Mr. Robert M. Vachon

Robert M. Vachon was born October 5, 1954, in Manchester, New Hampshire. He entered the Army in 1973, completed basic and advanced individual training at Fort Dix, New Jersey. In 1976, Vachon was assigned as the Motor Sergeant with the 1st Battalion 73rd Field Artillery, Fort Bragg, North Carolina until his selection to the 1st Ordnance Warrant Officer Candidate Course at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Maryland in February 1983. Vachon was selected as the 1st Candidate Company Commander and graduated from the Warrant Officer Candidate Course on September 14, 1983.

Over the next 20 years as a warrant officer with multiple assignments in Germany and the U.S., Vachon participated in Operation Restore Hope in Somalia in 1992, Operation Uphold Democracy in Haiti in 1994, Operation Joint Endeavor and Operation Joint Guard in Bosnia in 1996 and 1997. CW5 Vachon culminated his career as the 3rd Army Coalition Forces Land Component Command (CFLCC) C4 Automotive Maintenance Readiness Officer responsible for maintaining high operational readiness rates within U.S. Central command during the ground phase of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. During this period, he worked closely with the CFLCC C4 cell in identifying the necessary repair parts for ground equipment and the development of Class IX push packages for the ground phase into Baghdad, as well as spear-heading several maintenance initiatives that contributed to the exceptional readiness rates of non-combat ground fleets for Division and above sized units.

CW5 Vachon retired in December 2004 after more than 31 years of service, but continues to contribute to the Army and Ordnance Corps, most recently as the as the Program Manager for the Chief of Staff, Army Award for Maintenance Excellence (AAME) Program.