Chief Warrant Officer 5
Harold L. DeBerry

CW5 Harold L. DeBerry, born in Jackson, Tennessee, on 28 June 1949, enlisted in the Army in 1968. A 13-year enlisted career followed, with DeBerry serving in positions of increasing responsibility as Power Generator Repairman, Foreman, Section Chief, and Maintenance Sergeant in the United States, Korea, South Vietnam, and Germany. In 1981, Sergeant First Class DeBerry received his Warrant Officer appointment.

His first Warrant Officer assignment, from 1982 to 1983, was as an Engineer Equipment Maintenance Technician in the 649th Engineer Battalion (Topographic), Swetzingen, Germany. He organized the battalion's first Engineer Equipment Maintenance Section and implemented an equipment operator training program. Remaining in Germany, DeBerry was next assigned as an Engineer Equipment Technician for B Company, 79th Engineer Battalion (Combat Heavy) in Karlsruhe, where he deployed his maintenance section to Grafenwoehr Training Area for 15 months in support of a major upgrade to the tank gunnery ranges.

He returned to the United States to serve from 1985 to 1988 as a Maintenance Technician for the 6th Air Defense Artillery Brigade (Patriot), US Air Defense Artillery School, Fort Bliss, Texas. He then returned to Germany as a Maintenance Support Team Chief, 586th Maintenance Company, 2d Support Command (SUPCOM), Ludwigsburg, with a follow-on assignment in late 1988 as Logistics Readiness Technician, then Chief of the Maintenance Branch, 2d SUPCOM, Nelligen Barracks. He deployed with the 2d SUPCOM for Operation DESERT STORM, ensuring a 90 percent equipment readiness rate under the harshest conditions.

In 1991, DeBerry was assigned to the 73d Engineer Company (Assault Float Bridge), 864th Engineer Battalion (Heavy), Fort Lewis, Washington, as Engineer Equipment Repair Technician, where he maintained a 90 percent readiness rate on equipment valued at $9.5 million. In 1992, he stepped up to serve as the Battalion Maintenance Technician, achieving a 94 percent readiness rate on $13.3 million worth of complex, diverse equipment.

In 1997, DeBerry returned to Germany as Engineer Equipment Maintenance Technician for the 317th Maintenance Company, 71st Corps Support Battalion in Bamberg. His many duties included maintaining $6.7 million of Operation Readiness Float (ORF) equipment recognized as "the best in US Army Europe" by the V Corps Inspector General.

In 1998, he joined the 7th Corps Support Group in Bamberg as Support Operations Maintenance Technician. Supporting 160 customers, he instituted a maintenance improvement program that reduced the repair backlog by 50 percent. He next moved to Hanau, Germany, in 2000 to serve as Maintenance Technician for the 130th Engineer Brigade, containing 1,300 major pieces of equipment. He deployed with the brigade for Operation IRAQI FREEDOM, where he initiated an $8.7 million Blanket Purchase Agreement with Caterpillar, Inc., to procure critical repair parts for engineer equipment.

In 2003, DeBerry reported to the US Army Ordnance Center and Schools, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, to serve as Chief of the Warrant Officer Professional Development Division. In 2005, he was selected by the Chief of Ordnance to be the fifth Ordnance Regimental Chief Warrant Officer. He managed programs affecting the professional development, assignment, recruitment, and retention of 3,000 Ordnance warrant officers. CW5 Harold DeBerry retired in 2008 after more than 40 years of distinguished, continuous active duty service.