Bronze bust honoring Lance Cpl. Gregory A. Posey, USMC, to be dedicated

  • Published
  • By Shawn Jacobs
  • AEDC/PA
ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn. --  U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Gregory A. Posey gave his last measure of devotion to his country on a battlefield in Afghanistan.

Now, Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) and Aerospace Testing Alliance (ATA) employees are showing their devotion to Lance Corporal Posey by unveiling a bronze bust in his honor at 2 p.m., Nov. 20 on the public square in Winchester. If it rains, the dedication will be held at Franklin County High School.

The unveiling is a project of Operation Never Forget (ONF), a national project of the Congressional District Programs, a 501c3 non-profit organization of Falls Church, Va. Virtually all of the funds for the bust were donated by AEDC and ATA employees and organizations, including a matching contribution by ATA, according to Dave Uselton, the southeast regional director and charter advisory board member for ONF, and manager of ATA material control.

"Operation Never Forget doesn't have a pot of money, so we developed in my district a plan that would allow us to meet with the community leaders and shakers and plant a seed with them," Uselton said. "Our vision is to help communities all over the country to take the lead in memorializing their heroes in such a way that they will never be forgotten.

"It really is the beginning of the healing process, not just for the families of our fallen heroes, but for the community as a whole. Communities are family, so this is just our way of bringing them together so that they help each other as families do."

Lance Corporal Posey was the son of Steve and Delma Posey. Steve is a supervisor in AEDC's Precision Measurement Equipment Laboratory.

"People from the AEDC community came to me and insisted that we do something because they felt the loss too," Uselton said. "At first, I called [ATA General Manager] Dr. Elrod and talked to him and he said, 'Whatever you do, I'll support it,' and we went from there. ATA made a sizeable donation; they matched what we collected."

"On behalf of the ATA work force, it was an honor to be able to support Greg's family through this memorial," ATA General Manager Dr. David Elrod said in an earlier interview. "The statement made by the men and women of AEDC in raising funds for this cause and by ATA in matching those funds with our corporate donation is a clear testament to the respect and appreciation with which we hold Lance Corporal Posey and all who serve. May we never forget what they have done for us and for our nation."

"We didn't initially talk to the Air Force about this because Steve [Posey] works for ATA and he's retired Navy ... but the Air Force got word of this ... and [various Air Force organizations and individuals] wanted to help," Uselton said. "The effort became a family act of love."

Uselton said ONF actually exceeded their goal due to the generosity of the AEDC community, and the additional funds will go toward erecting another bust in Tennessee.

"Here at AEDC, it's always been apparent to me that this is a family atmosphere, which is why I have stayed here for almost 30 years," Uselton said. "You don't find this everywhere, and I am very fortunate to be a part of such a family."

Uselton also expressed his appreciation to Franklin County, the mayor's office, the Chamber of Commerce and other leaders who have come together to support the event.

Employees and internal organizations such as the Air Force Sergeant's Association, Air Engineering Metal Trades Council (AEMTC) and Top III all joined ATA and contributed to this project.

Lance Corporal Posey's bust makes the 10th bust in Tennessee that Uselton has facilitated and is currently working on presentations for other southern states.

There have been two other fallen heroes with AEDC ties who have been honored with an ONF bronze bust.

The first was U.S. Marine Corps Pfc. Nathan Clemons, whose father David Clemons is an ATA employee working in the Engine Test Facility. Private Clemons' memorial will also be permanently located on the Franklin County Courthouse grounds.

The second was U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Marcus Golczynski, whose father-in-law John Southward worked as an Air Force civilian employee at AEDC. Sergeant Golczynski's memorial is located in the Marshall County Courthouse Annex, along with two Army fallen heroes' memorials also presented by ONF.

The bronze busts are created by Marble Cast Inc. in Salt Lake City, which has pledged to construct the busts at their costs as long as there is a need, according to Uselton.

More information about ONF can be found at www.operationneverforget.org.