Off Duty
Join author Robert Holcomb for a discussion of his recent book, Stone Tapestry: a Visual and Historical Guide to the West Point Cemetery. Among those resting there are several generals who were personally selected by General Marshall to lead our efforts in World War II.
The variety of the figures buried at West Point Cemetery is astonishing, and the tales of their accomplishments – in every field of human endeavor – are inspiring. The book describes an eclectic mix of athletes, clergy, an astronaut, a member of the House of Representatives, engineers and Medal of Honor winners. Join Dr. Holcomb as he describes the lives and achievements of the men and women who served their country and formed its history. The concepts of Duty, Honor and Country are well represented here – it is a sacred place in American history.
Event Details
This event will be in person in Leesburg, VA. Registration for this event has not opened yet.
BIOGRAPHY
Dr. Robert C. Holcomb is an adjunct staff member in the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA) in Alexandria, Virginia. He earned his BS degree from the United States Military Academy in 1973, his MS degree in Operations Research from the Naval Postgraduate School in 1982, and his PhD in Information Technology from George Mason University in 2011.
Dr. Holcomb retired from the Army in 1993 as a lieutenant colonel after a distinguished twenty-year career. His service included command and staff positions in field artillery units, as well as roles as an operations research analyst for the Field Artillery School, the National Reconnaissance Office, the Special Operations Command, and the Space and Strategic Defense Command.
In addition to his work in support of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Dr. Holcomb has had extensive operational assessment experience overseas. He participated in an assessment of the US deployment into Bosnia, evaluated system performance in combat in both Iraq and Afghanistan in 2003, and participated in an assessment of the counter-IED campaign in Iraq in 2005. His most recent overseas experience was as the chief of the operations research cell in Baghdad from April 2007 to February 2008, for which he was awarded the IDA Goodpaster Award.
In September 2017 Dr. Holcomb retired from his full-time position at IDA and became a part-time adjunct. He currently lives in Clarke County, near Boyce, VA, where he maintains a small horse farm for his wife’s amusement.