| COL Dan Gower dedicated 27 years of service to Army serving 96 months in command and 147 months as a DUSTOFF pilot. His career was marked with outstanding leadership, selfless service. His unit was awarded the FORSCOM Commander’s Trophy for Aviation Safety in 1981, signifying the number one-rated unit of that size. He developed the Army’s safety guidelines on simulator sickness and development the SPH-5 aviation helmet. Serving as the DUSTOFF Association President in 1996-97, he lead in the development of its awards program. He developed the plans and raised the funds to build the Neel DUSTOFF plaza. It was Dan who developed the DUSTOFF Hall of Fame, securing a prominent site on the grounds of the AMEDD Museum. He spearheaded the effort to raise the money for the memorial honoring our DUSTOFF KIAs. He served as the lead in the establishment of the DUSTOFF Scholarship Program and obtained the partnership with the Army Aviation Association of America. It has been said of Dan Gower that he is “the heart and soul of the DUSTOFF Association.” Dan Gower was inducted into the DUSTOFF Hall of Fame on 1 March 2008. |