Y-12 lieutenant honored award
Lt. Denver Fall from the Y-12 National Security Complex recently received the Col. Sydnor Memorial Award from the U.S. Department of Energy. In the photo are, from left, Ed Smith, Office of Enterprise Assessments; John Boulden, director of the Office of National Security Assessments; Fall; and Anthony Taylor, deputy director of the Office of Safeguards and Security Assessments.
The award is presented annually to a member of the Composite Adversary Team, or CAT, who exemplifies high standards of physical fitness, tactical skill, character and leadership, according to a news release.
The honor is named for Col. Elliot P. “Bud” Sydnor, a U.S. Army and DOE veteran credited with helping elevate DOE Protective Force operations.
CAT was established to provide a cadre of tactical operators who role-play terrorist adversaries and conduct rigorous performance testing of the DOE’s and the National Nuclear Security Administration’s most crucial protection systems.
The team is made up of specially trained security police officers and federal agents selected from across the DOE.
Selection includes a screening process with a formal interview before a panel of subject-matter experts, followed by training and physical fitness evaluations.
Full membership is granted only after nominees complete one cycle of semiannual CAT training and demonstrate mastery of adversary tactics during a force-on-force performance test conducted as part of a safeguards and security inspection.
“You have clearly been a leader since your days in the Marine Corps,” John Boulden, director of the Office of National Security Assessments, said in the release.
“Security of the nuclear complex is our No. 1 priority, and you are a key part of that.”
“This job is not easy, and we ask a lot of you,” said Mary Helen Hitson, Y-12 Field Office manager. “It is an honor to have you at Y-12. This award is a tribute to you and to the contributions of your peers to national security.”
Gene Sievers, vice president for Production and Operations, said the CAT mission strengthens overall readiness. “In the Navy, we talked about training like we fight. That’s what CAT does. You and your team members make us all better and more secure,” he said.
Fall has also served in the military and with the Knoxville Police Department.
“Winning this award is very special to me,” he said. “Col. Sydnor was an amazing man who dedicated much of his life to defending this country. To be mentioned in the same breath as him is truly special.”
