Army Scholarship Foundation Announces Scholarship Awards for 2011-2012 Academic Year

The Army Scholarship Foundation announced today the award of ten scholarships to children of United States Army soldiers and veterans and to spouses of active duty enlisted soldiers. Scholarships for the upcoming 2011-2012 academic year were awarded to deserving Army family members as follows:
Joseph Capparelli, head and shoulders

The Captain Jennifer Schafer Odom Memorial Scholarship was awarded to Mr. Joseph Capparelli, Jr of Williamstown, NY. Mr. Capparelli is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Capparelli of Williamstown. Mr. Capparelli served as a specialist during Desert Shield/Storm. He graduated from Altmar-Parish-Williamstown High School, and will major in Business Management at Hartwick College in Oneonta, NY.

Jennifer Shafer Odom grew up on a dairy farm in Knoxville, Maryland. After graduating first in her class at Brunswick High School, she entered the U.S. Military Academy and graduated as a member of the Class of 1992. She became an Army aviator and served tours of duty in both the United States and Europe, where she supported both the Kurdish refugee and Bosnia missions. While serving with the 204th Military Intelligence Battalion at Fort Bliss, Texas in 1999, her aircraft was reported missing while flying intelligence and counter drug missions over Columbia, South America. She and her crew were lost.

The Lieutenant Scott Love Memorial Scholarship was awarded to Mr. Trent Brock of Fort Campbell, KY. Mr. Brock is the son of Chief Warrant Officer Jonathan Brock who is assigned to the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment at Ft Campbell. Mr. Brock is currently a junior at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, KY who is majoring in broadcasting and performance arts.

First Lieutenant Scott Love was killed in action in 2006 while serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Scott Love was an ” Army brat” who was born at Fort Campbell, KY and graduated from high school in Huntsville, AL. He graduated from Florida State University in 1996 and enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1999 as a military intelligence specialist. In 2003, he attended Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, and was subsequently assigned as a platoon leader with 2nd Battalion, 6th Infantry stationed at Baumholder, Germany. His unit deployed to Kuwait in November 2005, with Scott’s platoon assigned to Task Force 1-35 Armor when he was killed at Ar Ramadi, Iraq.

The Sergeant Andrew Topham Memorial Scholarship was awarded to Ms. Zidisha Dambuza of Grovetown, Georgia. Ms. Dambuza is a sophomore at the University of Georgia studying Sociology and Fashion Merchandising. Her father is a single parent and widower, who retired from the Army as a First Sergeant in 2005.
<> Sergeant Andrew Topham grew up in Randolph, Massachusetts near Boston. He was a highly decorated soldier, awarded the Bronze Star for service in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. In addition he earned the Army Commendation Medal, Achievement Medal, Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon and the Overseas Ribbon.

The Major Clifford M. Collins Memorial Scholarship was awarded to Ms. Kimberly Cook of Coppell, TX. Kimberly is a senior at Austin College in Sherman, TX, with a dual major in Biology and History. Her parents are both deceased. Her father retired as a Sergeant Major.

Major Cliff Collins served for 20 years in the U.S. Air Force, flying B-29s in combat in the Korean War, and later flying F-105s during the Vietnam War. Upon retirement from the Air Force, he taught engineering at the University of Texas. He was a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and earned an MS in Aerospace Management from the University of Southern California. He passed away in 1996.

The Lieutenant General Jack Costello Memorial Scholarship was awarded to Ms. Victoria Inman of Vilseck, Germany. She is the daughter of Command Sergeant Major and Mrs. Jeremiah Inman. CSM Inman is assigned to the 1st Squadron, 2nd Stryker Regiment in Vilseck. He is a veteran of numerous combat deployments to the Middle East. Ms. Inman is a freshman at Furman University in Greenville, SC.

LTG Jack Costello was born in Pottsville, PA and was commissioned in the Army upon graduation from the Citadel. He served in the 82d Airborne Division and in Vietnam. He commanded the 2d Battalion, 59th Air Defense Artillery, the 35th ADA Brigade, 32d Army Air Defense Command in Germany, the ADA School and Fort Bliss, Texas, and the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command. Upon retirement, he joined the Raytheon Company where he led Network Centric Systems’ strategic planning and business development operations and the Raytheon’s Improvised Explosive Device Defeat efforts.

