The audience wouldn’t sit down. People filed into the room, finding their seats, but remained standing in honor of the man whose picture appeared on the screens in front of them.

Maj. Henry S. N. Ofeciar, a graduate of the Whitman School of Management’s defense comptrollership program (DCP), died in Afghanistan in August 2007. This was the first presentation of the Major Henry S. N. Ofeciar Award for Leadership; an annual award established this year in his honor.

Col. David Berg, director of Army and Executive Education programs and the DCP class, walked in and had to convince the audience to sit down before the ceremony began.

The DCP program at Whitman is one-of-a-kind, Berg said. It is the only program in the nation that provides a specific, intensive course to train government employees as effective money managers.

‘This is the capstone course, the brass ring,’ said David Vandevander, a member of the DCP class of ’08. ‘I’ve always wanted to attend this course, and finally, the time was right. It was a big move – we gave up a lot to attend this course. But we did it because it’s the pinnacle of what a defense comptroller hopes to obtain.’

Berg established the award in Ofeciar’s honor, to be given to a DCP student that exemplifies leadership, selfless service and support to the Whitman school. The award is given halfway through the 14-month program to a student selected by the other members of his class.

DCP students complete 60 hours of coursework and receive an MBA from Whitman, as well as an Executive Master’s of Public Administration from the Maxwell School. The class features a mix of government employees – either civilians or members of the armed forces.

Victor Castillo was selected as the first recipient of the award in a vote by the 29 students in the DCP class of 2008.

‘I’m humbled and honored by his legacy,’ he said.

During a rare break in his classes, Castillo explained his motivations for becoming a government employee.

‘I lost a couple of friends of mine during the Vietnam War, and I wanted to dedicate a portion of my life to government service,’ Castillo said. ‘That inspiration I passed onto my son, and right now my son is somewhere in the theater. I’m very proud of him, he’s serving his country.’

Berg, now director, has had considerable experience with Whitman’s DCP program in the past. He is a graduate of the class of 1977 and has been the director since 1995. He spoke about the program’s other recent losses.

‘There was another officer killed earlier in Afghanistan,’ he said. ‘He had been an earlier graduate of the program back in the late 80s. There were two civilians, graduates of the program, who were killed in the Pentagon, on 9/11, when the airplane crashed into the Pentagon. So to my knowledge, Hank is the fourth graduate of the program to be killed since 9/11. We have an award to honor the two killed in the Pentagon.’

The graduates killed on Sept. 11 were David Laychak and Rhonda Rasmussen, both from the class of 1992. The award in their name is given at the end of the program in August.

Berg said honoring fallen classmates with awards in their names has been a recent idea.

‘There is another award, but that is for a student who died while they were in the class,’ he said. ‘There aren’t earlier ones, and there are obviously are graduates who were killed in Vietnam and other activities, but there haven’t been awards named after them.’

Rick Armstrong, a member of the current DCP class, described one way in which the course, which began in 1952, continues to expand its grasp.

‘I’m actually the first Coast Guard to be sent here to the DCP,’ he said. ‘It’s a growing relationship between the Coast Guard, the Army and Syracuse. I’m the first guinea pig to go through the program, and we have a guy slated to follow me next year.’

Armstrong will likely go to the budget headquarters for the Coast Guard in Washington, D.C. once he graduates

The students spoke very highly of Castillo.

‘I met Victor here, and I believe that he exemplifies all the qualities of a leader, and he’s very deserving,’ said classmate Cheryl Partee.

Armstrong described Castillo as a father figure to his classmates. ‘He’s a little older than most of us, and he just looks out for everyone and takes care of everyone. He goes above and beyond what the normal student takes care of in the class.’

Castillo credits the connection between the students to the common task they have ahead of them.

‘Coming from different backgrounds and diverse cultures and different parts of the country, we get to meet here first,’ he said. ‘In a couple of months or so, seeing the challenge ahead of us, you can start seeing the bonding that goes on between students. Everybody falls back on their classmates whenever they need assistance.’

Castillo was working at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico on Sept. 11 when a significant amount of financial records were destroyed, right before the end of the fiscal year. After the attacks, he was chosen to go to the Pentagon to help reconstruct the records.

At the ceremony the audience heard from people who knew Ofeciar. Maj. Kathleen Neumann, a classmate, Lt. Gen David Melcher, who worked with Ofeciar, Whitman Dean Melvin Stith and Berg all paid their respects, and congratulated Castillo.

When Castillo gave his acceptance speech, he spoke about his debt to his country, his classmates and Ofeciar.

‘I will forever be mindful of the example that Maj. Ofeciar has provided me.’

He then thanked Ofeciar’s wife for a gift she had given him before the ceremony.

‘I am honored for the gift you gave me, and I will show my classmates.’

He held up Ofeciar’s dog tags, and said, ‘And I will forever hold them in my heart.’

The audience stood again, applauding.

esmeyers@syr.edu

Published on February 6, 2008 at 12:00 pm