Mr. John Cox, a Virginia Tech graduate, and 13-year employee of NSWC IHEDOTD with the Systems Engineering Department, was honored with the Dr. George W. Patterson Award for Outstanding Accomplishment
Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technology Division (NSWC IHEODTD) recognized top individuals and teams who contributed substantially to the command’s mission success. The annual Honorary Awards ceremony was conducted recently at Indian Head, Maryland.
Mr. John Cox, a Virginia Tech graduate, and 13-year employee of NSWC IHEDOTD with the Systems Engineering Department, was honored with the Dr. George W. Patterson Award for Outstanding Accomplishment, who is remembered for his outstanding work during his 41-year tenure, including noted achievements of developing smokeless and flashless gun powders.
The La Plata, Md. native was recognized for consistent on-time delivery and thorough, timely reporting as evidenced in the rapid growth in NSWC IHEODTD’s exploitation revenue stream. The work executed on these programs was the first of its kind for the Systems Engineering Department and provides highly valuable information to the warfighter when assessing threats faced by U.S. armed forces. This successful delivery spawned another fuze exploitation effort, which is expected to further solidify NSWC IHEODTD’s position as a key contributor.
“It’s a tremendous honor to be recognized for the work being accomplished within our group”, said Cox. This is a new realm within the fuze group’s work execution that has grown significantly in the past 3 years. We are eager to continue executing in the area of fuze testing to help better understand threats worldwide.”
“The successful products that come out of this command don’t happen by accident,” said NSWC IHEODTD Commanding Officer Scott Kraft. “They occur from a deep sense of commitment, diligence and attention to what’s important.” Kraft acknowledged the employees’ dedication to the mission and thanked them for their exemplary service.
“What I enjoy most about my job is that it offers me the ability to participate in all aspects of the engineering process from concept generation to final demonstration. Witnessing a newly designed fuze system successfully function within a weapon as part of full-scale demonstration test is extremely rewarding,” Cox added.
NSWC IHEODTD Technical Director Ashley Johnson also congratulated the winners on their successes and expressed his gratitude for their contributions to the command’s strategic mission.
“The men and women recognized here today are noted for their innovation, keeping the workforce safe, saving resources for the Navy, and for their commitment and dedication to the Nation’s warfighters,” said Johnson. “The power and success of NSWC IHEODTD is our people — the Navy depends on us to fly farther, hit harder, and save lives.”
“I enjoy the diverse nature of the Navy’s work force. One day I may be in meetings with engineers talking technical design details while the next day I may be in a room with former active-duty SEALs to determine their needs based on current world events. I also enjoy learning from senior personnel who have served in similar capacity to my current role within the fuze group. Typically there are programs that have been executed in years past that will have similarities to issues being worked on today’s programs. Knowledge transfer from senior personnel is an invaluable piece of the puzzle that we emphasize to ensure we aren’t reinventing the wheel each time a similar need arises within the Navy,” according to Cox.
September 2017 will mark the 126th anniversary of the command and now Cox, becomes a part of the rich history of continuing technical excellence.
By Navy Office of Community Outreach
Mr. John Cox, a Virginia Tech graduate, and 13-year employee of NSWC IHEDOTD with the Systems Engineering Department, was honored with the Dr. George W. Patterson Award for Outstanding Accomplishment
