CITATION 

The West Point Society of the District of Columbia
2003 Distinguished Member Award
is presented to
Lieutenant Colonel Gray Moore Gildner, USA (Ret)
USMA Class of 1978

A 2003 West Point Society of the District of Columbia Distinguished Member Award is presented to Gray Moore Gildner for his exemplary service to West Point, the West Point Society of D.C., his class, and all West Point graduates.  Colonel Gildner has exemplified the motto “Duty, Honor, Country” through distinguished and dedicated service as a member of the West Point Society of D.C. Board of Governors since 1994, as Deputy Regimental Commander with the 3d US Infantry (The Old Guard) working as Chairman of the D.C. Founders Day Committee, and as a stalwart representative of his class while serving on the Board of Governors even after retirement from active duty in 1995.

Colonel Gildner joined the West Point Society of D.C. while still on active duty with “The Old Guard” at Fort Myer, Virginia.  He actively promoted membership in the Society among graduates assigned to the 3d Infantry Division.  In 1995, he assumed chairmanship of the Society Founders Day Committee and in that capacity established a solid foundation of procedures and protocol that for years assured the successful celebration of Founders Day in the Greater D.C. area.

 After retiring from active military duty, Colonel Gildner continued to serve as Chairman of this committee from 1996 until 2002.  His coordination and supervision of all West Point Society of D.C. Founders Day activities involved meticulous planning and continuous efforts, beginning immediately following each Founders Day with arrangements for the hotel for the following year and increasing in intensity as the next year’s event drew nearer. He coordinated military entertainment support, Old Guard officer and equipment support, and Color Guard support.  He set into motion and coordinated all aspects of VIP participation from West Point, including local accommodations and transportation and multimedia requirements, and supervised the photographic arrangements for class pictures.  Through his astute and exceptional innovation of implementing cost reduction for the USMA younger classes, a dramatic increase in their attendance at Founders Day was realized.  He organized and presided over the flawless table assignments of usually around 600 attendees, then the smooth reception of individuals as they arrived, in themselves tasks of gargantuan proportion.  He prepared all speeches and scripts for the event’s Master of Ceremonies and formalized the entire process by providing a Founders Day “brain” or “cook” book.  As a result of Colonel Gildner’s outstanding initiatives and “hands-on” involvement, attendance at Founders Day celebrations increased steadily over the years.

Among his additional special accomplishments, Colonel Gildner chaired the development of the West Point Society of D.C. award program.  He also laid the groundwork with the Military District of Washington for the first trip in connection with the Twilight Tattoo Program.  Throughout his tenure on the Board of Governors, Colonel Gildner contributed immeasurably to the Society’s activities and enabled it to be heralded without equal among societies worldwide for Founders Day celebrations.

In all of these activities Colonel Gildner has displayed the outstanding qualities of character, distinguished service, leadership and stature that reflect the West Point motto, “Duty, Honor, Country,” while making major and significant contributions to our Society, his class, the Association of Graduates, and all graduates of the United States Military Academy.  It is fitting, therefore, that the West Point Society of D.C. award Lieutenant Colonel Gray Moore Gildner, US Army (Ret.), USMA Class of 1978, a Distinguished Member Award for 2003.