Service Award Comes 10 Years after Retirement for Newark Man
Sue Higgins | Wayuga Contributing Writer
Wednesday, July 25 2007
Jim Pickard
NEWARK – For 12 years of his life James W. Pickard of Newark had no identity.
During that time, his primary assignment in the United States Army was Special Operations, Anti Terrorist Unit. For his own protection, as well as the people around him, he needed
to be inconspicuous.
That may be why it took more than 10 years beyond his retirement in 1996 to be awarded the Conspicuous Service Silver Cross. The award, he said, was made recently.
“All sorts of things in the military go unrecognized. This covers some of them,”
Pickard explained.
It was a security type of thing, Pickard said about his role in the service. Still, today, he is able to divulge few details concerning the secret work he performed for the Army.
Pickard’s 21-year Army career began in the field of transportation, dealing with the movement of people and equipment. However, after returning to school through the military, he became a specialist in explosives and the disabling of equipment.
“Special Operations was an anti-terrorist group, but before 9-11. We intercepted things and people. Our missions helped the regular military units, contributing to their safety. Some of our missions were quick reaction and needed to be completed by the afternoon. Others took a large amount of planning,”
Pickard said.
Pickard was there during the initial influx into Desert Storm. Although that is the only named conflict of which he was a part, Pickard explained that, “Any time someone is shooting at you, it’s a war. When you go out on any mission, you’re in danger. But, you put that out of your mind and concentrate on completing the mission,” he said.
During his career in the Army, Pickard’s deployment took him worldwide. “I enjoyed serving my nation, as well as the excitement of the job. We were always learning, learning everything from A to Z. I liked the team work in Special Ops. We had to depend on the guy next to us. The same people functioned as a team, with extras added, as the assignment demanded,”
Pickard said.
In the fall of 1996, after 21 years in the Army, Pickard retired as a master sergeant/1st sergeant. “I had mixed feelings. But, it was time for me to pass the baton to the younger guys.” During the last two years of his military career, Pickard stepped out of Special Operations, so his transition from military to civilian life wasn’t as difficult as it might have been.
He said a totally different behavior patterns and ways of thought are expected in the military, as opposed to civilian life. He encourages relatives dealing with veterans to be patient with them and to encourage them to seek professional help to ease the transition to civilian life.
Finally, ten years past his retirement, with his identity restored, Pickard was awarded the Conspicuous Service Silver Cross.
“I was surprised to receive this. Three men wearing suits showed up at work. My supervisor and co-workers played into the scene, saying three men were looking for me, then asking what I’d done,” said Pickard. The Silver Cross was given to Pickard at work, as co-workers looked on and applauded.
Besides the Conspicuous Service Silver Cross, Pickard previously received the following awards: Meritorious Unit Commendation; Superior Unit Commendation; Meritorious Service Medal; Army Commendation Medal; Good Conduct Medal; Kuwait Liberation Medal; Overseas Ribbon; Army Service Ribbon; Army School Ribbon.
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