Page 20 - FCA Diamond Point Sept 24_Edits

FROM THE FIELD

US Army Financial Management Command

(USAFMCOM) Corner (Cont’d)

The Towson was established by the U.S. Army Finance Corps Association on May 7, 1993, to
recognize exceptional achievement or exemplary service by currently serving U.S. Army finance
and comptroller commissioned officers, non-commissioned officers, enlisted Soldiers and civilians
demonstrating exceptional leadership and whose accomplishments clearly distinguish them from
their peers.

The Towson Medallion was first awarded to then Sgt. 1st Class Scott Brady in 1993 and is given in
honor of Towson, a career Soldier who fought in the war of 1812 as an artillery officer and served
twice as the Army’s paymaster general from 1819 to 1854.

It was Towson who shaped the Army’s Financial Department by having paymaster assume
responsibility for U.S. troops on an area basis, which met the Army’s needs throughout the 20th
Century. His new systems and strict standards of accountability brought costs down and reduced
losses to one-fifth of one percent.

It’s in the light of that legacy of excellence and innovation that Pierce and Vinson were awarded.

“Colonel Pierce stands as one of the most technically and tactically proficient financial managers
in our Army, exhibiting exceptional leadership, coaching and mentoring skills that have
significantly contributed to the development of financial managers within our ranks,” said
Command Sgt. Maj. Stephanie L. Ellis, 3rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command senior enlisted
advisor, who nominated the colonel.

For Ellis, she got to see that leadership in action while serving with Pierce at the 18th Finance
Support Center in Kuwait.

“Under his leadership, the 18th [FISC] achieved a historic milestone by executing the first-ever U.S.
currency withdrawal from the National Bank of Kuwait,” she elaborated. “[He] enhanced
operational effectiveness across the theater, notably through the development of comprehensive
pay and entitlements benefits-by-country products and the implementation of the U.S. Debit Card
Program [that] not only improved financial security but also directly contributed to mission
success and risk reduction.”

Like Pierce, Vinson was awarded for a career of living out the Finance Corps’ motto, “to support
and serve.”

of regulatory guidance and doctrine with his highly successful operational experience to
improve the performance of the finance and comptroller Soldiers is truly second to none,”
elaborated Penn. “Mr. Vinson was responsible for the training and assessment of more
than 2,000 finance and comptroller Soldiers and leaders from more than 70 units during
his time with the OST.”

Those efforts went far beyond just the training, rippling across the Army with operational
impacts around the globe.

“He directly contributed to successful mission accomplishment for nearly every finance
unit in the Army inventory that was deployed in support of combat and contingency
operations around the world,” explained Penn. “His ability to think on a strategic level
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while remaining focused on the operational impact served the Finance Corps exceptionally
well.”