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April 1, 2008
Purdue's ROTC Hall of Fame to hold induction ceremony
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Three Purdue alumni will be inducted into the Purdue University Reserve Officer's Training Corps Hall of Fame on April 12.The induction ceremony, which honors distinguished graduates from the Army, Navy/Marine and Air Force ROTC programs, will take place at 2 p.m. at the Purdue Armory.
The inductees will include:
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* * Col. Michael Abreu, Army, class of 1976. Abreu was commissioned as a second lieutenant after he received a bachelor's degree in aeronautics and astronautics engineering. While at Purdue he was active in the drill team and earned honors as a distinguished military graduate. After training, he reported to the 8th Infantry Division in Kitzingen, Germany. He returned to serve two tours with the 82nd Airborne Division. During the second tour, he participated in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Prior to being chief of staff for the Center for Army Analysis, Abreu served as a lieutenant colonel, reporting to the Army's chief of staff, director of Central Intelligence and in the office of the secretary of defense. He also spent two years investigating and analyzing potential causes of Gulf War illnesses after he was promoted to colonel in 1999. After retirement, Abreu worked for Booz, Allen, Hamilton and then for NASA. His final position at NASA was director of the Mission Support Division for the NASA Office of Program Analysis and Evaluation. Abreu is currently the chief financial and administrative officer for the National Environmental Satellite Data and Information Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
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* Capt. George Christena, Air Force, class of 1948. While a student at Purdue in 1943, Christena's Army Enlisted Reserve Corps unit was activated. After receiving additional training through the Army Specialized Training Program at Michigan Tech, he joined the 104th Infantry Division and fought in France, Belgium, Holland and in Germany. Christena was evacuated to England in March 1945 after he was wounded. He received the Bronze Star, a Purple Heart and a Combat Infantry Badge before discharging in December 1945. He immediately enlisted in the Army Air Corps as an inactive reservist. Christena returned to Purdue and entered the Air Force ROTC program, achieving the position of battalion commander. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in 1948. In 1949, he entered active duty in the Air Force and rose through the ranks to become a captain while serving in Japan and Korea. In 1956, Christena had to medically retire from the Air Force following an automobile accident. Following his military retirement, he made contributions to the aircraft industry through positions at Douglas Aircraft Co. and Tridair Industries. Now retired, Christena has been active in a number of committees and organizations.
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* * Col. Thomas M. Smith, Air Force Reserves, class of 1959. While at Purdue, Smith was a member of the Purdue Drill Team, including the 1956-57 team that was undefeated and national champion. Smith entered the U.S. Air Force after he received a bachelor's degree in aeronautics and astronautics engineering in 1959. He began his career as a maintenance officer at McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey. Throughout his 30-year military career, Smith diversified into aircraft and missile maintenance, supply systems, aerial port operations, logistics planning and aircraft battle damage repair training technologies. He ended his military career as the mobilization assistant to the chief, Maintenance and Acquisition Logistics Policy Division in the U.S. Air Force headquarters in Washington, D.C. Smith returned to Purdue and earned a master's degree in educational administration and mathematics and completed the combined air warfare course at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama and graduated with honors from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. Smith made many contributions to the Air Force Institute of Technology through papers, textbooks and study guides. He then spent 16 years in program management at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio before retirement.
The Hall of Fame was established in 1974 to recognize Purdue's Army ROTC graduates who have distinguished themselves through leadership, integrity, courage and discipline. In 1999, the bylaws were amended to include the recognition of distinguished alumni from all Purdue ROTC programs. Service to the nation and community and leadership in the fields of business, government, education or other professional fields are used as the basis for selection. More than 155 former Purdue ROTC students have been inducted into the Hall of Fame.Writer: Christy Jones, (765) 494-1089, christyjones@purdue.edu
Source: David Tate, chair of the ROTC Hall of Fame committee, (765) 494-1392, dgtate@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
Note to Journalists: Full biographies of the inductees are available by contacting Christy Jones at the Purdue News Service, (765) 494-1089, christyjones@purdue.edu
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