion, 7th Marines |
Battles/wars | Vietnam War |
Awards |
William Felix "Jack" Atwater (born November 12, 1945) [1] is an author and former Director of the United States Army Ordnance Museum in Aberdeen, Maryland, United States. Atwater is also a frequent guest contributor to a variety of television programs that draw on his expertise in military weaponry.
Atwater graduated from Berea College in Berea, Kentucky, in 1968 and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and political science. Following a decade of service in the U.S. military, he attended Duke University where he was awarded a Master of Arts in Military History in 1984 and a Ph.D in military history in 1985. [1]
Upon graduation from Berea College, Atwater was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Marines. He commanded a rifle platoon and later a company in the 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, during the Vietnam War where he received the Purple Heart, a Navy Commendation Medal, and a Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. In a 2007 interview with the television documentary Weaponology , he recounted how his company were trapped in a "hot" LZ until rescued by a flight of AH-1 Cobra gunships. [2] Promoted to captain, he served all over the world [ vague ][ where? ] in various assignments and attended numerous military schools during a ten-year career in the Marine Corps. In 1985, after earning his Doctorate from Duke, William Atwater assumed the directorship of the 101st Airborne/Air Assault Divisional Museum at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, a position he held until 1989. [1] From 1989 to November, 2007, he served as Director of the United States Army Ordnance Museum, then located at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland. [1] While Director at the Ordnance Museum he was instrumental in the refurbishment and rebuilding of large artifacts like tanks and artillery to meet EPA standards, and the construction of a climate-controlled warehouse to store the museum's collection of small arms. [1] In addition to his work for the museum, William Atwater was often called upon as a guest lecturer and speaker at West Point Military Academy, the Defense Intelligence College, National Security Agency, and the Central Intelligence Agency. [1]
Atwater has served as a contributor to several books, including the Oxford Companion to American Military History (2000) on the topic of grenades, mortars, and land mines. [3] He also served as a technical advisor for the book Black Hawk Down. [4] Atwater has appeared as a firearms and ordnance expert in many documentaries regarding military history on such television channels as The History Channel, TLC, Discovery Channel, and The Military Channel. One of Atwater's recent projects is preserving some of the last remaining historic military assets in the world. Atwater said of the Ordnance Museum Foundation that "It is our moral and legal responsibility to preserve military assets". [5]
In addition to his previously noted military honors, Atwater’s civilian awards include:
Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) is a U.S. Army facility located adjacent to Aberdeen, Harford County, Maryland, United States. More than 7,500 civilians and 5,000 military personnel work at APG. There are 11 major commands among the tenant units, including:
The United States Army's Officer Candidate School (OCS) is an officer candidate school located at Fort Moore, Georgia, that trains, assesses, and evaluates potential commissioned officers of the U.S. Army, U.S. Army Reserve, and Army National Guard. Officer candidates are former enlisted members, warrant officers, inter-service transfers, or civilian college graduates who enlist for the "OCS Option" after they complete Basic Combat Training (BCT). The latter are often referred to as college ops.
The Meritorious Public Service Medal formerly the Outstanding Civilian Service Award is the third highest honor within the public service awards scheme of the Department of the Army that can be awarded to a private citizen.
The Royal Army Ordnance Corps (RAOC) was a corps of the British Army. At its renaming as a Royal Corps in 1918 it was both a supply and repair corps. In the supply area it had responsibility for weapons, armoured vehicles and other military equipment, ammunition and clothing and certain minor functions such as laundry, mobile baths and photography. The RAOC was also responsible for a major element of the repair of Army equipment. In 1942 the latter function was transferred to the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) and the vehicle storage and spares responsibilities of the Royal Army Service Corps were in turn passed over to the RAOC. The RAOC retained repair responsibilities for ammunition, clothing and certain ranges of general stores. In 1964 the McLeod Reorganisation of Army Logistics resulted in the RAOC absorbing petroleum, rations and accommodation stores functions from the Royal Army Service Corps as well as the Army Fire Service, barrack services, sponsorship of NAAFI (EFI) and the management of staff clerks from the same Corps. On 5 April 1993, the RAOC was one of the corps that amalgamated to form The Royal Logistic Corps (RLC).
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The United States Army Ordnance Corps, formerly the United States Army Ordnance Department, is a sustainment branch of the United States Army, headquartered at Fort Gregg-Adams, Virginia. The broad mission of the Ordnance Corps is to supply Army combat units with weapons and ammunition, including at times their procurement and maintenance. Along with the Quartermaster Corps and Transportation Corps, it forms a critical component of the U.S. Army logistics system.
Kevin Dockery is an American fiction and nonfiction author and military historian. He is best known for his work detailing the history and weapons of the Navy SEALs. He served in the US Army on the President's Guard, and as an armorer. Since retiring from the Army, he has worked as a curator for the SEAL Museum in Fort Pierce, Florida, an historian, a game designer and as a lecturer. He has written 37 books, appeared in a number of television documentaries and served as technical advisor for several motion pictures.
Rebecca Stevens "Becky" Halstead is a former United States Army officer and the first female graduate of West Point to become a general officer. She was the 34th Chief of Ordnance and Commandant of the United States Army Ordnance Center and Schools at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland.
Levin Hicks Campbell Jr. was a lieutenant general in the United States Army. He was the 16th Chief of Ordnance for the U.S. Army Ordnance Corps.
William Atwater may refer to:
The Chief of Ordnance of the United States Army is a general officer who is responsible for the Army Ordnance Corps and serves as the Commandant of the U.S. Army Ordnance School at Fort Lee, Virginia. The Chief of Ordnance is primarily focused on the doctrine, training, and professional development of Ordnance officers and soldiers. The position was created simultaneously with the establishment of the Army Ordnance Department on May 14, 1812.
Major General William Estel Potts was a career officer in the United States Army and served as the 22nd Chief of Ordnance for the United States Army Ordnance Corps.
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Herman Nickerson Jr. was a highly decorated officer of the United States Marine Corps with the rank of lieutenant general. A veteran of several wars, he distinguished himself during the Korean War as commanding officer, 7th Marine Regiment and received the Distinguished Service Cross, the second highest military award that can be given to a member of the United States Armed Forces for extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force.
The SS Berea Victory (MCV-734) was a type VC2-S-AP2 Victory-class cargo ship built for the United States during World War II. The ship was built as part of the Emergency Shipbuilding program by Permanente Metals Corporation in Yard 2 of the Richmond Shipyards in Richmond, California. Launched on 3 March 1945, the Berea Victory delivered supplies for the Pacific War.