A two-part celebration was held on West Fort Hood Aug. 18 as Soldiers and civilians at U.S. Army Operational Test Command welcomed home members of Army Test and Evaluation Command Forward Operational Assessment Team XVI and inducted a new member, Harold Dean Horton, into the OTC Hall of Fame.

The event began as 13 Soldiers and four Department of the Army civilians were honored for their service, conducting tests and assessments on weapons and systems deployed in theater. Awards ranged from Bronze Star Medals to Superior Civilian Service Awards for the work performed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“To the members of Forward Operational Assessment Team 16, job well done,” Col. Laura Richardson, OTC commander, said at the event. She noted once all the paperwork is done, FOA Team XVI will have conducted 20 system assessments on different pieces of equipment, vital to the warfighter.

She said that the senior leadership of the Army relies on the tests performed by groups of operational testers.

“When you deployed several months ago, you set out to be the eyes and ears of the Army, independently assessing equipment,” she added.

In addition to the awards recognizing the work of the team, Richardson awarded a Purple Heart Medal to Chief Warrant Officer 3 William Jarrett.

“The Purple Heart Medal is not something that Soldiers want to receive, but it is an honor,” Richardson said in her remarks.

Jarrett, a test officer at the Intelligence Electronic Warfare Test Directorate at Fort Huachuca, Ariz., was preparing to collect data from a remote forward operating base in Afghanistan when he was injured July 5. The vehicle he was in hit an improvised explosive device, and in the evacuation from the truck, Jarrett broke both bones in his lower left leg.

“The doctors have assured me in 28 weeks I should be able to walk – and run – just fine,” he joked after the ceremony.

He said despite his injury, he was honored to take part on the FOA team and noted the important work team members do.

“The testing we do ensures that our Soldiers have the proper tools to do their jobs,” he said. “I thought I’d be crunching more numbers then going out as often as we did. It was very interesting. It was a lot of fun, but as is obvious, things happen.”

He said the ceremony at OTC was a reunion of sorts, with team members from different installations attending.

Colonel Laura Richardson, OTC commander, and Harold Dean Horton unveil his Hall of Fame plaque at the Aug. 18 ceremony as his wife, Iris, looks on.  Rachel Parks, Sentinel Staff

“It’s great to see everybody again,” Jarrett said. “This was my first chance to see the rest of the FOA team since I got (medically evacuated).”

He added that he was humbled by the recognition and the fanfare at the ceremony. “I just did what everyone else did,” he said.

After the awards were handed out and the FOA team members were recognized, the Hall of Fame plaque unveiling took place.

Harold Dean Horton, a retired Soldier and DA civilian was honored for decades of service in the operational testing field.

Horton is the 32nd inductee in the Hall of Fame, and he traveled to the Great Place from Fort Bragg, N.C., with his extended Family.

During his remarks, Horton paid homage to the troops and highlighted the serious responsibilities operational testers have to U.S. service members.

“Never forget, the ultimate customer of our product is the individual Soldier,” he said. “Our heroes are our active-duty Soldiers. You deserve the best our system can develop and operational testers put the best there is to offer in your hands.”

Horton spoke of his emotions and pride after the ceremony.

“It’s something I absolutely never expected or ever even thought something like this would happen,” he said.