Press Release

Defense Intelligence Agency recognizes Brevard County Civilian-Military Community Relations Council Volunteers

Washington D.C. - November 4, 2008

Twenty-one members from the Brevard County Civilian-Military Community Relations Council were recently honored at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. for their years of support to the Defense Intelligence Agency’s Joint Military Attaché School. DIA Director Lt. Gen. Michael Maples presented each recipient with a certificate of appreciation at the 30th anniversary celebration of Dragon Warrior, the capstone exercise of a 13-week training program that prepares future defense attachés for posts in more than 130 embassies worldwide. The group also received the DIA Public Service Award.

Honorees include:

• Dave Spain
• Sandy Sanderson
• Jerry Allender
• John Anderson
• Chris Bailey
• Bill Bancroft
• Lee Barnhart
• Mel Broom
• Bill Ellis
• John Hesterman
• Walter Holloway
• Bill Hoskinson
• Keith Houston
• George Lewis
• Jim Marshall
• Charlie Roberts
• Robi Roberts
• Dixie Sansom
• Jerry Sansom
• Tom Wasdin
• Paul Zima

At the ceremony, in recognition of his 30 years of support to Dragon Warrior, Brevard County Civilian-Military Community Relations Council Foundation Chairman Dave Spain also received The Office of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service. This award is the Office of the Secretary of Defense’s highest level public service award. The award was established to recognize non-career federal employees, private citizens and foreign nationals for their contribution, assistance or support of activities for the U.S. Armed Services.

The Brevard County Civilian-Military Community Relations Council sponsors the Dragon Warrior exercises that simulate realistic settings where attachés can apply the skills they’ve acquired.

Students conduct themselves as if they are visiting a foreign country and are placed in a variety of situations they might encounter in the field, including customs, dinners and receptions, official visits, foreign news interviews and law enforcement scenarios.

DIA is the nation’s premier all-source military intelligence organization.

It provides the nation’s most authoritative assessments of foreign military intentions and capabilities. The agency’s four core competencies -- human intelligence, all-source analysis, counterintelligence and technical intelligence -- enable military operations while also informing policy-makers at the defense and national levels.

DIA’s mission is unique and no other agency matches its military expertise across such a broad range of intelligence disciplines.