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FORT MCPHERSON, GA (January 24, 2008) - Two U. S. Army Central
Soldiers found that living one Army value does pay off.
Sergeant 1st Class Michael Theus and Staff Sergeant Christopher
Chilton, both (G3) Future Plans Operational Maneuver
Noncommissioned officers found $3,133 in the parking lot of the
USARCENT headquarters building and returned it to Lt. Col. Michael
Knox, (G4) Operational Sustainment Chief of Programs and
Policies.
The money was in the parking lot for a week unnoticed. Knox lost
the money Jan 11 and the Soldiers found it seven days later.
The envelope was torn in half by the weather. One half of it
rested on the asphalt parking lot, the other half with Knox's name
on it under a banded stack of one hundred dollar bills totaling
$2,000 sitting on top of the rest of the unbanded, and wet loose
bills, explained Theus and Parks.
"The irony of the story is although I couldn't see what they
found, I parked next to and passed by the Soldiers as they found
the envelope," said Knox. "To be honest, I did not think I would
see the money again. I told their supervisor, Col. Steven Mitchell,
Chief (G3) Future Plans Operational Maneuver, that their actions
should be denoted as a bullet on their NCOER. I commend Sgt. 1st
Class Theus and Staff Sgt. Chilton for their integrity and living
the Army values," said Knox.
"Their actions represent not only the backbone of the Army,
which is the noncommissioned officers core, but the professionalism
in USARCENT, which is doing the right thing when no one is looking,
said Mitchell. "I am proud of them."
"Under the circumstances, finding the money was a blessing for
Lt. Col. Knox and a test for us," said Theus. "We just happened to
be the Soldiers to find it. Most people wouldn't give that amount
of money back."
"We were only going into the building to grab some things and
leave for a mission, said Chilton. "If he would've parked there
five minutes earlier than us, he would've found the money himself.
We saw the name on the envelope after he had past it by and gone
into the building."
Theus and Parks both split an unexpected ten percent of the
money found as a reward for their actions. When you do something
honestly, you'll receive compensation one way or another!
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