Transatlantic Division employee E. Scott Lowdermilk retired from both federal civil service and the U.S. Army Reserves on Aug. 2, 2019, during a dual-retirement ceremony that took place on the campus of Shenandoah University in Winchester, Virginia, in front of a crowd of more than 250 of his colleagues, peers and friends. In addition to the event celebrating both a military and civilian retirement, it was unique in that two Army Major Generals hosted the event: Maj. Gen. Donald Jackson, Deputy Inspector General of the United States Army Inspector General Agency, oversaw Lowdermilk's civil service retirement and Maj. Gen. Robert Carlson, Senior Military Advisor to the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, oversaw the military retirement.
Having two general officers host the event was a testament to Lowdermilk's 38-year career, which began in January 1982 when he joined the U.S. Air Force, initially serving as a C-5 flight simulator technician. Later, he retrained and became a Survival Evasion Resistance and Escape (SERE) instructor, a position he held for the last seven years of his Air Force career.
"I really enjoyed both jobs I had in the Air Force," Lowdermilk said. “Becoming a SERE instructor was not only challenging, it was very rewarding. We were entrusted with the care and training of all Air Force Air Crew members. Knowing that what we taught them could mean the difference of them surviving or not in a real world situation was an awesome responsibility."
Lowdermilk left active duty in 1991 and joined the Army Reserves and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers concurrently. Upon entering the reserves he started officer candidate school and was commissioned a 2nd lieutenant in the Infantry. He later branch-transferred into the Engineer Corps and continued to serve in the Army reserves and USACE throughout the rest of his career, culminating in his final two positions at TAD.
In his civilian capacity, Lowdermilk served as the TAD Plans and Operations Chief (G3) for the last 10 years. In his Reserve capacity he served as the TAD Deputy Commander (Forward) for the past three years, where he made significant and lasting contributions to the Engineer Regiment throughout his USACE and Reserve careers. He deployed as a civilian to Operation Vigilant Warrior in Saudi Arabia, Operation Uphold Democracy in Haiti, Operation Joint Endeavor in Bosnia, Croatia and Hungary, Operation Joint Guardian in Kosovo, Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq, and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.
His military deployments included tours to Iraq for Operation Iraqi Freedom where he served as a District S3 at COB Speicher, and Afghanistan for Operation Enduring Freedom where he served as an Area Office OIC at Bagram Airfield and later as the Theater Engineer's Chief of Staff.
"Serving in both Iraq and Afghanistan were great opportunities where I learned a lot." he said. "I worked with some great folks who became like family to me. I am still in touch with many of the folks I deployed with. While it was hard to be away from my own family, I felt like I was gaining an extended family during each deployment."
Lowdermilk received numerous civilian and military awards and honors throughout his long and distinguished career, including the Bronze Order of the de Fleury Medal, the Meritorious Civilian Service Medal, several Superior Civilian Service Medals, Commander's Awards and Civilian Achievement Medals, the 2008 USACE Military Responder of the Year Award, the Bronze Star, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, and several Meritorious Service and Commendation Medals.
During the military retirement portion of the event, he added one of the highest awards a member of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers can receive – the Army Engineer Association's Silver Order of the de Fleury Medal.
The de Fleury Medal, presented to Lowdermilk by both Jackson and Carlson, is a symbol of leadership and devotion to the engineering career field presented by the U.S. Army Engineer Association, to only a few Soldiers every year. The de Fleury Medal, was named in honor of François-Louis Teissèdre de Fleury, a French Engineer in the Continental Army.
"It was an absolute pleasure and honor to serve with so many great professionals throughout my career. I consider serving our great Nation to be a privilege and would gladly do it again," Lowdermilk said. "I will miss working with so many great folks but they say you'll know when it is time to go. It was time for me to go. I plan to travel with my wife and get back into some of my old hobbies such as auto restoration, diving and all things outdoors. I consider myself very fortunate to have served with so many great folks over the years. I wish all of you Godspeed and God's blessings."