Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 U.S. Army Training & Doctrine Command’s (TRADOC) recognition of their best of the best was celebrated via a virtual ceremony, hosted by U.S. Army General Paul E. Funk II, TRADOC commanding general, on August 6.
Out of more than 10,000 instructors, 68 candidates were assessed by 17 judges from 14 schools and the Army University for one of seven categories that make up the TRADOC competition.
For the fourth time in the last five years, an instructor from the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC) has been recognized for his exceptional qualities.
Former partner nation instructor at WHINSEC, Brazilian Marine Corps Major Adelton Ferreira Dias, chief of the Tactics Division (2018-2020) of the School of Leadership and Tactics (SLT), was named TRADOC Instructor of the Year, in the Officer category.
On behalf of Maj. Funk, U.S. Army Major General Christopher Donahue, Maneuver Center of Excellence commanding general, and U.S. Army Colonel John Dee Suggs, WHINSEC commandant, presented the award to Brazilian Marine Corps Major David Manhaes, representative of Maj. Dias, during the ceremony.
“I had very high expectations when I arrived at WHINSEC in 2018. I knew it would be a great opportunity to improve personally and professionally. WHINSEC is a very unique and challenging Institute,” said Maj. Dias.
During his tenure at the Institute, Maj. Dias led four courses under SLT. He also provided instruction for the Joint Disaster Response Techniques, Counter Transnational Threat, Medical Assistance, Transnational Threat Network Intelligence Analysis, and the Medical Assistance Courses in the area of Human Rights and Democracy.
Maj. Dias added, “It is a great responsibility, WHINSEC not only creates realistic conditions to improve security in the Western Hemisphere, but also highlights the importance of democracy and human rights during the entire process.”
