Collins receives U.S. Army’s highest public service medal

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Susan Collins of Maine has been awarded the Army Distinguished Public Service Medal, the highest public service recognition awarded by the U.S. Army.

U.S. Senator Susan Collins of Maine was awarded the
Army Distinguished Public Service Medal, the highest
public service recognition awarded by the U.S. Army,
in the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. on
Thursday, Jan. 16. U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Paul 
Chamberlain presented the award to Collins for her
leadership on the U.S. Senate Appropriations
Committee and the Defense Appropriations
Subcommittee. SUBMITTED PHOTO  

Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth conferred the honor in recognition of Senator Collins’ support for the Army through her leadership on the Senate Appropriations Committee and the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee.

Lieutenant General Paul Chamberlain, Military Deputy to the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Financial Management and Comptroller, presented Senator Collins with the award on Capitol Hill last week.

“Receiving this award from the U.S. Army is a tremendous honor, and I am grateful to Secretary Wormuth and the leadership of the Army for this recognition,” said Senator Collins. “Throughout my Senate service, maintaining a strong national defense has been one of my highest priorities. This commitment not only enhances our national security at a time when we face the most dangerous global security environment in 50 years, but it also supports good-paying jobs at Bath Iron Works, Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Pratt & Whitney, and elsewhere across the State of Maine.”

The Army Distinguished Public Service Medal is awarded by the Secretary of the Army to individuals whose distinguished service makes a substantial contribution to the Army’s mission.

Collins graduated Phi Beta Kappa from St. Lawrence University in 1975 and began working for Maine U.S. Rep. William Cohen. She remained a member of his staff when he was elected to the U.S. Senate three years later, where she was promoted to staff director of the Oversight of Government Management Subcommittee of the Committee on Governmental Affairs.

In 1987, she was appointed by Maine Gov. John McKernan as the Commissioner of the Maine Department of Professional and Financial Regulation. In 1992, she was appointed as Director of the Small Business Administration’s Regional Office by President George H.W. Bush. She continued her work to champion small businesses when she was named the founding Executive Director of the Center for Family Business at Husson College (now Husson University) in 1994.

In 1996, Collins was elected to the U.S. Senate, succeeding Cohen. She was subsequently re-elected in 2002, 2008, 2014, and 2020. In 2020, Collins made history by becoming the first-ever Republican woman to win a fifth term in the U.S. Senate. <