The Brigadier General Anson Schulz Memorial Scholarship was awarded to Paige Simonis of Janesville, Wisconsin. She is the daughter of First Sergeant and Mrs. Robert Simonis. 1SG Simonis is currently deployed with D Company, 1st Battalion, 147th Aviation Regiment in Iraq. Ms. Simonis will enter North Dakota State University as a freshman this fall.

Brigadier General Anson Schulz enlisted in the Army from Indiana and served for two years before being commissioned through Officer Candidate School. He deployed with the 8th Missile Battalion to Homestead AFB, FL during the Cuban Missile Crisis and subsequently served in Vietnam. During his career he was awarded the Bronze Star, Distinguished Service Medal, and Legion of Merit. Following his retirement as the Chief of Staff of the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization, he enjoyed a distinguished civilian business career with Northrop-Grumman, Quantum Research, and RAM Incorporated.

The KBR Honorary Scholarship was awarded to Mrs. Nichole Wilson of Traverse City, Michigan. She is the wife of Specialist Mathew Wilson who is assigned to Delta Company, 125th Infantry and is an Iraq veteran. She is a senior at Baker College of Cadillac in Cadillac, MI, majoring in Health Care Administration.

KBR is headquartered in Houston, Texas. KBR is a leading global engineering, construction, and services company supporting the government services, energy, petrochemicals, and civil infrastructure sectors. The company employs over 50,000 people worldwide in locations that include Australia, Africa, the UK, Asia and the Middle East. KBR has built a proud history and a leading market position in the government infrastructure (G&I) sector by being a low-cost, high-efficiency and absolutely reliable provider. Not only is KBR the largest contractor for the United States Army and a top-ten contractor for the U.S. Department of Defense, but it is also currently the world’s largest defense services provider.

The Hamilton Sundstrand Honorary Scholarship was awarded to Mrs. Melissa Contreras of Fort Polk, LA. Ms. Contreras is the wife of Sergeant Gerardo Contreras, who is assigned to 5th Battalion, 25th Field Artillery and is deployed in Afghanistan with Task Force Patriot of the 10th Mountain Division. Ms. Contreras is a sophomore at Central Texas College in Killeen, TX.

Hamilton Sundstrand, a United Technologies Corporation, employs over 18,000 people worldwide and is headquartered in Windsor Locks, CT. Among the world’s largest suppliers of technologically advanced aerospace and industrial products, the company designs, manufactures, and services aerospace systems and provides integrated system solutions for commercial, regional, corporate, and military aircraft. It also is a major supplier for international space programs. Hamilton Sundstrand is a strong supporter of Army Families and is proud to sponsor this annual scholarship for Army family members.

The BAE Systems Honorary Scholarship was awarded to Mr. Bradley Hernandez of Whitney, TX. His father retired from the Army as a Sergeant First Class. Mr. Hernandez is a junior majoring in Criminal Justice at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, TX.

BAE Systems is headquartered in Rockville, Maryland. The company provides support and service solutions for current and future defense, intelligence, and civilian systems, and designs, develops, and manufactures a wide range of electronic systems and subsystems for both military and commercial applications. BAE Systems also designs, develops, produces, and provides service support of armored combat vehicles, artillery systems, and intelligent munitions.

The Allied Associates International Honorary Scholarship was awarded to Mohammed U. Gilani of Charlotte, NC. He is the son of retired Sergeant First Class and Mrs. Syed Gilani. Mr. Gilani is a junior at the University of South Carolina, majoring in International Business.

Allied Associates International (A2I) is a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business providing professional engineering services and technology support to the Department of Defense, Homeland Security, and other supporting agencies. With offices in Virginia, Colorado, and Indiana as well as the United Kingdom, Allied Associates has a wide range of expertise in systems engineering, domestic and international acquisitions, technology and software development, testing and evaluation, and program management.

The Army Scholarship Foundation was founded in 2001 by concerned Army veterans who desired to continue their service to the Nation and to support and assist families of Army soldiers. The Army Scholarship Foundation provides scholarships to deserving sons and daughters of U.S. Army soldiers and Army veterans, as well as to spouses of serving active duty enlisted soldiers. The Foundation is sustained by the generous donations of its supporters. Tax deductible donations can be sent to the Army Scholarship Foundation, 11700 Preston Road, Suite 660-301, Dallas, Texas 75230.

No Comments

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.